Can you help us develop a solution we can use to retrofit in offices or other locations used for government work to enable soundproofing for secure conversations? In its latest challenge HMGCC Co-Creation wants to hear from organisations and individuals who are experts in materials capable of providing a high level of acoustic dampening or reflection.

Organisations are being asked to apply if, over a 12-week period, they can develop and demonstrate technology to meet this challenge. HMGCC Co-Creation will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses.

Key information

Budget per single organisation, up to £60,000
Budget per consortium, up to £120,000
Project duration 12 weeks
Competition opens Monday 16 September 2024
Competition closes Thursday 24 October 2024 at 5pm

Context of the challenge

Government offices follow rigorous specifications outlined by the National Protective Security Agency (NPSA) to ensure any rented spaces used for government work are just as secure as bespoke government buildings Rented offices are only used when it is necessary for the nature or location of work being carried out. But additional, retrofitted protections are often required.

HMGCC Co-Creation is presenting this challenge where there is a requirement to develop and deploy materials that can be retrofitted into small sized rooms (approximately 5 x 5 metres) on the walls, floors and ceilings, to provide acoustic dampening to at least 45 dB attenuation.

Who should apply?

This challenge is open to sole innovators, industry, academic and research organisations of all types and sizes. There is no requirement for security clearances.
Solution providers or direct collaboration from countries listed by the UK government under trade sanctions and/or arms embargoes, are not eligible for HMGCC Co-Creation challenges.

Evaluation criteria

All proposals, regardless of the application route, will be assessed by the HMGCC Co-Creation team. Proposals will be scored 1–5 on the following criteria:

Scope: Does the proposal fit within the challenge scope, taking into consideration cost and benefit?

Innovation: Is the technical solution credible, will it create new knowledge and IP, or use existing IP?

Deliverables: Will the proposal deliver a full or partial solution, if a partial solution, are there collaborations identified?

Timescale: Will the proposal deliver a minimum viable product within the project duration?

Budget: Are the project finances within the competition scope?

Team: Are the organisation / delivery team credible in this technical area?

HMGCC Co-Creation supporting information

HMGCC works with the national security community, UK government, academia, private sector partners and international allies to bring engineering ingenuity to the
national security mission, creating tools and technologies that drive us ahead and help to protect the nation.

HMGCC Co-Creation is a partnership between HMGCC and Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), created to deliver a new, bold and innovative way of
working with the wider UK science and technology community. We bring together the best in class across industry, academia, and government, to work collaboratively on national security engineering challenges and accelerate innovation.

HMGCC Co-Creation is part of the NSTIx Co-Creation network, which enables the UK government national security community to collaborate on science, technology
and innovation activities and to deliver these in partnership with a more diverse set of contributors for greater shared impact and pace.

HMGCC Co-Creation aims to work collaboratively with the successful solution providers by utilising in-house delivery managers working Agile by default. This
process will involve access to HMGCC Co-Creation’s technical expertise and facilities to bring a product to market more effectively than traditional customer/supplier relationships.