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The strengthening of the partnership will bolster the Engineering Delivery Partner (EDP) programme which provides mission critical engineering services to the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Aurora will invest in leading edge AI technology and work with UK based AI SMEs, including Whitespace, Faculty, FSP and Aiimi, to accelerate the application of AI at scale. The combination of AI with EDP’s high-value engineering skills will save time and cost, boosting productivity as well as increasing the pace of delivery for MOD programmes across the defence enterprise.

EDP brings together hundreds of companies from across the UK to deliver operational readiness. Since it was established, the involvement of SMEs in engineering services has doubled and the Aurora partnership has now committed to further increasing the role of SMEs to 25% of future work.

The expansion of the successful QinetiQ, AtkinsRéalis and BMT Aurora partnership to include Frazer-Nash and KBR will further strengthen the technical skills and expertise enabling the EDP to be more competitive and innovative.

The EDP’s network of suppliers that can provide engineering services for the MOD is also being refreshed to make it easier for non-traditional defence companies to provide their innovation and technological skills to support both the rapid development and operational readiness of equipment.

Steve Wadey, Group CEO, QinetiQ, said: With the focus of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy on accelerating warfighting readiness, we recognise the need to transform how we support our customers to better equip our Armed Forces. By joining forces with AI specialists, increasing the role of SMEs and adding new partners with substantial expertise, we’re confident we can provide world-leading engineering services to boost productivity across the UK defence enterprise.

In recent months, EDP has supported Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) with the deployment of the Carrier Strike Group, Typhoon capability upgrades and development of Challenger 3 - on each occasion, leveraging UK technical expertise from within the extensive EDP provider network.

About the Engineering Delivery Partner (EDP)
EDP is the default route for the procurement of engineering services for DE&S and is available to other MOD departments and agencies. EDP is a collaboration between Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and the Aurora Engineering Partnership supported by a world-class network of specialist providers. For more information about the Aurora Partnership please contact: AuroraProviderNetwork@QinetiQ.com.