GovBridge Defence Bootcamp – Unlocking Opportunities
We recently wrapped up an intensive two-day bootcamp for our GovBridge Defence cohort, held on the 8th-9th of October at The Derby, St Pancras, London, designed to enhance participants' understanding of the defence industry in the UK. With a clear focus on building knowledge and connections, here’s a closer look at what we accomplished during these transformative days together.
Building Knowledge and Optimising Business Preparation
The expansive nature of space and orbital environments presents a wealth of opportunities for engagement with the government. Given that space plays a crucial role in the UK’s defence and security priorities, it's an area ripe for exploration and collaboration. However, many external stakeholders often find that government structures and processes can be quite opaque, making it challenging to navigate this landscape.
The bootcamp served as a perfect opportunity for the entrepreneurs to gain a comprehensive introduction to the possibilities available to the space sector. Participants learned about the various avenues for engagement with government agencies and how they can align their business strategies with national priorities. In addition, attendees dove deep into the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities within the sector.
Developing a Credible Business Development Plan and Forging Meaningful Connections
One of the highlights of the bootcamp was the emphasis on crafting a robust business development plan. Participants learned how to navigate the complexities of government tenders—a crucial aspect of securing contracts in the defence sector. With expert guidance, they developed actionable plans tailored to their unique business goals, ensuring they’re well-prepared to seize upcoming opportunities.
In addition, networking can be a vital element in any business journey, and this bootcamp was no exception. Participants had the chance to engage with industry experts and like-minded peers, fostering relationships that could lead to future collaborations. These connections not only broadened their networks but also provided invaluable insights from those already established in the defence sector.
Presentations from Ministry of Defence, NSSIF and the Defence Innovation Unit
The presentations from UK Space Command together with National Security Strategic Innovation Fund (NSSIF) and Defence Innovation Unit offered a broad picture of the government’s strategic priorities and challenges in building decision advantage, assurance and resilience, as well as investment in emergent sectors of space that include in-space manufacturing and space-based energy to name but a few.
SME Toolkit for MoD Engagement
Starting off the first interactive workshop, Darin, a seasoned defence procurement expert, who founded Defence Innovation Cluster, distilled more than a decade’s experience and know-how in his session. He provided a detailed walk-through for SMEs on essential frameworks required as well as common mistakes and misconceptions to avoid for government tenders.
Sirius Analysis and SatVu
Sirius Analysis, offered an in-depth perspective on their business development process and pipeline generation, while SatVu shared an authentic and illuminating account of their journey, from their go-to-market strategy, and international expansion pipeline to dealing with failure and recovery.
As a satellite startup well-known in the space sector, it was an incredible rare insight into what it takes to build and plan ‘behind-the-scenes', especially in resource allocation, a crucial part for any SME or startup.
Day 2: Hands-On Workshops and Discussions
As the Cohort returned fresh and bright-eyed for another dynamic day, Fiona Stone from UK Space Agency and Rob Adlard from Exotopic, respectively shared an overview of cyber security essentials and detailing the framework for integrating economic and social values to an SME business.
David Livingston and Lucy McCormack from Crown Commercial Service offered pragmatic and detailed advice and explanation the mechanisms of the tender process, in particular, the ‘language and structure’ of tenders.
Ali Stickings from Frazer-Nash Consultancy delivered a workshop on the foundations of business planning by walking the cohort through the fundamentals of identifying market opportunities and building stages in the pipeline within the defence supply chain.
Introduction to Strategic Command Opportunities and Ministry of Defence Tendering Practicalities
Jonathan Mundy provided an overview of Strategic Command and Defence Digital, offering overall context and ‘birds eye’ view of the organisational structure between Space Command, Strategic Command, and Defence.
Dan Veal from Exotopic offered an in-depth guide and workshop on how to identify opportunities on procurement portals, including a detailed case study on a recent procurement opportunity. After going through the essentials of ‘tender readiness’ in the final workshop session of the bootcamp, the cohort rounded up the two days with a dynamic and spirited Q&A.
By breaking down the complexities and processes involved, this bootcamp aimed to empower the cohort to take full advantage of the opportunities that the defence sector has to offer for space entrepreneurs. The insights gained will undoubtedly help participants position themselves effectively within this dynamic field. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to engage with GovBridge, and if you wish to take part in a future cohort, register your interest below.