General Dynamics [GD] United Kingdom Limited Oct. 30 opened its pioneering defence innovation center.
The opening ceremony was conducted by Andrew Tyler, chief operating officer of the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organization.
EDGETM UK provides a collaborative environment for Britain’s knowledge-based industries to join new equipment and software with existing defense communications and information technology systems, facilitating speedy assessment and refinement of emerging capabilities for the armed forces and security services, the company said. Fifteenhigh- tech companies, including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are already involved.
“EDGE(tm) UK enables SMEs to gain a competitive edge in developing their innovations rapidly into capability that can be fielded,” Sandy Wilson, president and managing director of General Dynamics U.K., said in a statement. “This research and demonstration environment is a first for Britain’s high-tech industries.”
Tyler said: “In procuring the best kit for the armed forces, it is vital for us to stay at the cutting edge of technology. To do this, we must develop the physical and virtual infrastructure that will enable the defense community to work more closely with small niche businesses, academia and the major defense companies. EDGE(tm) UK is an excellent initiative with great promise, and I am delighted to declare it open for business.”
The original EDGEr initiative, successfully developed in the United States by General Dynamics, provides a physical and virtual environment for collaboration projects between industry, academia and the US government. GDUK adapted the initiative for the UK by General Dynamics UK, a leading nurturer of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), in accordance with the UK’s Defence Innovation Strategy, which calls for a “new environment for innovation within the defence supply chain” and notes that innovation is essentially “the successful generation and exploitation of new or, where appropriate, novel applications of existing technology.”
As well as helping innovative SMEs bring new capabilities to market, the EDGE(tm) U.K. facility will further develop the partnership-based concept of the U.K.’s unique Joint Systems and Joint Networks Integration Bodies. The Joint Integration Bodies, pioneered by General Dynamics UK and the MoD in delivering the U.K.’s flagship Bowman communications program, bring together industry and the MoD to integrate key networks and systems .