Defence Office for Small Business Growth

Defence Office for Small Business Growth is sponsored by Ministry of Defence. Supports small and medium UK firms to bid for and win more defence contracts.

About the Defence Office for Small Business Growth (DOSBG) We have been established to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access the defence supply chain and scale up to meet defence challenges. At the Defence Office for Small Business Growth (DOSBG), our mission is simple: to make it easier for SMEs to access defence opportunities.

The DOSBG will simplify MOD policies and entry routes so small businesses can find the right information to engage with opportunities. The MOD has set an ambitious goal to increase annual SME spending by £2. 5 billion by 2028.

By improving diversity and resilience in defence supply chains, we aim to create real opportunities for UL innovation and economic growth. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The UK's defence industry is a source of national pride. It supports hundreds of thousands of good jobs up and down the country and represents British manufacturing at its best.

Increasing our investment in defence is not only bolstering our national security, it is an opportunity to put more money into working people's pockets and boost economic growth. By helping smaller businesses to access this money, we're making communities across the UK better off and opening up more opportunities to train for good, skilled, productive jobs.

” Read full news story: New measures to boost small businesses benefitting from UK's defence investment How the DOSBG is helping SMEs We're in the process of establishing the DOSBG services to help support SMEs.

Support available from January 2026 From January, we'll provide initial support for smaller businesses and defence stakeholders with services to help them find opportunities, understand requirements, and connect with the right teams: business enablement support: Initial help to SMEs with elements of business growth and supplier development, scalability, and growing business networks.

procurement and commercial support: Initial help to understand and navigate defence procurement process, providing advice, best practice, and issue resolution on procurement and commercial matters.

regulatory and compliance readiness: Advice and signposting help and resources to around security clearance, intellectual property issues, commercial compliance, and helping SMEs to become defence export and international markets: The DOSBG will signpost and connect SMEs to the partners who can advise and support with export opportunities and international market entry.

We will continue to grow these services offerings throughout 2026 to provide deeper support and new tools for SMEs. UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) UKDI powers a smarter defence – accelerating innovation, strengthening security, and growing UK defence technology. It brings defence innovation together to move ideas rapidly from concept to frontline and stay ahead through continual technological advantage.

By backing the high-growth, high-tech UK defence firms of the future and supporting start-ups and scale-ups, UKDI boosts national security while making defence an engine for growth.

UKDI brings previously separate innovation organisations – including the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Defence Innovation Unit (DIU), Command Innovation Hubs, and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Future Capability innovation (FCI) – into one unified organisation. The DOSBG is not part of UKDI. We do not fund or deliver technology innovation.

For technology innocation funding, UKDI is best placed to help. You can ask us to support your engagement with them. Request additional support Please have a look at the most common questions we are asked on our FAQs page .

If you have not found the answers to your query, you can contact the office via our additional support form.