Motorsport to Defence

MIA Technology Partners

The Motorsport to Defence Initiative

Launched in 2007, the MIA’s Motorsport to Defence (M2D) Initiative is aimed at helping motorsport companies engage with the defence industry and maximise the business opportunities between the two.

What have we achieved?

Since the initiative’s inception, the MIA has successfully worked with defence companies and trade shows. We strive to introduce our members and the motorsport industry at large to the defence sector.

At various venues such as Lockheed Martin, Thales, Selex-ES, General Dynamics, Abbey Wood, BAE Systems, Bovington and MIRA, we’ve organised ‘Showcases of Capability’. Members have had the opportunity to introduce their products and services to defence engineers and key decision makers. We also regularly co-ordinate member visits to leading defence shows, including the DVD Show, and the DSEI Show.

Benefits gained by the defence industry

Both industries have benefited from the initiative but the defence sector in particular has been able to utilise motorsport’s unique skill set and expertise and find fast solutions to its engineering problems. Defence vehicles are aided by motorsport-derived radiators, charge coolers, gearboxes, brakes, suspension components and seals - all as a result of the MIA’s M2D Initiative. Likewise, Motorsport Valley® has been granted seasonally-variable revenue streams.

Nick Wills OBE - defence development director

In February 2014, we appointed Nick Wills OBE as defence development director. Awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to the army, Nick spent the last 10 years of his 30-year army career focusing on the process and delivery of research and development. This included trialling and acquiring land-based equipment and vehicles.

Under Nick’s direction, the M2D programme has gone from strength to strength most notably with the five in-house ‘Showcases of Capability’. We’ve also hosted a Motorsport Pavilion at DSEI 2015 and DVD 2016.

The MIA’s Motorsport to Defence (M2D) Initiative was created in 2007 to help motorsport companies engage with the defence industry and maximise the business opportunities which existed between them.

Since then, the MIA has successfully worked with defence companies and trade shows to find ways of introducing its members and the motorsport industry at large to this sector. It has organised in-house showcases of capability, where members have taken a small area, with a table, to display their products and services to defence engineers and key decision makers. These have taken place at Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Abbey Wood, BAE Systems, Bovington and MIRA. In January 2015, BAE Systems will host the next in-house showcase of capability. The MIA also regularly co-ordinates member visits to leading defence shows, including the DVD Show, and the DSEI Show.

Interaction between the two industries has been mutually beneficial, enabling the defence sector to utilise a separate set of expertise to find fast solutions to its engineering problems, whilst also granting Motorsport Valley® seasonally-variable revenue streams. The MIA’s M2D Initiative has seen motorsport-derived radiators, charge coolers, gearboxes, brakes, suspension components and seals provide real benefit to defence vehicles in the field.

In February 2014, the MIA appointed Nick Wills OBE as Defence Development Director. Awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to the army, Nick spent the last 10 years of his 30-year army career focusing on the process and delivery of research and development, including trialling and acquiring land-based equipment and vehicles. Following his appointment, Nick has successfully developed the M2D programme and, since June 2014, the MIA has hosted three in-house showcases of capability at General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin UK and BAE Systems (see table below). In addition the MIA hosted a Motorsport Pavilion at DVD 2014. Looking further ahead, under the M2D banner, the MIA are planning to hold in-house showcases of capability at Lockheed Martin, Morgan Aerospace and Thales.

Further information

Please click on the following links:

Useful defence website links

What value have you gained from the Motorsport to Defence Programme?

This video (published 2 February 2015) has MIA Members explaining the value they have gained from the Defence Showcase of Capabilities Programme.

For more information please contact
Defence Development Director - Nick Wills on +44 (0) 7881 950505 or email nick.wills@the-mia.com

Helen Jones on +44 (0)2476 692600 or email helen.jones@the-mia.com

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