openSPDM is looking to use open innovation to have a solution provider further develop and industrialise a solution to model and simulate the physical behaviour of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) so that Digital Engineering Modelling and Simulation can be rapidly deployed to defence programs and contractors. 
  
The selected solution will be trialled in a pilot study, to demonstrate ease and speed of deployment with the possibility of adoption by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and to defence contractors wishing to be compliant with the Department of War (DoW) Instruction 5000.97 - Digital Engineering.

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openSPDM is a company which has pioneered open source solutions for Simulation Process and Data Management and Digital Engineering Modelling and Simulation.
This year the MoD announced their intention for a &ldquo;first-in-the-UK digital engineering&rdquo; approach for Future Combat Air System (FCAS) / Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) though the USA Department of Defence (DoD) mandated this approach in 2018.
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The need for this challenge is that Digital Engineering, Modelling and Simulation is essential to successful program delivery in the 21st Century but the UK has yet to start deploying it, so an approach which accelerates deployment and uptake is badly needed.

Background

Automotive and Aerospace companies outside the UK, such as Toyota Motors Europe have implemented Digital Engineering Modelling and Simulation at the concept phase of engineering programs to simulate vehicle suspension performance and hence insure that this performance is delivered as hardware. So Toyota vehicles perform as specified and are delivered in 4 years whereas the Ajax light tank is 10 years late and its suspension requires a &pound;1Bn redesign and replacement which Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) use could have foreseen enabling a right first time solution.
Today DEMS solutions for MBSE system simulation have to be developed from scratch which is costly and near impossible in the UK due to the lack of skills in Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) and DEMS &ndash; found not to be used in the UK at all in SimBest survey.
openSPDM addresses the two main challenges of DEMS deployment:
<ul>
<li>It is a configurable DEMS solution so can be implemented rapidly</li>
<li>It has a connector framework which enables simulation applications to be connected rapidly, since many tens of simulation applications need to be integrated.</li>
</ul>
Prototype solutions have been developed for MBSE simulation, an open solution by openSPDM (TRL3) and a proprietary solution by Toyota (TRL6).
The challenge is to develop a configurable, industrial solution for MBSE system simulation (TRL6) within openSPDM to complement its 3D simulation management capabilities. This involves the development of an interface to the Capella open source MBSE solution which extracts the system architecture definition (system element structure), creation of a new item type to represent parameters, values and results based on Toyota, Safran and open SPDM prototypes, developing method code to roll up executable models attached to system elements in the system structure and create a system model, develop a connector to launch a 1D simulation code and a plugin to recover the results to the openSPDM solution vault. This should be deployable for field test in the year following completion and then commercially deployable in 1 year.
The solution provider will be eligible to apply for &pound;60k to develop the proposed solution towards meeting this challenge. The funding will cover a 3 month project, the details of which will need to be refined with the challenge holder.

The Challenge

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The solution must:
<ul>
<li>Integrate Capella, the open source MBSE solution developed by Thales</li>
<li>Include method code to roll up element models into a system model</li>
<li>Allow missions to be defined by parameters in a file separate to the model file</li>
<li>Connect to a 1D simulation code such as Octave to run the system model with inputs defined as parameters in the openSPDM database</li>
<li>Demonstrate physics simulation of the physics of a system defined as MBSE in Capella</li>
<li>Demonstrate the impact of parameter changes to physics behaviour.</li>
</ul>

Functional Requirements

The solution must:
<ul>
<li>Follow Aras Innovator and openSPDM coding guidelines and be compatible with existing openSPDM code. Aras Innovator is a platform deployed at scale by several USA defence contractors including SAIC and MIT Lincoln Labs to achieve DoW DE compliance. Aras Inovator is available for free download for Proofs of Concept and for use for up to 50 users for SMEs</li>
<li>Be specified prior to code development</li>
<li>Be documented for administrators, developers and end users</li>
<li>Follow cyber-security best practices</li>
</ul>

Technical Requirements

The solution must/should:
<ul>
<li>Run on Windows 11 and Linux clients</li>
</ul>

Operating Conditions

The solution must not:
Seek to replace openSPDM, which is available as open source for organisations which commit to contribute code to this project

Out of Scope

The solution will be made available as open source and may be offered with a Maintenance, Enhanagement and Support contract for use in production

Cost Requirement

Successful applicants will be given an opportunity to pitch to openSPDM.&nbsp;The winning applicant, as selected by the company, will then be eligible to apply for up to &pound;60,000 grant funding to kickstart the development of the proposed solution through a 3 month project.&nbsp;
The benefits package for a successful applicant may also include:
<ul>
<li>Support from Innovate UK Business Connect</li>
<li>Support in the development of a prototype or pilot</li>
<li>Technical support</li>
<li>Invitation to attend or present at Innovate UK Business Connect events</li>
<li>A potential business collaboration</li>
<li>Investor introductions (if investment is required)</li>
<li>Support if any Innovate or similar competitions are relevant.</li>
</ul>

Rewards & Market Opportunity

<ul>
<li>Challenge launch: 8th October 2026</li>
<li>Deadline for applications: Friday 6th November 2026</li>
<li>Review of applicants: Monday 9th &ndash; Friday 13th November 2026</li>
<li>Selection and notification of finalists: Friday 13th &ndash; Tuesday 17th November 2026</li>
<li>Pitch Day: Wednesday 25th November - Wednesday &nbsp;3rd December</li>
<li>Confirm selected solution provider: By Friday 4th December</li>
<li>Submission to Innovation Funding Service (IFS): 22nd December 2026</li>
<li>Project length: up to 3 months to be completed between 1st March 2027 &ndash; 31st May 2027</li>
</ul>

Timescales

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Entrants to this competition must be:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs, or individual entrepreneurs</li>
<li>UK based or have the intention to set up a UK base</li>
<li>Anything related to the competition theme</li>
</ul>
Your project must:
<ul>
<li>Have a grant funding request up to &pound;60,000 (eligible costs only, see above).</li>
<li>Start 1st March 2027 and complete by 31st May 2027</li>
<li>Carry out its project work in the UK.</li>
<li>Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.</li>
</ul>
Applications will be assessed on:
<ul>
<li>Relevance to the defined challenge</li>
<li>Benefit of implementation</li>
<li>Feasibility/economic viability</li>
<li>Innovative nature</li>
<li>Ability to launch in line with expected timescales</li>
<li>Credibility of applicant company</li>
<li>Coherence of the proposed business model</li>
<li>Development potential</li>
<li>Maturity of the solution</li>
<li>Suitability for the intended geographic market</li>
</ul>
If selected through this competition, you will be invited to apply for up to &pound;60,000 grant funding through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). Applicants will need to upload the following documents to IFS once notified:
<ul>
<li>Project plan</li>
<li>Project costing</li>
<li>Minimal Financial Assistance (and de minimis where applicable) declaration (details can be found here)</li>
</ul>
Minimal Financial Assistance:
Grant funding in this competition is awarded as Minimal Financial assistance (MFA). This allows public bodies to award up to &pound;315,000 to an enterprise in a 3-year rolling financial period. If your application is successful and you are invited to apply for grant funding you will be asked to declare previous funding received by you. This will form part of the financial checks ahead of Innovate UK making a formal grant offer.
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Eligibility & Assessment Criteria

Existing background IP associated with a potential solution will remain with Solution Provider(s). Where any new IP generation is envisaged, it will be subject to the mutual IP agreement of the solution provider(s) and challenge holder.
Any commercial deployment of a transferred solution or newly developed solution, through licensing, joint venture, partnership, or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the solution provider(s) and challenge holder.
Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the solution provider(s) and challenge holder. (This would be expected to be after company selection, it is suggested that details of IP be not disclosed, focus on the outcomes of the technology proposed).
Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect do not take any share of IP ownership or enter commercial ventures through the iX programme.

IP & Potential Commercial Route

The application form for this challenge will require applicants to provide company information and answer 3 questions &ndash; Idea Summary, Technology Readiness and Intellectual Property &ndash; each with a limit of 300 words.
Additionally, the following documents must be attached for your application to be considered:
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">Project plan</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Project costings &ndash; only eligible costs will be funded; please read the Innovate UK Costs guidance for further information.</li>
</ul>
We recommend that you complete the application form in Google Chrome as other browsers may have compatibility issues. The application form does not need to be completed in one session and can be saved for future edits.
Please ensure that you toggle &ldquo;Stage Complete&rdquo; for each section before submission. Note that you will no longer be able to edit your application once you have clicked &ldquo;Submit Idea&rdquo; at the bottom of the Summary page.

Application & Technical Guidance

By submitting an application to this Innovation Exchange (iX) challenge, you acknowledge and agree that the information you provide will be shared with Innovate UK Business Connect and the challenge holder for the purposes of assessment and selection. All information submitted will be handled in confidence and shared only with those involved in the assessment and selection process under appropriate confidentiality expectations.
Please consider the level of detail you share in your submission to ensure it aligns with your own internal confidentiality or disclosure policies.
A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. The panel of assessors will meet and agree a consensus score. Successful solutions will be selected by the challenge holder. Success will be based upon total consensus scores, a portfolio approach and capacity within the challenge holder&rsquo;s organisation to carry out the projects.
For more information on how Innovate UK Business Connect handles personal data, please refer to our&nbsp;<a href="https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/privacy-policy/" target="_new">Privacy Policy</a>.

Accelerating Digital Engineering Through MBSE Simulation

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This challenge is brought to you by:

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Opportunity

Challenge opens

Challenge closes

Benefit

Background

This challenge is brought to you by:

Accelerating Digital Engineering Through MBSE Simulation