SIDC logo

Yesterday, Home Office Ministers launched the new Security Innovation and Demonstration Centre (SIDC).  ADS has been leading the development of the Centre on behalf of industry.

SIDC brings together government, industry and academia to explore security and policing challenges and enable the rapid development of capabilities.   SIDC will enable industry to:

  1.  Gain a deeper insight into the key challenges facing policy-makers and end-users.
  2. Collaboratively identify and scope security challenges and requirements with policy-makers and end-users, including through the development of capability roadmaps.
  3. Help inform and shape Science and Technology programmes, prior to calls being issued.
  4. Have access to Research & Development programmes that were previously closed or limited to a small number of players.
  5. Have access to laboratory space, replica or live data sets and systems, trial results, operational environments, and end-user insights, which will improve the effectiveness of capability development and help ensure rapid increase in the Technology Readiness Levels of capabilities.
  6. Develop new partnerships for the commercialisation of research.
  7. Demonstrate innovative solutions, and their benefits, to end-users.

Forthcoming projects

SIDC has been in pilot phase since June 2014. It has run two pilot projects, in support of a government communications programme and the police national Body-Worn Video programme.

From January 2015, SIDC will undertake the following projects:

  • Communications: continued support to a government communications programme.
  • Body-Worn Video hardware: set up an industry reference group to develop technical standards for BWV hardware.
  • Digital policing and criminal justice: set up an industry reference group to develop open data standards on behalf of the police National Operational Requirements Board and Home Office Open Standards Working Group.
  • Organised crime: enhance understanding of how the digital environment is affecting different types of organised crime, to shape R&D calls for the next Financial Year.
  • Border security: identify innovative ways of improving detection techniques, to shape R&D calls for the next Financial Year.

SIDC is also in discussions about other projects.

How to get involved and further information

ADS will keep all members updated about specific projects from early 2015.  A leaflet about SIDC is available.

For further information and to express interest in participating any of these project areas at this stage, please email mark.phillips@adsgroup.org.uk and SIDC@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.

SIDC’s web presence will also be developed over coming months (http://www.riscuk.org/sidc/ and https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/security-innovation-and-demonstration-centre).