The Government’s GCHQ, and HOST, have launched a ground-breaking innovation programme to help North West businesses develop cutting-edge technologies.

GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence and cyber agency which has a Manchester operation in Albert Square, is looking for five ambitious businesses to join its pioneering innovation programme to apply trailblazing technologies to national security challenges.

The GCHQ Innovation Co-Lab, developed in partnership with MediaCityUK-based HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology, is aimed at UK-based digital companies or a consortium of companies with innovative approaches to technology and analytics, or a vision to reach alternative markets for their products or service.

Businesses can apply to take part in specific challenges as part of the Co-Lab. These include:

• Dealing with uncertainty: Products and services which utilise open source information to help people make sense of current events and plan for the future; and
• Re-imagining morse code: Technology that will help improve automated translation and transcriptions, supported by advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning – re-thinking traditional morse code technology for the future.

Another challenge is a wild card option, where businesses will have the rare opportunity to showcase to GCHQ an innovative and unique approach to technology that helps shape the future for the better.

While applications are open to all, they are particularly welcome from entrepreneurs in the North West, who are from diverse and under-represented backgrounds.