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MoD on hunt for 'budding Qs'

Prospective small-business suppliers of equipment for front-line troops have been invited to meet with the MoD at a seminar this week
Written by Jo Best, Contributor

The Ministry of Defence is on the hunt for "budding Qs" to keep it supplied with the latest gadgetry, the department announced on Friday.

Small businesses seeking to supply the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been invited to meet up with the department at a seminar this week in Glasgow.

The MoD is particularly seeking to make contact with SMEs who can provide equipment for front-line troops.

A spokeswoman for the department told ZDNet UK sister site silicon.com: "The reason for this is we're looking to expand who we talk to. Obviously we work with QinetiQ, BAE systems and all the big companies — we'd like to work with as broad a range as possible."

The Support for Operations event — to be held on 19 November at the University of Glasgow's Kelvin Gallery — already has 100 organisations signed up.

The event will be jointly hosted by the university and the Ministry of Defence's Centre for Defence Enterprise. MoD personnel and recently returned troops will be present, to provide would-be suppliers with insights into the trials faced by front-line forces.

The seminar will also feature talks on the Centre for Defence Enterprise's work and how to submit a proposal, as well as discussions concerning the MoD technology-research programme.

"It's going to be a series of presentations on how to work with the MoD or how the MoD can work with you," the spokeswoman added.

The Centre for Defence Enterprise is the gateway between would-be suppliers and the MoD itself, and the first point of contact for technology companies who believe they have devised desirable equipment for the armed forces.

Vendors can make requests for research contracts via the Centre for Defence Enterprise's site, through which the MoD has awarded £1.7m of contracts to date.

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