Innovation for Resilient Military Supply Chains and Society

The Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation in Logistics (TKI Dinalog) aims to stimulate and realise systematic private-public cooperation in research. The Ministry of Defence and TKI Dinalog cooperate in the multi-year public-private innovation programme 'Innovation for Resilient Military Supply Chains and Society'. The programme contributes significantly to fulfilling the most prominent knowledge and innovation needs to increase the resilience of military supply chains within the broader societal context.

This call contributes to the implementation of the Defence Strategy for Industry and Innovation 2025-2029 (including Defence Fundamental Defence Area Logistics), and the Strategic Action Agenda on Industry, Innovation and Knowledge - Defence (including NLD area 'Intelligent Systems'). In addition, it fulfils the innovation needs as identified in the KIA Security, within the Mission-Driven Innovation Policy and the National Knowledge Agenda Logistics 2024-2027 (theme 'Resilience and Disruption').

The Netherlands is currently in a grey zone between peace and conflict. Logistics are crucial for a secure Netherlands. Effective, reliable and above all resilient logistics chains are at the basis of a resilient armed forces and society. This calls for knowledge and innovation in smart scaling of military and civilian logistics chains and the capabilities that contribute to the defence of the European territory and the security of the Netherlands and Europe. The multi-year innovation programme focuses on both readiness, resource security through innovation, rapid scaling-up and down, and the resilience of the armed forces and society. 

This call for proposals invites multidisciplinary (both from military and civil expertise, science and practice) consortia to submit research proposals for public-private partnership projects on the three main themes of the programme:

1. Military Readiness: Increasing and effectively scaling up and down the readiness of military readiness and production chains of materials and materiel.  

2. Civil-Military Cooperation: The establishment of robust ecosystems for the purpose of societal resilience (civilian) and military readiness and scaling up.

3. Supply Chain Network Orchestration: The organisation of supply chains across disciplines and organisations for end-to-end supply chain planning and realisation.

Available budget and consortium

For collaborative projects from this call, € 1,900,000,- is available[1]. These funds have been made available by the Ministry of Defence and TKI Dinalog through the PPP Innovation Scheme of TKI Dinalog. Collaborative projects are research projects carried out by a partnership of companies and knowledge institutions. Within TKI Dinalog and specifically in this call, the following guidelines have been chosen for shaping the projects:

• Duration of projects: 2-3 years

• Maximum PPP Innovation funds to be awarded^[2]:

  • Industrial (R&D) research: up to 50% of eligible costs, with a maximum of € 750,000 (for up to 3 years);

  • Experimental development: up to 25% of eligible costs, with a maximum of € 250.000 (for a maximum of 3 years).

  Co-financing by organisational elements of the Ministry of Defence can only be in-kind.

• Minimum project size: €500,000 in total budgeted eligible project costs.

• Consortia: a minimum of one knowledge institution and two private partners. This can be two private companies or at least one private company and one public institution, including demonstrable present military expertise. Consortia in which universities and practice-oriented researchers (colleges and/or TO2 institutions) work together are strongly encouraged. In addition, we encourage collaboration with one or more SMEs in the consortium.

[1] Composed of €1.5m from the Ministry of Defence and €0.4m from TKI Dinalog

[2] TKI Dinalog prefers not to fund fundamental research with TKI PPP innovation funds (other funding is available for this from KIA funds).

Timeline

Project proposals can be submitted from the opening of this call until Friday 17 April (before midnight). Proposals will not be considered in the evaluation process until after this deadline. Projects can be submitted at any time within this period via email.