Lancashire defence and security strengths highlighted nationally via new government initiatives

Lancashire’s academic and commercial capabilities within the defence sector have been recognised nationally via two recent government initiatives.

Earlier this month, Lancaster University and the University of Lancashire were both invited to join the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) new Defence Universities Alliance (DUA).

With only 35 universities selected out of over 100 which applied, the DUA aims to strengthen connections between academia and the defence industry, helping to support a pipeline of skilled graduates into defence-led careers in sectors such as cyber security, robotics, AI, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing. Part of a of £182 million investment programme, the DUA will also support university research into new defence technologies.

Commenting on the University of Lancashire’s inclusion in the founding cohort of DUA members, Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin OBE DL – who is also chair of the Lancashire Innovation Board – said: “The University of Lancashire is already partnering with regional companies to grow talent, strengthen the local ecosystem, and create high-value career opportunities for graduates.

“Our added focus via the DUA will be to promote the wide range of defence-related careers available including medicine, humanities, engineering and computing. I’m confident the DUA will help enable us to provide more courses which will deliver the skills, resilience and economic growth we require for defence and civic society at large.”

And Lancashire’s defence credentials were given an additional boost this month with the publication of the MOD’s new Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Action Plan, which sets out how the MOD will increase its spend with SMEs by 50% by 2028, backed by a £2.5 billion investment.

Included in the MOD’s plan is a case study focused on North Product Design (npd) Studio, a Lancashire-based product design consultancy which has developed an avionics display unit for a prototype BAE Systems aircraft. One element of the BAE contract which particularly impressed the MOD was npd’s speed and efficiency, completing the project in three months (against a projected internal delivery target of twelve).

Tim Ketton-Locke, Director of the Office for Small Business Growth, said: “Delivering in three months rather than twelve is a strong example of the agility and innovation SMEs can bring to a Prime’s supply chain – and it’s exactly why we need a diverse ecosystem of supply across UK defence.”

npd’s founder, Nathan Partington, said: “Being named in a national government policy document isn’t something we thought we’d earn a place in. A few years ago, defence wasn’t even on our radar, now it’s some of the most interesting work we do. We’ve realised our background outside this sector isn’t a limitation, it’s what we bring to the table.”

You can read more about the Defence Universities Alliance here, and more about MOD’s SME action plan – including npd’s case study – here.

You can also download our free report on Lancashire’s defence and security sector here.