Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January 2025, whether there is any funding in place to deliver further three-year courses in the undergraduate drone degree.

The Army has provided a one-off payment of £240,000 to the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) to initiate development of the undergraduate drone degree. This funding enabled NMITE to recruit academic staff and design the course which will offer students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge drones technology driven by lessons from Ukraine.

On current plans, the Army intends to sponsor serving-military personnel on the three year degree and multiple personnel on shorter modular courses. These costs will be met through existing Defence personnel development budgets, in line with routine investment in our people through training and apprenticeships.

The Army will continue to support personnel undertaking this degree as long as the course remains relevant and no suitable alternative exists elsewhere in the UK. This supports the Army’s wider ambition to upskill hundreds of personnel in drone technology over time.

Longer term, the vision is to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry.

NMITE, as the accredited provider, is responsible for funding and delivering the course, including any future cohorts. As NMITE is an independent higher education provider, the Ministry of Defence does not hold details of NMITE’s own operating or delivery costs.