Competition: point of care diagnostics at the front line
£500k is available to fund the development of novel PoC diagnostics devices.
Latest change: Please note we have changed our preference for those platforms aiming to detect specific nucleic acid analytes; Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 10788 should be used instead of the previously stated Bacillus subtilis subsp. Spizizenii.
AI Summary
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has issued a funding call for innovative ‘Point of Care’ (PoC) diagnostic technologies to identify individuals exposed to chemical and biological hazards. Currently, diagnostic capabilities are limited by time-consuming processes, high resource demands, and a reliance on specialized laboratory facilities. To improve clinical outcomes, DASA is seeking rapid, portable devices capable of providing high-confidence identification in austere environments. The regulatory and funding framework for this initiative provides up to £500,000 to support multiple projects reaching up to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, with potential follow-on funding for further development. While the document does not list company violations or traditional inspections, it identifies the critical gap in frontline medical response as the primary issue to be addressed. Required actions for interested organizations include submitting technical proposals by the competition deadline of midday on 26 September 2019. All inquiries regarding the application process should be directed to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) via the accelerator's official contact channels.
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