Call to arms for Portsmouth firms at major defence event
Businesses in Portsmouth were urged to work with academia and government to seize opportunities under a new focus on national defence.
The rallying call for collaboration came at a Defence & Security Market Readiness conference in partnership with Innovate UK.
It was the South Central Regional Defence & Security Cluster’s (SCRDSC) largest event since forming in 2025 to connect industry, academia and government in the Hampshire, Surrey, East Sussex and Isle of Wight region.
Andrew Barnett, SCRDSC chair and managing director of Fareham-based Barnbrook Systems, said there was an exciting opportunity for industrial growth and economic regeneration.
He said: “The world we operate in is changing faster than any of us have experienced before.
“This can feel unsettling but businesses have a different way of looking at change. Where others see uncertainty, we look for opportunity and that is why this cluster matters.”
The conference was held at the University of Southampton Science Park.
He added: “We have an incredibly capable region. We have innovative businesses, world-class expertise and ambitious people, and importantly a willingness to work together.
“The opportunity before us, is bigger than simply ‘more defence spending’.
“The UK is increasingly looking to defence not just as a security requirement, but as an engine of industrial growth: supporting UK businesses, advanced manufacturing, innovation and more resilient supply chains.
“For me, there are reasons to be optimistic. Engineering and manufacturing are becoming strategically important again.
“Defence changes the equation, which means that the ability to design, manufacture, repair and scale critical equipment in-country is increasingly a matter of national resilience and security.
“The boundary between engineering and technology is disappearing where the most exciting opportunities may not look like traditional defence products at all and could be found where engineering meets software.
“In addition, the speed of innovation need, is changing. The Strategic Defence Review is very clear that defence needs to innovate continuously and at much greater rate, and that can favour smaller, technically excellent companies.
“We are seeing new mechanisms designed to bring innovative UK companies into defence more quickly.
“That means more opportunities to test, collaborate, demonstrate and ultimately scale.”
The SCRDSC has more than 600 members with Hampshire County Council acting as its secretariat.
More than 200 delegates attended the Defence & Security Market Readiness conference, which included speakers sharing insights into defence and security priorities, emerging market opportunities, investment, innovation funding and collaborative research and development R&D opportunities. There were also breakout sessions, briefings and networking.
It allowed delegates to identify credible consortium partners and develop stronger propositions ahead of future funding calls – including Innovate UK collaborative R&D competitions.
According to SCRDSC, the MOD reported that £31.9bn in expenditure with UK industry and commerce supported 274,000 jobs in 2024/25, with direct defence industry jobs increasing by 11% compared with the previous year.
With 41,000 direct defence industry jobs supported by MOD spending, the South East has the highest level of direct defence employment of any UK region.
The SCRDSC event also included the launch of the organisation’s new website.
Visit https://southcentralrdsc.co.uk to see the website and for more information about the SCRDSC.