Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

<h2 id="formation-and-operation">Formation and operation</h2>
<p>DERA was formed in April 1995 as an amalgamation of: 
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Defence_Research_Agency/bBzAp2WN">Defence Research Agency</a> (DRA) which was set up in April 1991 and comprised
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Royal_Aircraft_Establishment/gXh5C7Jq">Royal Aerospace Establishment</a> (RAE)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Admiralty_Research_Establishment/20dhrdqd">Admiralty Research Establishment</a> (ARE)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Royal_Armament_Research_and_Development_Establishment/LLHtY3YI">Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment</a> (RARDE)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Royal_Signals_and_Radar_Establishment/G96SheBm">Royal Signals and Radar Establishment</a> (RSRE)</li></ul></li>
<li>Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Defence_CBRN_Centre/vTXFMnWg">Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment</a> (CBDE at <a href="/facts/Porton_Down/XVed6vLA">Porton Down</a>), which became part of the Protection and Life Sciences Division (PLSD)</li>
<li>Centre for Defence Analysis (CDA).</li></ul>
<p>The chief executive throughout DERA's existence was <a href="/facts/John_Chisholm_(engineer)/Xt7Xvx13">John Chisholm</a>. DERA's staffing level was around 9,000 scientists, technologists and support staff.
</p>
<h2 id="dissolution">Dissolution</h2>
<p>DERA was split into two organisations, based on short-lived transition bodies known as PDERA ("privatised" DERA) - becoming a <a href="/facts/Commerce/SL9xueYJ">commercial</a> firm, <a href="/facts/QinetiQ/0ggdsVGF">QinetiQ</a> - and "RDERA" ( "retained" in Government DERA) - becoming the <a href="/facts/Defence_Science_and_Technology_Laboratory/dIsp3UsK">Defence Science and Technology Laboratory</a> (Dstl).
</p><p>At the split, QinetiQ was formed from the majority (about 3/4 of the staff and most of the facilities) of DERA, with Dstl assuming responsibility for those aspects which were best done in government. A few examples of the work undertaken by Dstl include <a href="/facts/Nuclear_reaction/202yClUr">nuclear</a>, <a href="/facts/Chemical/EWcXU41d">chemical</a>, and <a href="/facts/Biological_warfare/hLnbu8Sd">biological</a> <a href="/facts/Research/mo8joeTL">research</a>. In the time since the split both organisations have undergone significant change programmes. QinetiQ has increased its focus on overseas research with a number of US and other foreign acquisitions, whereas Dstl has a major rationalisation programme.
</p>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="https://www.QinetiQ.com">QinetiQ website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-science-and-technology-laboratory">Dstl website</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Eds. Robert Bud and Philip Gummett, Cold War Hot Science: Applied Research in Britain's Defence Laboratories 1945-1990, Harwood, 1999 ISBN 90-5702-481-0 <a href="/wiki/Philip_Gummett" target="_blank">/wiki/Philip_Gummett</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency open-in-new

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency