Planning

Dstl – Competitive PhD Requirements – Prior Information Notice

  • Ministry of Defence

F01: Prior information notice (prior information only)

Notice identifier: 2023/S 000-015001

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-03cf92

Published 25 May 2023, 5:31pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Ministry of Defence

Salisbury

SP4 0JQ

Email

caflynn@dstl.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKK - South West (England)

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-science-and-technology-laboratory

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/r-cloud

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

Defence


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Dstl – Competitive PhD Requirements – Prior Information Notice

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is part of the UK Ministry of Defence. Historically, Dstl has run a number of individual procurement calls for a variety of PhD requirements. Each of these calls has had a different theme and application process. Dstl currently run these calls through its R-Cloud: marketplace for defence science and technology research.

Following a review of how Dstl delivers its PhD calls, Dstl is planning to run a single call (via R-Cloud) covering a number of different themes, with a single application process, instead of running multiple calls.

It is intended that this call will be formally launched during July 2023. The call will cover a number of different Technology areas, including but not limited to:

Chemical, Biological and Radiological

Advanced Materials

Comms and Networks

Sensing

Additional PhD requirements may arise during the period of this Prior Information Notice, and therefore the scope may increase to further technology areas to those stated above.

As stated above, the PhD call will be launched via the Dstl R-Cloud: Marketplace for defence science and technology research.

The way that R-Cloud operates is that you have to initially apply to join R-Cloud. Crucially, only those suppliers who are successfully registered on R-Cloud on the date of call launch (planned for the 14th July 2023) will be eligible to participate. Failure to successfully register on R-Cloud before this date will mean you will be ineligible to participate in the call. You are therefore encouraged to submit any application to join R-Cloud at your earliest opportunity.

To find out more about R-Cloud, please visit www.gov.uk/guidance/r-cloud

To formally register to join R-Cloud, and be notified of both this specific PhD call and other Dstl research funding opportunities, you can click the link on the above web-page, or alternatively visit www.rcloud.dstl.gov.uk to begin the application process. A copy of the terms and conditions which apply to any task awarded under R-Cloud are linked on this page, and you are required to accept those terms as part of your application process.

Before submitting an application to join R-Cloud, you can check if your university/public institution is already registered on R-Cloud by discussing with your university commercial departments, or alternatively visiting www.rcloud.dstl.gov.uk/capability-area/suppliers. If in doubt, contact us.

Note – Dstl does not accept R-Cloud/PhD applications from individual students or academics; if you are a student or academic you will need to approach a relevant department at a university/public institution.

This notice is issued as a Prior Information Notice and announces are intention to potentially run a PhD call. This is not issued as a formal contract notice and is not inviting expressions of interest. If you are interested in participating in any future call, please apply to join R-Cloud as set out above.

two.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £3,500,000

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: Yes

Maximum number of lots that may be awarded to one tenderer: 10

The contracting authority reserves the right to award contracts combining the following lots or groups of lots:

Each PhD Requirement will be issued as a separate lot. Where the same tenderer wins PhDs across multiple lots, Dstl will seek to award a single contract covering all such PhDs.

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

PhD: Development and application of the Crystal Sponge (CS) method for chemical attribution in defense

Lot No

1

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd Requirement 1 of 10

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Development of Novel Binding Partners for the Identification and Quantification of Small Molecules PhD

Lot No

2

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 2

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

PHD3 - Molecular mechanisms affecting establishments, displacement, substitution or modification of commensal microorganisms 

Lot No

3

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 3

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

PHD4 - Self-driving horizontal transfer of complex genetic circuits through microbiomes

Lot No

4

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 4

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Immobilisation of molecular amplification chemistries on surfaces for the sensing of liquid chemical warfare agent contamination

Lot No

5

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 5

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

CBFUT Materials

Lot No

6

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 6

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

AMP - FAME - Communications PHDs

Lot No

7

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 7

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

AMP - FAME - Sensing PHDs

Lot No

8

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 8

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

AMP - FAME - Novel ElectroMagnetic Effects PHDs

Lot No

9

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 9

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

AMP - FAME - Morphing PHDs

Lot No

10

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKK - South West (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Phd 10

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

14 July 2023


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

This notice is issued as a Prior Information Notice and announces are intention to potentially run a PhD call. This is not issued as a formal contract notice and is not inviting expressions of interest. If you are interested in participating in any future call, please apply to join R-Cloud as set out above.