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The UK Defence Solutions Centre - Collaboration in Defence Solutions [Webinar]
06 May 2020
Venue: Microsoft Teams (Webinar)
The UKDSC is facilitating strong international partnerships and cooperation between UK Government, defence industry, academia and international customers.
Created as part of the implementation plan for the Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) and jointly funded by government and industry, the UKDSC works closely with the UK’s MOD, BEIS and Department for International Trade – Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO), the UK defence industry and academia.
This is a world first approach to collaboration in defence solutions and the UKDSC believe this integrated model will position the UK defence industry as a world-leading centre of innovation.
Delegates heard from the UKDSC's Executive Director for Innovation, David Wotherspoon:
- How the defence sector is structured
- How the underwater supply chain works
- Who are the main players?
- How to engage
- How to do business with the defence sector.
David Wotherspoon was born in Oban, Scotland, UK and is the Head of Innovation at the UK defence Solution Centre (UKDSC) and is responsible for the identification and scoping of thematic innovation opportunities aligned with the UKDSC’s core capability pillars. After enlisting in the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1985, he trained as a mechanical engineer and military diving supervisor and saw active service in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and Afghanistan. David retired from the British Army and enlisted in the Australian Defence Force in January 2007, where he served as a development officer in the Special Operations Command (SOCOMD). During this period, he project-managed a number of technically challenging innovative projects in support of military operations.
More recently, after retirement from the Australian Defence Force in 2011 (Reservist until 2014), David became the operations director and program manager for the successful DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition designing, manufacturing and operating a bespoke manned submersible that operated at 11000msw. Further David was the program manager for the design, manufacture and operations of the 4500m Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Subastian, a successful modular freeflying ROV that is in operations with the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), before joining UKDSC, David was the senior program manager at Saildrone , an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) fleet operating in the Bering Sea and East Coast of the USA.
Presentation
Download - pdf
Presentation
Download - pdf
