The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has welcomed Tom Adamson to its team as their new Innovation Partner for Wales.
Image courtesy DASA
Tom will work with suppliers across the country to provide advice and guidance on how to best engage with DASA and make the most of UK Government funding opportunities to develop their innovations.
Tom has worked for the past 11 years in several departments within the Ministry of Defence. He joins us from Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) where he managed a team of scientists, engineers and mathematicians to provide safety guidance to many of the equipment programmes within the department’s procurement agency. This gives Tom a sound background in understanding the challenges in transferring innovation into the MoD’s equipment and support programmes. During this period, he also worked with the MoD’s national and international partners, both on collaborative research programmes and in standardisation of testing procedures across NATO, furthering his experience in the challenges faced by the department.
Prior to this, Tom worked within the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) where he gained experience in the development of computational models for operational support. He also worked extensively on test and evaluation of equipment, to primarily support verification and validation activity. During this experience within the laboratory, Tom worked with other government departments, industry and academia in developing and implementing innovative technologies.
Tom said: "I am thrilled to be taking on a new role within the Defence and Security Accelerator as the Innovation Partner in Wales. I am passionate about Wales after growing up and living here and I am looking forward to working with innovators within our country. We have a rich history and a diverse environment in which to innovate with the potential to provide solutions to many of the challenges that face the front line within defence and security.
"I am especially excited to meet our broad range of innovators within Wales. From sole traders, academics, small to medium-size enterprises and large businesses, all have the potential to turn good ideas into exploitable innovation for both the defence and security of the nation and the economic prosperity of Wales and the wider United Kingdom. After seeing first-hand the step-change that can occur because of innovation in the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, the prospect of supporting innovators based in Wales working on both defence and security related projects is one that I am already excited to start."
DASA’s network of regional Innovation Partners is available to give advice to suppliers about their ideas and how they can best engage with DASA.
Click
here
to find out how to contact your local Innovation Partner.