CW ITP new call for project funding proposals is now open

orlane.pinarel… Thu, 10/01/2026 - 13:33

The Complex Weapons Innovation and Technology Partnership (CW ITP) is running a new call for proposals of projects looking to fund low technology readiness level research that shows the potential for exploitation in generation-after-next complex weapons. It includes a specific call for disruptive technologies!

French & UK Governments reaffirmed confidence in MBDA’s leadership of Complex Weapons Innovation & Technology Partnership earlier this year through award of a new framework-level contract for a minimum of four years.

Aligned with the Lancaster House 2.0 Declaration, this partnership aims to identify and mature breakthrough technologies for "generation-after-next" missile systems, ensuring a strategic technological edge and industrial resilience for both nations.

The CW ITP acts as a bridge between major industry partners (MBDA, Leonardo, Roxel, CEA and Thales) and a broad innovation ecosystem, including SMEs, start-ups, academia, and research facilities, regardless of whether they currently operate within the defense sector.

Dan Jones, Head of CW ITP at MBDA, declares:

“Over the last five years we have seen strong growth in CW ITP; within the membership, breadth and depth of proposals and critically the throughput of innovative Research & Technology. CW ITP is proving its worth in strengthening the UK and France’s industrial, scientific and technology bases, while also offering great opportunities for start-ups, SMEs, academia, and research facilities to work with leading defence companies, ensuring the best of French-UK cooperation. Together, the evolution of critical enabling technologies as well as the discovery of emerging and disruptive technologies can be nurtured, safeguarding generation-after-next capabilities."

Pascal Marchandin, DGA Head of Missiles, Armaments and Munitions CoE, says:

“Thanks to its unique nature and success over the past two decades, CW ITP fits perfectly into the Lancaster House 2.0 Declaration and reaffirms the commitment to bilateral cooperation between France and the United Kingdom. In light of the evolving geopolitical context and the need to stay at the forefront of missile systems, this cooperation helps maintain its scientific and technological edge by involving industry, SMEs, and academia, enhancing the resilience of our common industrial bases, and staying at the forefront of innovation.”

And Tim Sheldon, Dstl’s Chief Delivery Officer, states:

“CW ITP is a critical component of the Lancaster House 2.0 Declaration and an important mechanism supporting the NATO first and international collaboration objectives of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review. This programme continues to strengthen our shared industrial and scientific foundations, ensuring we remain at the forefront of complex weapons innovation. The opportunities created for smaller companies, start ups and academic teams are particularly exciting, as they broaden the innovation ecosystem and strengthen the long term resilience of our sectors.”
Under the contract renewal, the first call for research project funding proposals for research activities in these areas is now open. Projects selected for funding will focus on developing emerging technologies up to TRL 3 or 4.”

The partnership sees French and UK companies remain focused on international collaboration on five Enduring Technical Areas (ETAs) identified as critical to complex weapons:

Materials, Structures & Electronics
Mission Systems & Algorithms
Seekers
Propulsion
Lethality

©MBDA

A new call for proposals (Launching October 1st)

As in previous years, the funding for projects will once again go to a range of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), technology start-ups, research facilities and academia, as well as larger organisations in the UK and France. Proposals are welcomed both from inside and outside the defence sector.

For Vianney Lefebvre, Deputy Head of CW ITP at MBDA:

“This new call for proposal is the opportunity to brainstorm the CW ITP community and imagine innovative technologies for complex weapons. It is always exciting to see very different stakeholders match their expertise and jointly create value for the future.”

Dan Jones concludes,

“I am really pleased to once again be making this call for proposals, which underscores the partnership’s importance to the future of Anglo-French Complex Weapons cooperation. Over the years, we’ve funded some truly innovative projects that have captured our attention, and that have pushed the boundaries of our ETAs [Enduring Technical Areas].”

For further information on how to join the CW ITP community or access funding opportunities, please visit: www.cwitp.com.

MBDA

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