Dual-use aviation systems and autonomy
11 May 2026 - 3 June 2026
Registration open until 3 Jun 2026
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Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £10m to develop aviation technologies and systems that support both civil and military use cases. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. These will be to support a resilient UK national security and defence ecosystem.
About the competition
The aim of this competition is to support development of, and reduce barriers to the adoption and commercialisation of, key dual use aviation technologies. These are specifically Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS), hybrid electric Vertical Take off and Landing aircraft (eVTOLs), hybrid electric Conventional Take off and Landing aircraft (eCTOLs), and other swarming, collaborative or autonomous aviation systems.
Dual use items, including software and technology, are items which can be used for both civil and military purposes.
We are seeking innovative projects that will build on current state of the art technologies and progress towards commercialisation and operational readiness. Your application should also consider the potential to manufacture at scale and specific end user and operational needs.
This competition will support ambitious companies developing technology ideas with the potential to scale.
This competition also supports cross government priorities, including the government’s objectives of achieving routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) UAS operations from 2027, promoting public sector UAS adoption and achieving commercial piloted eVTOL operations from 2028.
We particularly welcome applications that focus on strategically important use cases, for example:
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search and rescue
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aerial delivery: including heavy lift logistics and routine delivery, this includes those that support offshore energy infrastructure
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aerial survey: including disaster support, national resilience and security, reconnaissance, scientific or environmental research, border protection, critical infrastructure inspection and policing
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medical support: including emergency support and evacuation
Your project must include a UK customer or operator as a partner. You must clearly state in your scope answer which partner meets this requirement.
Our experience from similar competitions suggests that you could have a 15% chance of success.
If you have technology which could be used against Uncrewed Aerial Systems, you may also be interested in the parallel competition “Counter UAS Technologies” which has a similar budget and also closes on 3 June 2026.
Organisations are encouraged to actively use this B2Match platform to explore opportunities, build partnerships and strengthen their approach to participating in the competition.