Outputs & Outcomes
How H4MOD Delivers Value to Defence
By Neil Howe, Senior Executive Officer, RNAS Culdrose
The Initial Challenge
Hacking for Ministry of Defence (H4MOD) is a 10-week programme where university student teams are given Defence challenges and asked to solve them in an intense innovation sprint. I first came across the programme in early 2024, and ended up sponsoring an infrastructure sustainability challenge for a group of students at Kingston University Business School. The outputs that my team delivered after working diligently throughout the summer were spot-on, and well worth the time I invested in the programme.
From this experience I can say firsthand that H4MOD delivers real, actionable solutions that have the potential to directly impact defence operations. Unlike traditional consultancy or research projects that often result in reports that sit on a shelf, H4MOD focuses on producing tangible outcomes that can be implemented, often immediately.
Early Results
Starting off, I was very clear that whatever my team came up with, it had to be doable. That meant they had to focus only on ideas that were affordable, scalable, and practical for implementation. Being transparent on this results-driven approach ensures that proposed solutions align with operational constraints and available resources, making them more likely to be adopted.
Early on, the students uncovered an upcoming infrastructure project that my team and I didn’t know was even in the pipeline. This proved their utility right away and enabled my team to prepare in advance and integrate the project into our own planning. The students' research revealed that the infrastructure upgrade was planned in two phases, an insight that enabled proactive planning and resource allocation for future implementation.
Lighting the Way Forward
Beyond uncovering hidden projects, my student team also provided concrete recommendations that led to immediate action. For instance, they explored the potential for solar airfield lighting, a critical need due to upcoming regulations that will phase out halogen lighting. How they did this was through ‘getting out of the building’ and finding airports already using this technology, contacting a company that could provide it, and helping us run a trial on our airfield. The initiative is expected to result in solar LED airfield lighting being installed within the next 18 months, delivering significant operational and sustainability benefits.
The programme’s structured approach also enables Defence to better utilise existing resources. When given a problem on capping energy usage in certain buildings, the students worked out that we don’t actually know what our energy use is per building, but the data exists; we just need to a way to understand and consolidate it. The proposed solution to this offers a scalable approach that can be applied across multiple infrastructure projects.
A Return on Investment
H4MOD doesn’t just suggest ideas; it delivers viable solutions that stakeholders can move forward with. For me, they didn’t just create a report; they produced something that has planted a seed and set us on a path we can actually pursue. Their work even went so far as to include a cost-benefit analysis of transitioning to solar LED lighting, highlighting potential long-term savings and reduced maintenance requirements.
Finally, the programme saves valuable time and effort for Defence personnel who are often stretched thin. I have so many problems I don’t have the bandwidth to tackle. The students went and did the legwork for me, allowing me to focus on delivering solutions back into Defence.
The tangible outputs and problem-solving focus of H4MOD make it a key enabler for turning problems into practical solutions. Would I do it again? Absolutely. My team were a great bunch and very bright, the kinds of people Defence needs to tackle emergent challenges of the future.
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