In this episode, we dive deep into the ACE initiative, and how it acts as a facilitator for the public sector, encouraging diversity and collaboration among businesses to deliver the required outcomes. Toby shares how the platform has changed the dynamic with larger companies, leading to adaptations and a shift towards acquiring smaller companies for innovation. We also explore the impact of ACE on smaller businesses, the importance of protecting intellectual property, and the role of collaborations between businesses, academia, and mission customers in addressing shared problems and creating commercial opportunities. Toby also takes us on a journey from the UK to Australia, discussing the opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange between countries and the plans to expand ACE’s platform overseas.

Toby Jones, a former UK senior civil servant, leads the UK Home Office’s transformation of mission-led innovation for public safety and security with science, digital technology and data. He co-founded ACE, the UK’s Accelerated Capability Environment, a Home Office-sponsored partnership between industry, academia and government, to push smart technologies and skills to front-line public services with operational tempo. He brings experience from the national security and resilience sector, combined with public policy development including legislation for investigatory powers and telecommunications regulation and compliance. His professional background is in systems engineering and computer science.