Defence and industry unite as new collaboration hub opens at RAF Wyton
A new collaboration hub at RAF Wyton brings together Defence Intelligence, local council and industry partners to strengthen the UK’s intelligence capabilities and foster innovation.
RAF Wyton, in partnership with Defence Intelligence, Huntingdonshire District Council and four industry firms, inaugurated the FAIRFAX Collaboration Hub on 27 August 2026. The facility, located within the station’s secure perimeter, provides a dedicated space for joint innovation, development labs and STEM outreach activities as part of Project FAIRFAX. The opening coincided with RAF Wyton’s annual Families Day, attended by around 2,000 family members, highlighting the station’s role in community engagement alongside its defence mission.
The hub is the first building of the Wyton Campus and represents the initial step in a broader plan to build an intelligence ecosystem around RAF Wyton over the next five to seven years. Defence Intelligence, part of Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, will use the facility to enhance geospatial and open-source intelligence analysis that supports UK defence decision-making and national security operations.
The launch underscores a shift from traditional client-supplier relationships to genuine partnerships between Defence, industry and academia. CGI, CDS Defence & Security, MAIAR and Vantor are collaborating with Defence Intelligence to accelerate innovation and strengthen STEM outreach, including a new programme with local schools to develop future talent for the station’s workforce.
RAF Wyton has long served as the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence and other Defence Intelligence capabilities. The FAIRFAX Collaboration Hub builds on this foundation, aiming to deepen ties between Defence, industry and academia while delivering tangible benefits to the local community and reinforcing Wyton’s status as a centre of intelligence excellence.