HMGCC Co-Creation challenges

Collaborate with industry and academic experts on national security engineering challenges and innovations.

His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) works with the national security community, UK government, academia, private sector partners and international allies to bring engineering ingenuity to the national security mission, creating tools and technologies that drive us ahead and help to protect the nation.

HMGCC Co-Creation is a partnership between HMGCC and DSTL (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), created to deliver a new, bold and innovative way of
working with the wider UK science and technology community. It brings together the best in class across industry, academia, and government, to work collaboratively on
national security engineering challenges and accelerate innovation.

HMGCC Co-Creation aims to work collaboratively with the successful solution providers by utilising in-house delivery managers working Agile by default. This process will involve access to HMGCC Co-Creation’s technical expertise and facilities to bring a product to market more effectively than traditional customer-supplier relationships.

You can find current open challenges below.

Tracking solutions for alternative positioning, navigation and timing

There are many situations in which global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) may not be possible to use when tracking government staff around the world.

These systems can be disrupted by deliberate jamming measures, environmental factors such as weather, or location-based factors such as underground locations, urban canyons or in a mountainous area.

Areas where GNSS is unreliable can pose safety concerns as they make it tougher to keep track of UK government assets and representatives. This challenge is focused on exploring a variety of alternative options for tracking systems without using GNSS.

Organisations can access up to £60,000, and consortia up to £120,000, to develop and demonstrate technology to meet this challenge.

Find out more about the challenge and how to apply.

Surveillance challenge using edge AI

Surveillance cameras are vital tools for use in national security, but they are often battery powered, power-hungry and run for a long time to capture the right footage.

HMGCC Co-Creation wants to hear from organisations capable of enabling visual surveillance systems to operate with less power – using edge AI. This challenge is based around the idea that edge AI, which deploys AI algorithms directly onto devices, could help intelligently reduce the power needed by enabling use of trigger sensors.

Organisations can access up to £60,000 to develop and demonstrate technology to meet this challenge.

Find out more about the challenge and how to apply.

Personal electronics detector to stop data leak risk

UK government, international allies and strategic partners, have facilities with high classification areas, with an increased level of security in place. In these locations, it is vital to ensure no secret recording with prohibited devices like phones or smartwatches is allowed to happen.

HMGCC wants to hear from organisations which have or could develop a PED detector to alert people to the presence of a banned device.

Organisations can access up to £60,000 to develop and demonstrate technology to meet this challenge.

Find out more about the challenge and how to apply.

First published 12 May 2025