Need

Wazoku, the Seeker for this Innocentive Marketplace Expertise Challenge, which is being posted in connection with an active HMGCC and UK national security community challenge, is seeking imaging technologies able to prevent unwanted surveillance, technology to help reveal hidden objects concealed in walls, ceilings and floors.

The tech solution should be able to uncover covert devices in the periphery of rooms, but without damaging walls, with particular interest in non-ionising radiation imaging techniques, such as portable terahertz or millimetre-wave systems.

The target is a demonstrator at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 – to be achieved in the 12-week assignment.

Relevant applicant expertise will most likely represent the technology themes of antennas, applied research, data science and engineering, electronic engineering, electro-optic, non-destructive testing, quantum technologies, radio frequency science

and engineering, software development.

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Collaboration Opportunity

This is a Marketplace Expertise Challenge seeking a partner with the expertise to take part in an assignment for the UK national security community, to develop a demonstrator during a 12-week project, to a minimum TRL 5 – demonstrator (technology basic validation in a relevant environment). The Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be first evaluated by Wazoku and finalists 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 at the start of September to the UK national security community
  • Up to 2 applications could be selected for the assignment with funding up to $65,000 to develop a demonstrator during a 12-week project, to a minimum TRL 5 - demonstrator, with a future roadmap of development
  • The UK national security community will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for successful projects
  • The target for starting the assignment is November 2026

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on September 7th, 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 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

Protecting sensitive locations from surveillance is an important national security requirement. Security professionals use a range of techniques to identify hidden devices that could be used to capture conversations, images or communications.

One method is to inspect walls, ceilings and floors for hidden equipment without damaging the building. Existing approaches, such as x-ray imaging, can be effective but are often large, heavy and require additional safety controls due to their use of

ionising radiation.

The Challenge

This challenge seeks alternative approaches that can provide useful imaging capability whilst being more portable and easier to deploy.

The outcome should be a demonstrator after a 12-week project, to minimum TRL 5 (technology basic validation in a relevant environment).

Existing non-destructive imaging techniques each have limitations. X-ray systems can provide detailed images through many materials but are often bulky and require additional safety measures. Terahertz and millimetre-wave technologies use non-ionising radiation and have demonstrated success in applications such as airport security screening. However, current systems often face challenges including limited penetration depth, reduced performance in some environmental conditions, and difficulties achieving both portability and high image quality.

There remains a need for a portable imaging system that can provide useful images within walls, ceilings and floors whilst remaining practical for operational use.

Consider this use case: A security professional team responsible for protecting VIPs during overseas travel is supporting a high-profile person who needs to have discreet meetings but has previously been the target of technical surveillance.

Before a sensitive meeting takes place, the team must ensure the temporary office being used has not been compromised by hidden surveillance devices. Today, the team deploys multiple systems capable of examining walls, ceilings and floors for

concealed objects. Each have their trade-offs, some are quick and easy to use, others take more preparation but are more effective.

Future developments should aim to allow the team to secure images of devices within walls, posing minimised health hazards while being small in size and weight, and more portable.

Solution Requirements

The assignment is to develop a demonstrator after a 12-week project, to minimum TRL 5 (technology basic validation in a relevant environment).

Essential requirements:

• Must be something that can be developed to a weight of less than 20 kg and less than 0.3 cubic metres
• Must come with a display and a user interface suitable for a technical user
• Must be able to produce images from penetrating a standard plasterboard wall
• Imager must use non-ionising radiation
• Must work from a single-phase power supply or battery
• Work towards a device that can be transported on a commercial flight.

Desirable requirements:

• Work towards a weight of less than 10 Kg
• Should produce images from penetrating tens of centimetres through a standard plasterboard or wooden walls
• A stretch target is proof of concept of penetration through a few centimetres of concrete
• Imaging process should not require access to both sides of a wall.
• The proposal should aim to deliver more than the minimum for the project, with a project plan post this phase 1
  • Consider dual-use opportunities and commercial exploitation routes (do think beyond UK defense)

Constraints:

• The end use case would be within a small to medium sized room.

Not required:

• A horizon scan
• A paper report on its own, there must be some prototyping element to this assignment

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 security)
• 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 security)
  • 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 much time and resource is spent on a project for the cost?
• Is there a perceived high ambition for the cost?
• Is there a robust costing plan?
• 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 a demonstrator during a 12-week project, to a minimum TRL 5 - technology basic validation in a relevant environment.
3. Can you start the assignment from November 2026?
4. Maximum 6 page attachment (Word format) describing how you would deliver the assignment;
   1. Scope - Describe how the project aligns to the challenge scope and solution requirements stated above
   2. 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
   3. Deliverables - Describe the project outcomes and their impacts
   4. Timescale - Detail how a minimum viable product (MVP)/the demonstrator, will be achieved within the project duration
   5. Budget - Provide project finances against deliverables within the project duration
5. Mandatory Supplementary Attachments - is key team personnel CVs and expertise, and/or organizational profile.

Participation Guidance

1. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on September 7th, 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 main submission attachment should be no longer than 6 pages.
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.