Centre 
Defence 
Enterprise 
for 
Andy Nicholson 
Head of CDE
Military capability 
Advantage 
Persistent
The aim of CDE 
Prove the value of innovative, high-risk, high-potential-benefit research to enable development of cost-effective military capability advantage 
Defence White Paper – National Security Through Technology Feb 2012
The aim of CDE 
Technology 
Best providers 
No barriers
Rapid technological change 
Defence 
Other markets 
Utilisation
Opportunities 
Awareness 
Network 
Funding
Managing innovation 
Proof of concept 
Development 
Innovation 
Future capability 
CDE 
MOD + investors
CDE operating principles 
Key 
Applied 
Consistent
Engaging innovators 
SMEs 
Academia 
Wider industry
Funded opportunities 
Fair 
Accessible 
100% funded
Sustained incentive 
Guarantee 
Support 
Feedback
Minimise participation costs 
Online bids 
Contracting 
Investment
Compliance 
Regulated 
Transparent 
Auditable
Intellectual property 
Defcon 705 
Benevolent 
Rights of use
Two routes to funding 
Enduring 
Themed 
Not classified
Enduring competition 
Perpetual 
Radical 
£3M per year
Enduring competition 
Challenges 
Enduring 
Framework
Framework 
Protection 
Lethality 
Human performance 
Mobility 
Lower cost of ownership
Framework 
Situational awareness 
Communication 
Data 
Power
Themed competition 
Requirements 
Bounded 
Specific
Themed competitions today 
Synthetic biology applications for defence - £1 million 
and 
Defence medical sciences - £500,000
CDE 
How has CDE performed?
CDE index 
5284 
Proposals received in 6 years
CDE index 
858 
Proposals funded in 6 years
CDE index 
£51M 
Invested in innovation over 6 years
CDE index 
17% 
Of proposals funded
CDE index 
44% 
Proposals funded with SMEs
What next for CDE? 
Opportunities 
Social capital 
Funding
Innovation Network events 
Advice 
Opportunity 
Networking
18 November 2014, London 
featuring 
‘affordable space-based capability’ 
Innovation Network events
A successful proposal 
Clear 
Concise 
Evidence based
Centre 
Defence 
Enterprise 
for

30 September 2014: Working with the Centre for Defence Enterprise