Mobile Evidential Drug Testing Instrument (MEDTI) Demonstrator
The DfT are seeking innovations to develop roadside evidential drug testing capability to enable effective enforcement of drug driving offending.
Opportunity Details
When
Registration Opens
19/02/2024
Registration Closes
16/04/2024
Award
The total possible funding available for Phase 1 of this competition is £1 million (excluding VAT). DASA expect to fund a number of proposals of up to £350,000 (exc. VAT) each.
Organisation
DASA
DFT
To enable more effective enforcement of drug driving offending, the Department of Transport is seeking innovative ideas to explore the development of world-leading roadside evidential drug testing capability.
The competition is funded by Department for Transport with the support of the Home Office and police as we look to work across Government to tackle this problem.
This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is seeking proposals that enhance the roadside testing of suspected ‘drug drivers’. Currently drivers suspected of being over the specified limit for specified ‘drugs’ can be subject to a roadside screening test which, following a positive indication, requires the subject to be taken to a police station where an evidential blood sample can be taken. The sample is then sent to an approved laboratory for forensic analysis. It can take many months to subsequently determine if a prosecution should be launched. The offence is contrary to Section 5A Road Traffic Act 1988.
The competition aims to develop ideas that could create a roadside forensic test capable of being administered at the time the driver is stopped and then generating a robust indication that meets UK court standards. Ideally a result would be obtained at the roadside within 10 minutes however the competition would also welcome the submission of ideas that that could generate similar swift analysis from a device that is based at a police station, circumventing the need to take an evidential blood sample that requires sending the sample away for analysis. This will speed up processing of suspects, enabling police to deal with offenders at pace and freeing up officers to return to duty more quickly. Victims injured by drug drivers will also be made aware of charging decisions more quickly.
DASA expect to fund a number of proposals of up to £350,000 (exc. VAT) each in value. Contracts will only be awarded for projects that are shown to complete by 28 February 2025 and have a maximum project duration time of 6 months (although proposals of shorter duration will also be accepted), starting from approximately July 2024.