QUICKBLOCK secures £940,000 to scale defence infrastructure solutions across Europe

QUICKBLOCK, the UK-based developer of rapidly deployable modular infrastructure solutions for defence, security and humanitarian applications, today announced the successful completion of a £940,000 funding round comprising new equity investment and innovation grant funding.

The equity investment was led by Equity Gap, The University of Strathclyde and Scottish Enterprise, with additional grant funding provided by Scottish Enterprise and Innovate UK specifically for R&D activity for the development of rapid deployment shelter solutions.

The funding will accelerate QUICKBLOCK's expansion across key European markets, strengthen its commercial capability, and increase production capacity to meet growing demand in humanitarian aid, security and military.

Following NATO's commitment to significantly increase defence spending and as European governments continue to strengthen military capability and resilience, demand is growing for rapidly deployable training infrastructure that can be delivered quickly.

QUICKBLOCK is well positioned to support this through its modular infrastructure systems for military training, force protection and operational support, as well as providing support to humanitarian aid organisations, who can deploy QUICKBLOCK's easy build shelters into remote or high-risk environments at speed.

Founded in Scotland, QUICKBLOCK has developed an innovative modular building system manufactured from 100% recycled polypropylene. Its flat-pack, interlocking blocks enable the rapid construction of reconfigurable training environments for military and police and structures which protect people from ballistic, blast and drone attack.

Over the past three years, QUICKBLOCK has established a growing track record with defence customers in the UK and overseas. The company has successfully delivered contracts with the UK Ministry of Defence, the German Bundeswehr and the Indian Army.

QUICKBLOCK has also built a strong international network of distributors and commercial partners supporting growth across Europe, North America and Asia from its base in Scotland.

Andrew Vincent, Chief Executive Officer of QUICKBLOCK, said: "This funding marks an important milestone in QUICKBLOCK's growth journey and is a strong endorsement of both our technology and our strategy of growth in Europe.

"Europe is entering a sustained period of investment in defence capability, infrastructure and readiness. Our mission is ultimately to provide protection for people, to help armed forces deploy infrastructure faster, more efficiently and more sustainably - whether for military training, force protection or humanitarian aid support.

"We're delighted to have the continued support of Equity Gap, the University of Strathclyde and Scottish Enterprise as investors and are grateful for the continued support of Innovate UK. Their backing will enable us to accelerate our growth, strengthen our presence across Europe and continue to innovate our product offering providing new solutions that meet the evolving needs of defence and security."

Fraser Lusty, Managing Director of Equity Gap, said: "Equity Gap has supported QUICKBLOCK since 2021, developing its technology and product suite in conjunction with UK and overseas militaries. Against the current background of increased global defence spending, QUICKBLOCK is now uniquely positioned to build on this and provide rapidly deployable solutions as flexible, realistic training environments or protective infrastructure to save lives and assets during operations. Equity Gap is proud to continue to support the team's expansion and scale-up in the growing defence and humanitarian sectors."

Anne Henderson, Head of Investment at Strathclyde Inspire, said: "We've been proud to support QUICKBLOCK from an early stage and it has been fantastic to see Andrew and the team build such strong momentum. Their determination and ambition have helped grow the business, expand its customer base and establish a clear international growth strategy.

"We are delighted to continue supporting QUICKBLOCK as it expands across European defence markets and capitalises on the significant opportunities emerging in a sector of increasing strategic importance."

The funding will be used to expand commercial operations across priority European markets, including Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe and grow the team to support increasing international demand.

Since its previous funding round, QUICKBLOCK has established a scalable UK manufacturing presence in the UK, expanded its international distribution network, secured contracts with leading defence organisations and developed a substantial pipeline of opportunities across defence and security markets.

Looking ahead, the company will continue to focus on supporting military training, force protection and operational infrastructure requirements while expanding its international footprint.