Nuclear Deterrence Fund - Prior Information Notice

The UK's independent nuclear deterrent has existed for over 60 years to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, and that of our NATO Allies. The UK faces a growing and diversifying set of threats over the coming decades, including from major nuclear armed states, emerging nuclear states and state-sponsored nuclear terrorism. The complexity and breadth of these challenges requires the UK to consider how to adapt its approach to deterrence across the spectrum of conflict, including nuclear and strategic deterrence. This, in turn, requires an intellectual capability that can assist UK policymakers in understanding the new security dynamic and its implications for future deterrence requirements.

The MoD is committed to not only developing this expertise within Government, but through a thriving and robust civil society which can provide valuable research and challenge to Government on these issues. The Nuclear Deterrence Fund is a £3.3m pilot programme which will run between FY24-27 to stimulate wider UK expertise in nuclear deterrence issues and to generate a research base to support nuclear deterrence policymaking. The Fund seeks to support the following objectives:

i. Promote innovative, high quality and impactful research in nuclear deterrence aligned with HMG priorities. ii. Improve and sustain the generation and use of evidence to address UK nuclear deterrence policy challenges and effectively embed research within deterrence policymaking. iii. Support institutions to attract, develop, and retain early- and mid-career researchers within the UK. iv. Support the formation of a more equal, diverse and inclusive nuclear deterrence research workforce. v. Establish enduring and sustainable structures of engagement and knowledge exchange between nuclear deterrence researchers and policymakers.

The Fund will open for proposals between October 2024 and January 2027. A Programme Board comprised of x-HMG officials will review project proposals monthly in FY24/25. The frequency of future Board meetings will be published in due course. Funding decisions will be communicated within four weeks of each Board meeting.

In order to submit proposals to the Nuclear Deterrence Fund, suppliers must register for an account on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP). Once the necessary due diligence checks have been completed, suppliers will be onboarded onto a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) which will provide the overarching contractual terms. Suppliers will have the opportunity to onboard onto the DPS at any time between September 2024 and January 2027. Once on the DPS, suppliers can submit research project proposals for consideration. The detail of any funding agreements for successful bids will be covered by a supplementary project tasking form.

Please see the Statement of Requirement for a further breakdown of this requirement and the appropriate links for further guidance on registering for the DSP.