As the UK advances towards its 2.5% defence spending target amidst escalating global tensions, a significant opportunity remains underexploited: valuable intellectual property (IP) trapped within both government defence establishments and private sector supply chains. Strategically significant R&D with dual-use potential is becoming a stranded asset – neither fully deployed for defence advantage nor commercialised for broader economic benefit and wider sector application.
Sponsored by Ploughshare, this paper proposes a set of strategic initiatives to identify, unlock and scale underutilised IP. Through targeted engagement with key stakeholders across government, industry, and academia, this proposal seeks to explore solutions to the challenges that currently prevent dormant innovation from being unlocked, in order to accelerate capability delivery, boost exports, and support regional development and workforce growth.
