The UK government will invest 580 million pounds ($767 million) over the next four years to expand the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), including the construction of a new research facility at Porton Down, southwest England.
As part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan, the funding is intended to strengthen the UK’s ability to detect, analyze, and respond to biological warfare threats and other emerging biological risks.
The new laboratory will be named after former UK Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, one of NATO’s founding figures.
“Our scientists and experts working at Dstl do so much, often unseen, to keep our country and our allies safe at this increasingly dangerous and unpredictable time,” stated UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis.
Dstl Chief Executive Paul Hollinshead said that “this investment reinforces the essential work delivered daily by Dstl to protect the UK Armed Forces and defend the nation.”
The announcement also follows London’s decision to allocate 1.6 billion pounds ($2.1 billion) to the UK Defence Innovation fund through 2030 to accelerate the development and fielding of new defense technologies.
Among the projects backed by the fund is Proteus, the UK’s first fully autonomous full-size helicopter, which is being developed to support the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine warfare missions.
About Dstl
Dstl is the UK Ministry of Defence’s research agency, which develops and evaluates advanced technologies for the armed forces across areas including autonomous systems, underwater capabilities, directed-energy weapons, and AI.
The organization gained international attention in 2018 after analyzing samples of the Novichok military-grade nerve agent used in the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.
Dstl has also supported major defense programs, including the DragonFire high-energy laser weapon and drone technologies supplied to Ukraine.
