Need

Wazoku, the Seeker for this Innocentive Marketplace Expertise Challenge, on behalf of the HMGCC and the UK national security community, is seeking innovators for an assignment to help to build a system to automatically capture audio and transcribe conversations and decisions at a rapid pace and high-pressure environment of a wargame.

The assignment will be required to develop a full system including all hardware and software, to a proof of concept with a minimum Technology Readiness Level 6, to automatically transcribe conversations.

In an increasingly uncertain world, the UK defense is increasing the frequency and intensity of training exercises. This includes wargaming: a scenario-based model in which the outcome and sequence of events affect, and are affected by, the decisions made by the players.

To modernize, improve data capture and increase the pace of analysis, the conversations and decisions made during wargames need to be recorded, automatically transcribed and made easy to analyze.

Most likely your expertise will represent the technology themes of Acoustics, artificial intelligence, app development, audio, data analytics, digital services, information technology, machine learning, software development, or systems engineering.

Collab Opp

This is a Marketplace Expertise Challenge seeking a partner or supplier to take part in an assignment for the UK national security community, to develop a full system including all hardware and software, to demonstrate a proof of concept in the relevant environment. The Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be first evaluated by Wazoku and then by the UK national security community with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership for the assignment with funding up to $65,000.

Solvers with a viable application will be supported by Wazoku:

• With the potential to be invited to pitch their application to the UK national security community
• Up to 2 applications could be selected for the assignment with funding up to $65,000 to develop the technology to a minimum TRL 6 – technology demonstrated in a relevant environment
• The UK national security community will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for successful projects
• The assignment must be delivered over a 12-week period
• The target for starting the assignment is August 2026

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on June 9th, 2026.

Please review the later Participation Guidance section before submitting a proposal.

- Login or register your interest to apply!

Seeker/Eligibility

Wazoku is an innovation ecosystem platform encompassing AI, market intelligence, venture building, patent analysis and open talent networks. It centralises data, talent, and tools to make innovation measurable, impactful and able to solve pressing challenges.

Wazoku also operate Innocentive open innovation Challenges like this one, supporting the preeminent problem solver community who have delivered breakthrough results for organisations like NASA, the UK Ministry of Defence, the International Rescue Committee, and ExxonMobil.

HMGCC represents the UK national security community, with UK government, academia, private sector partners and international allies to bring engineering ingenuity to the national security mission, creating tools and technologies that drive us ahead and help to protect the nation. The partnership between HMGCC and Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), was created to deliver a new, bold and innovative way of working with the wider science and technology community to bring together the best in class across industry, academia, and government, to work collaboratively on UK national security engineering challenges and accelerate innovation.

This challenge sees HMGCC in direct collaboration with jHub, the central innovation hub for UK defense’s Cyber & Specialist Operations Command.

This challenge is open to sole innovators, industry, academic and research organizations of all types and sizes. There is no requirement for security clearances. Applications from Solvers in countries listed by the UK government under trade sanctions and/or arms embargoes are NOT eligible.

Challenge

Background

Wargames are a crucial exercise for commanders, used for both training and evidence-based analysis. Wargames are scenario-based warfare models, where outcomes and events affect, and are affected by, the decisions made by players.

These exercises train players to evaluate situations and make decisions faster, and allow post-game analysis to deliver evidence-based observations.

A wargaming event may have anywhere from 10 to 100 personnel, using a variety of different methods and technologies. A typical format is a structured tabletop exercise, sometimes played on a physical board or via an interactive digital interface. These events take place within a classified environment to protect sensitive information.

Central to the wargame is the analysis of the data captured during play. Part of this data is the transcript of discussion, assumptions and the reasoning behind decisions taken. This is analyzed afterwards so that lessons can be learnt to improve decision making and to validate or disprove hypotheses.

See https://cyberandspecialistoperationscommand.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/19/8-factsto-level-up-your-knowledge-on-wargames/ for more information.

This challenge seeks a full solution to automatically capture and transcribe conversations within a classified wargame scenario.

The Challenge

This challenge is about seeking solutions to modernize wargaming.

Transcription is currently a manual process, requiring large teams of trained data capturers working in parallel across different conversations. This often produces fragmented transcripts that require subsequent cleaning, reconciliation, and interpretation before analysis can begin.

The need is to modernize how wargame data is captured, with a focus on audio capture and automated transcription. The solution should provide accurate real-time transcription, using a fully digital, technology-enabled approach capable of identifying unique speakers in real-time, capturing background comments, and accurately recognizing specialized language.

While commercial technologies exist that address parts of this requirement, this challenge specifically requires a solution that operates within a classified environment and integrates with on-premises IT systems. This means that wireless solutions such as Bluetooth and cloud connected computing cannot be used.

Consider this use case: A senior commander has commissioned a wargame instructor to design and run a wargame. The commander’s objective is to train her command team, identify strengths and weaknesses, and use this opportunity to prepare for real-world conflict.

Together, they design a Camberley Kriegsspiel wargame. This uses a board showing a battlefield map, with imaginary troops and technology assigned to two opposing teams (blue and red team) and an umpire to adjudicate.

Each side has 20 players, comprising army commanders and technical specialists, with a further 20 observers who analyze and critique decisions throughout the

wargame.

The two teams move to a separate room to plan before deploying their strategy in a turn-based system. Neither team knows what the other is doing unless they make contact in combat or make discoveries through intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance activity.

Due to the fast pace of the Camberley Kriegsspiel wargame, there is little time for re-planning, and each team must quickly come to terms with outcomes of their decisions and to then counter the enemy.

As the game progresses, smaller groups splinter off to discuss options for their commander. Observers critique decisions and discuss alternative courses of action amongst themselves. As time runs out, and as one team edges closer to victory, the conversations become more animated and fast-paced.

With 60 plus attendees, overlapping conversations, frequent interruptions, and specialized military language, capturing all discussions accurately is a significant challenge.

The instructor addresses this using the newly commissioned auto-transcriber. An array of wired microphones deployed throughout the training facility feeds into a central server running an algorithm that can assign streams of speech to specific players or observers. Each stream is captured and tagged with the speaker, timestamp and context. Dedicated reviewers can make corrections in near real time, improving accuracy as the session progresses, with the analyst team then assessing whether the original objective has been met, feeding back rapidly to the commander.

Solution Requirements

The assignment will need to build an entire solution, including the hardware and software, to auto-transcribe conversations in a complex wargaming scenario.

After the 12-week project, required is a minimum Technology Level Readiness 6 system – technology model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment.

The assignment deliverable will be a prototype delivered to the sponsors for further testing.

Essential requirements:

• Deliver a full system prototype to capture audio, process and transcribe audio
• Ability to record audio continuously for 12 hours. Off-the-shelf audio capture devices are acceptable
• Automatic transcription must be as accurate as possible
• Transcription must be available immediately as conversations occur, enabling authorized users to review and correct errors during play
• Solutions that only provide post‑turn or post‑event transcription are insufficient
• Ability to identify speakers and attribute them to a role (for example blue team leader)
• Ability to accurately identify domain specific terminology and acronyms
• Confidence scoring of transcription accuracy and speaker identification
• Transcription must be in an OpenDocument Text format with the raw file also retained
• The system must support a minimum of 18 simultaneous speakers and 60 total wargame players
• Natural language query of transcripts
• Customizable tagging of transcript with contextual insights such as team membership and the context of the conversation
• The solution provider must gain Cyber Essentials prior to contract award and Cyber Essentials Plus prior to project kick-off
• Proposals must consider how GDPR, legal and defense department policy compliance will be managed
• Proposals must consider how anonymisation of Personal Identifiable Information will be managed
• Must be secure by design. The sponsors will work with the solution provider to assure this. This includes robust supply chain security.

Desirable requirements:

• Portability across rooms and locations
• Ability to learn identify domain specific terminology and acronyms
• Live audio review with administrator rights to allow correction of transcription in real time
• Ability to tag individual transcript segments
• Intuitive and easy to use user interface
• Accessibility controls, such as the ability to change text size, front and colour.

Constraints:

• The tool must operate without an internet connection or cloud computing connection
• All components, including microphones and computing hardware, must be wired. Use of wireless protocols such as Bluetooth will not be accepted
• The solution should use commercially available graphic processor units (GPUs) rather than specialised hardware
• Audio capture devices must be discreet and not inhibit the wargame players experience

Not required:

• Horizon scanning or a pure paper study

Finalists will be scored 1-5 on the following criteria:

Feasibility

• What is the technical credibility of the minimum viable product proposed?
  • Is it technically possible?
  • Are there key technical risks overlooked?
• Likelihood of the minimum viable product reaching or exceeding the minimum required TRL?
  • Does the proposal aim to reach the minimum TRL?
  • Assessors’ confidence in the proposal from technical perspective?
  • Will the proposal exceed the minimum TRL?
• Credibility of the solver/team regarding technical and project management skills?
  • Does the team have all the relevant expertise?
  • How experienced are they?
  • Have they delivered something similar before?

Desirability

• How closely does the proposal directly address the challenge?
  • Does the proposal achieve all essential requirements?
  • How many desirable requirements are achieved?
  • Is this something the user’s want?
• How well is the benefit for government and dual-use described?
  • Is the benefit to the user’s well described?
  • Have the applicants identified dual-use markets? (Applicants should consider markets beyond UK defense)
• Ambition of the proposed solution?
  • Does the solution provide an incremental step in capability or significant leap?
  • Is the proposed solution unique to the applicants?

Viability

• How well is the exploitation route described?
  • Is the proposal just aiming to deliver the minimum for the project? Or have they got a project plan post phase 1?
  • Are they thinking about commercial exploitation routes? (please do think beyond UK defense)
  • Are there rough costings for future iterations?
• How well does the proposal demonstrate value for money and are the costs broken down and justified?
• How well is the project delivery described leading to the minimum viable product?
  • Is there a Gantt chart or similar?
  • Are there proposed outcomes after each sprint?
  • Are the applicants experienced in Agile methodology?

Your Submission

Please login and register your interest, to complete the submission form and add attachments.

The submitted applications must be written in English and include:

1. Participation type – you will first be asked to inform us how you are participating in this challenge, as a Solver (Individual) or Solver (Organization).
2. Do you have relevant expertise to develop an entire solution to a minimum TRL 6 – technology demonstrated in relevant environment.
3. Can you start the assignment from August 2026?
4. Which of these fields does your expertise come from? Acoustics, artificial intelligence, app development, audio, data analytics, digital services, information technology, machine learning, software development, or systems engineering.
5. Maximum 6 page attachment (Word format) describing how you would deliver the assignment;
6. Scope - Describe how the project aligns to the challenge scope and solution requirements stated above
7. Innovation - Describe the innovation and technology intended to be delivered in the project, along with new IP that will be generated or existing IP that can be used
8. Deliverables - Describe the project outcomes and their impacts
9. Timescale - Detail how a minimum viable product (MVP) will be achieved within the project duration
10. Budget - Provide project finances against deliverables within the project duration

Supplementary Attachments - Key team personnel CVs and expertise, organizational profile if applicable.

Participation Guidance

1. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on June 9th, 2026.
2. Late submissions: Late submissions will not be considered.
3. Multiple submissions, One Maximum: In case of multiple submissions by the same Solver, only one submission – the final one submitted – will be considered. Any other submissions will be deleted prior to evaluation.
4. Submission form and attachments: Your submission attachment should be no longer than 6 pages, plus key team profiles.
5. Evaluation notification steps: After the Challenge submission close date, Wazoku will review and select the solutions it will propose and position with the UK national security community, according to the timeline in the Challenge header. Everyone who submits a proposal will be notified about the status of their submissions.
6. Use of AI: Please note that any submissions produced solely with generative AI are not of interest.
7. Learn more: Find out more about participation in Innocentive Challenges.