HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Cooling in High Power Battlefield Comms

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Summary of Challenge

Tactical radios which can get too hot when used on the battlefield are at the heart of a new challenge by HMGCC Co-Creation. The team is inviting applications from all those who could help stop high-bandwidth radios from emitting too much heat. Why is this heat a problem? These radios play a vital role in battlefield intelligence, but heat can create detectable infrared signals and degrade hardware performance.

HMGCC Co-Creation is looking for innovative solutions to enable high-power radios to run for longer, while keeping heat emissions to a minimum. The solution should be compact and something that can be retrofitted into existing hardware without creating a piece of tech which is too big or too complex. This is a 12-week, funded challenge which asks applicants to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 demonstrator in that time. HMGCC will provide funding for time and materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for successful applications.

Context of Challenge

Signal congestion and adversary jamming are just some of the obstacles operational staff can encounter when trying to manage secure, battlefield communications. High-power, portable radio systems are all-important to make safe communications possible. These are relied on to securely enable the transfer of tactical data, including streaming high bandwidth information and intelligence back to headquarters. However, the increased processing power and transmission levels required for this data can generate significant waste heat. If left unmanaged, this heat can degrade equipment performance, reduce hardware lifespan, and creates a thermal signature that can be detected by enemy sensors. HMGCC Co-Creation is seeking innovative heat dissipation solutions that can be integrated across a diverse range of software defined radio systems, from existing hardware to future platforms, to ensure operational reliability and personnel safety.

The gap

Managing thermal loads in electronic components is a persistent engineering challenge. While traditional methods, such as thermal interface material, heat sinks, heat pipes, and active cooling (fans or liquid cooling) are effective, they each present significant trade-offs regarding size, weight, power, and reliability. Because no single ’one size fits all’ solution exists, this challenge seeks a versatile heat transfer method that can be commoditised for broader national security and defence procurement. It should be possible to retrofit this solution into high-power radio systems while remaining adaptable for other critical user cases.

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