HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Upgradeable Sensors to Rapidly Detect Chemical and Biological Hazards

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Summary of Challenge

Could you develop the next generation of sensors to protect against chemical and biological hazards?

Early detection of chemical and biological hazards is the most effective way to limit harm and enact a proportionate response to protect lives and assets.

HMGCC Co-Creation want to develop next-generation sensors to enhance our ability to detect a broad range of chemical and biological substances in real-time. The aim is a demonstrator at Technology Readiness Level 4 (basic laboratory validation) that could be integrated into existing safety-monitoring networks.

Applicants from diverse sectors, including healthcare, food, environment and agritech are welcomed, that can bring new perspectives and expertise to the resilience and security sectors. HMGCC Co-Creation will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for successful applicants.

Context of Challenge

The UK National Risk Register highlights the importance of maintaining effective capabilities to identify and respond to the release of hazardous chemical and biological materials to protect public safety in the UK and abroad. While large-scale incidents are uncommon in the UK, emergency services regularly respond to smaller hazardous events, for example illicit drug-lab releases and accidental spills.

Improving resilience by enabling the earliest and most informative warning possible will ensure the most effective cross-agency response from healthcare, policing and other emergency services.

This challenge launched by HMGCC Co-Creation, is to develop a novel sensor that can be deployed in any environment, providing rapid and early sensing of any chemical and biological hazard as part of a wider networked sensing capability.

This work builds on existing UK sensing capabilities and complements the government’s wider interests in sensing and detection technologies, sitting alongside separate bio-specific innovation delivered through UK Defence Innovation’s (UKDI) funding call on Biosecurity Frontiers and chemical-specific detection delivered through UKDI’s previous Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases competition.

For more information, see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2025

The Gap

Current chemical and biological detection technologies can face challenges, such as:

There is a need to enhance current capabilities to extend performance across a wider range of scenarios by developing a cutting-edge, upgradeable sensing system that can rapidly detect a wide variety of chemical and biological agents, with improved sensitivity, low error rate, and requiring limited maintenance.

Dates

*Please note, the successful solution provider will be expected to have availability for a one hour onboarding call via MS Teams on the date specified to begin the onboarding/contractual process.

Clarifying questions or general requests for assistance can be submitted directly to cocreation@hmgcc.gov.uk before the deadline with the challenge title as the subject. These clarifying questions may be technical, procedural, or commercial in subject, or anything else where assistance is required. Please note that answered questions will be published to facilitate a fair and open competition.

Eligibility

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.

How to Apply

Please submit your application on the HMGCC Co-Creation website. Any queries please email Co-Creation@dstl.gov.uk and cocreation@hmgcc.gov.uk.

All information you provide to us as part of your application will be handled in confidence.

Applications must be no more than six pages or six slides in length. HMGCC Co-Creation reserves the right to stop reading after six pages if this limit is breached. The page/slide limit excludes title pages, references, personnel CVs and organisational profiles.

There is no prescribed application format, however, please ensure your application includes the following:

Challenge Documents