DIF DTC
The Data & Information Fusion Defence Technology Centre (DIF DTC) is a General Dynamics UK-led research consortium contracted to undertake a programme for MoD running for 6 years until the end of March 2009.
Working closely with General Dynamics UK are industry partners BT and QinetiQ, and academic partners in Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cranfield, de Montfort, Imperial College, Southampton and Surrey. The research programme is worth £60 million, and is 50% funded by MoD.
In the Phase I programme, 40 research projects were supported, together with a Graduate School consisting of 16 PhD students.
The essential criteria for the success of the DIF DTC were to:
- Generate knowledge via research appropriate to future UK defence needs in relevant domains
- Enable early exploitation of knowledge generated for the benefits of UK defence
It was also deemed desirable to obtain both spin-in and spin out of knowledge between the DIF DTC and the civil sector.
Both essential criteria have been achieved. A total in excess of 350 papers published in reputable externally refereed journals and conferences and formal project deliverables have been provided to MoD. This amounts to meaningful output being provided at a rate around 9 items every working month. There have been some notable successes in the Fusion 2004 and Fusion 2005 international conferences papers submitted through the DIF DTC got the highest research marking, and were submitted for the award of best paper in conference; and at the Fusion 2005 conference a greater number of oral presentations were made from the DIF DTC than from any other international source.
The key to successful research though is achieving successful exploitation, and in Phase I over 50 opportunities are being actively pursued. The DIF DTC activity has also generated a number of consultancy arrangements between the DIF DTC community and MoD, and between the DIF DTC industry and academic partners.
Some notable successes in the defence domain include output 3 research in tracking placed with QinetiQ and Cambridge University; other tracking work at QinetiQ Winfrith involving both Imperial College and Cambridge University; exploitation of work undertaken by Dstl with Imperial College. General Dynamics UK is seeking exploitations in near-future MoD programmes in partnership with a number of DTC partners. Work undertaken with various players on planning emergency service response to a terrorist incident by Surrey University and BT is the highlight of civil domain exploitation, although other work has been obtained by BT with Liverpool City Council, and with the East Lancashire Regeneration Body.
The Future of DIF DTC
There are still serious issues needing to be addressed in the DIF DTC, and this is being approached through a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, the strengths of the Phase I programme are being built on through the creation of industrially-led "cluster" projects, which seek to integrate Phase I outputs into creating either a capability or a technology demonstrator, which will seek MoD endorsement for further development from 2009 onwards. The DIF DTC has also launched a portfolio of new "stand-alone" projects that are specifically seeking to address the problem space of the world of 2015. The DIF DTC is also pleased to be supporting the new MSc course in Data & Information Fusion at Cardiff University, commencing in October 2006. This replaces the Phase I PhD graduate school.
Summary
Phase I of the DIF DTC has been remarkably successful, both in terms of high-quality research output, and in achieving exploitation in both the civil and defence sectors. The aim is now to build on this in Phase II, and a key to this will be to engage with a wide range of MoD and industry stakeholders, to shape and tune the programme so that future exploitation opportunities are maximised.
For more information about the DIF DTC please visit their own website at http://difdtc.gdstorm.org.uk
