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(London, United Kingdom, 27th August 2026): Digital Catapult, the deep tech innovation organisation, and The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the world’s oldest defence and security think-tank, have signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to shape the future of UK defence and security innovation.
Committed to strengthening the UK’s defence and security sectors, Digital Catapult and RUSI will explore collaboration to connect policy with the practical adoption of new frontier technology-led solutions through research, roundtables, and joint events. The agreement will identify pathways to growth for the sector and facilitate knowledge exchange, helping to shape the future of the UK’s defence and security capabilities by bringing together RUSI’s world-leading expertise in defence and security policy and analysis with Digital Catapult’s extensive network of deep tech startups, technologists and innovators from across the UK.
With renewed investment in the defence industry and recent government funding announcements underscoring defence and security as a top priority for the UK, collaboration between the public sector, academia, industry and the innovator ecosystem will be critical to helping the industry overcome technical obstacles and access future funding opportunities. Digital Catapult and RUSI’s partnership will strengthen these relationships by creating a framework for strategic discussion and knowledge exchange, helping businesses scale while informing security policy decisions.
The partnership builds on Digital Catapult’s extensive work in the defence and security industry, exploring how deep tech innovation, including digital twins, quantum computing, advanced connectivity technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI), can help secure supply chains, transform asset prototyping and address a wide range of logistical challenges. Through initiatives such as the Defence Testbed Accelerator, Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator, and the Quantum Technology Access Programme, Digital Catapult has supported defence primes and startups within the sector to test and deploy advanced digital technologies across research, logistics and manufacturing operations, as well as working with the Ministry of Defence and all three of the Armed Forces on projects to test deep tech solutions on land, at sea, and in the air.
“Understanding the needs and challenges facing the defence industry is essential to shaping future research, informing policy and accelerating the adoption of frontier technologies. We’re delighted to partner with RUSI, whose world-leading expertise in defence and security policy complements Digital Catapult’s role accelerating deep tech innovation. Together, we will help bridge the gap between theory and real-world application, fostering collaboration, unlocking new opportunities for businesses to innovate and strengthening the UK’s future defence and security capabilities.” Steven Wood
Head of Aerospace, Defence and Security
“The partnership between RUSI and Digital Catapult underscores the vital role of practical innovation to develop technology for both national security and wider society. Our closer relationship will bring together RUSI’s globally recognised research on cyber and technology policy issues with Digital Catapult’s important role in accelerating technology adoption and innovation at scale. Together, we can both contribute even more to strengthening UK national security and defence innovation.” James Sullivan
Director of Cyber and Tech at RUSI
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