New Themed Competition: Innovations in dermal protection against liquid chemicals
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-18)

DASA, MOD and the Home Office are seeking proposals that will address the problem of providing dermal protection against liquid chemical  contamination.

- DASA has launched a new Themed Competition: Innovations in dermal protection against liquid chemicals
- This competition is funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Home Office
- The total possible funding available for this competition is £2.6 million (excluding VAT)
- Competition closes midday on Tuesday 15th April 2025 (GMT)
The Defence and Security Accelerator (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-and-security-accelerator) (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Themed Competition (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-innovation-in-dermal-protection-against-liquid-chemicals) called ‘Innovations in dermal protection against liquid chemicals’. Run on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence) and the Home Office (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office), this competition is seeking proposals that will address the challenge of developing a solution to the problem of providing dermal protection against liquid chemical contamination. We are interested in treatments, fabric design, novel constructions or any other approach that prevents the penetration of low surface tension liquids.

Although being run on behalf of the UK government there is significant potential for solutions developed to be exploited internationally.

Read the full competition document to learn more (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-innovation-in-dermal-protection-against-liquid-chemicals).

Key dates and funding

This competition has two challenges. The total possible funding available for this competition for both challenges is £2.6 million (excluding VAT) across the total two year duration. We anticipate funding up to 10 proposals for each challenge.

The deadline to submit a proposal is midday (GMT) on Tuesday 15 April 2025. Submit via the DASA Online Submission Service (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/defence-and-security-accelerator-submit-your-research-proposal).

Do you have a relevant solution? Read the full competition document and submit a proposal. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-innovation-in-dermal-protection-against-liquid-chemicals)

Background: why we need innovation in this area

Traditionally, dermal liquid protection has been provided by an air permeable, two-layer system, comprising an outer fabric - which controls the initial liquid interaction with the surface - and a carbon layer to absorb any vapours which penetrate the outer layer. It is the combination of these two layers which enables the wearer to operate in a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) environment without incurring the associated physiological burden of an air impermeable garment.

Changes in legislation (e.g. REACH (https://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/about.htm)) over recent years are constraining the methods available to defence and security for providing dermal protection against low surface tension liquids (such as chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Due to these changes we are seeking innovative methods for future dermal protection.

Scope:

The scope of this competition is technologies that provide wearable dermal protection against liquid chemical contamination. There are various means by which this could be achieved and we are interested in any scientific and technological approaches that have the potential to deliver dermal protection against low surface tension liquids without the use of chemistries which are currently the subject of restriction proposals (e.g. under REACH, ECHA (https://echa.europa.eu/) etc.).

If this sounds like an area you have experience or expertise in, why not read the full competition document to find out more? (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-innovation-in-dermal-protection-against-liquid-chemicals)

Supporting events

Dial in webinar

Thursday 6 March 2025 – a dial-in session providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1089819733159?aff=oddtdtcreator) page.

One-to-one teleconference sessions

Wednesday 12 March 2025 – a series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific technical questions to the competition team in a closed forum. Registration details for these sessions will be available the day after the launch webinar which is taking place on 6 March 2025. Please attend the webinar or reach out to your local Innovation Partner (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-a-dasa-innovation-partner) if you have more general questions on the DASA application process.

Submit a proposal

We’re looking for novel ideas that can help to develop the protective fabrics of the future – if you think you have an innovation to share, why not submit a proposal (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-innovation-in-dermal-protection-against-liquid-chemicals)?