Trusted partnerships with academia,
industry and international contacts
Because we value world-class research and want to remain on the cutting
edge of science and technology we are continually strengthening our
links with academia. Co-operative Research Centres with selected UK
universities have already been set up to encourage more academic involvement
in our research and there are more planned for the future. Our aim is
to build on these links and encourage people to work with us, forming
a network of knowledge that stretches throughout the UK.
The American connection
The bond between British and US defence establishments' stretches
back to the Second World War and, while the shared historical knowledge
in nuclear technology is well known, this partnership has also been
behind many other developments.
Even today, research agreements with the US account for around half
of Dstl's collaborative research and development work. This includes
projects such as the state-of-the-art Atmospheric Dispersion Model,
used in the battle against chemical and biological terrorism.
Meanwhile, technology specialists and analysts from Dstl have been
busy supporting the UK's Joint Combat Aircraft programme - working side
by side with their Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) counterparts in the US
Department of Defense.
In support of the MOD's equipment capability staff and Defence Procurement
Agency, our experts have also provided technology and systems advice
covering requirement evolution, concept definition, technical assessment
and integration of the JSF into the UK's future force structure.
International alliances
While the technical links between the UK and US have remained strong
since World War Two, the Technical Co-operation Programme, which also
includes Australia, New Zealand and Canada, has continued to help sustain
close partnerships between the five long-standing allies.
Naturally, Dstl has had a major role in this partnership.
The organisation is also a major player in NATO-wide research collaboration
and has taken a lead in coalition air training studies, looking at how
improvements can be made through training systems that connect our partners
in a computer simulated environment. We also lead a progressive NATO
technical team, working on the analysis of smaller-scale contingencies
under the NATO Studies, Analysis and Simulation Panel.
Our expertise is also employed in a large European collaborative programme
designed to evolve the resilience and dependability of nationally and
economically critical computer networks.
Away from the international scene, back here in Britain our work generates
considerable intellectual property in specialist areas such as healthcare
and biotechnology.
For Queen and country
As one of the largest science and technology laboratories in the public
sector, our purpose is of national significance - to provide the best
impartial scientific and technological defence advice to the British
Government.
As a key part of the UK's public services, our teams of analysts,
scientists and engineers offer the highest standards of reliability
alongside a reserve of trusted scientific and technical expertise.
In our capacity as a public sector organisation we also provide analysis
and support to the Home Office, Department of Trade and Industry, Department
of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, Foreign and Commonwealth
Office and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
We also provide help across other areas of government by making our
technological achievements available for public benefit. Our history
in this area speaks for itself. Dstl's forerunners have produced many
advances, from supersonic travel in Concorde to the humble infrared
detector made popular in modern burglar alarms.
Today, cutting edge science from government research conducted at
Dstl is providing practical breakthroughs that are helping to save lives.
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