Award

Space Weather R2O2R - University of Reading

MET OFFICE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

04 Sep 2025 at 14:48

Award

04 Sep 2025 at 14:11

Summary of the contracting process

The Met Office, a central government public authority based in Exeter, UK, has awarded a contract for the "Space Weather R2O2R" project to the University of Reading. This procurement falls under the research and experimental development services category and involves the integration and exploitation of new capabilities related to space weather operations. The project is part of the broader SWIMMR Programme and aims to bring scientific modelling into operational use by September 2026. The procurement method was direct and below threshold without competition. The award was finalised on 4th September 2025, with the contract period spanning from 16th September 2025 to 31st March 2026.

This contract, valued at £67,000, presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in research and development within the space weather and related scientific fields. The University of Reading, already noted for its HUXt solar wind model development, will be critical in bridging the gap between research and operational application. Businesses with expertise in scientific modelling, data integration, and those capable of collaborating with academic and governmental institutions will find this contract particularly advantageous for expanding their portfolio and strengthening their industry presence.

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Notice Title

Space Weather R2O2R - University of Reading

Notice Description

Space Weather Implementation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk' (SWIMMR), was a PS19.9m UKRI SPF funded programme led by STFC from 2019, and which largely concluded in 2023. Several of the projects were targeted at space weather scientific modelling gaps, with the aim of bringing them into operation for forecast capabilities in the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC). The project 'S3' stood up systems and enabled collaboration between academic partners and the Met Office space weather programme, bringing a platform 'sandbox environment' and portal for monitoring outputs into use at the Met Office (MO) where our scientists worked with several academic partners to bring their models into use. Whilst the original SWIMMR programme made this collaboration possible, there is much work remaining to bring the models into working operational use by the target date of September 2026, the Research to Operations to Research (R2O2R) project is the next stage in this Programme. The Space Weather CSA with the Department for Science and Technology (DSIT) sets out a required output for the Met Office to Support the validation, integration and exploitation of new capabilities and data delivered through the SPF SWIMMR Programme. Met Office Space Weather (MOSW) has agreed with funding partner DSIT to deliver several targets for the next phase of work: Evidence of user need and user requirement to shape model use and output (MOSWOC being the primary user, with several end-users being the recipients of forecasting products). Technical and scientific requirements within MOSW for fully onboarding, working with and supporting the models and/or their outputs in operational settings. (Whilst the 'S3' platform and portal were helpful for the early stages of model collaboration, they are not able to support long term model and output development and operation). In terms of the projects to achieve modelling capability, we have agreed a number of these and their priority levels with the academic institutions who own the models. The partner, University of Reading, led the S4 projects in the SWIMMR Programme (2019-2025). The university of Reading developed the HUXt solar wind model ensemble aimed at quantifying the uncertainties in CME arrival times, which can lead to large geomagnetic storms impacting a range of sectors (e.g. power grids,..)

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05944f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054021-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£67,000 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Sep 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Sep 20255 months ago
Contract Period
15 Sep 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MET OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement.enquiries@metoffice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
EXETER
Postcode
EX1 3PB
Post Town
Exeter
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK43 Devon CC
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Exeter
Electoral Ward
Pinhoe
Westminster Constituency
Exmouth and Exeter East

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

THE UNIVERSITY OF READING

UNIVERSITY OF READING

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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