ST Engineering Antycip, Europe's leading provider of virtual-reality solutions, visual displays, simulation tools and engineering services, and Cervus, a veteran-owned data company using its analytics-as-a-service (AaaS) platform to disrupt the traditional defence and security industries, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that signals to the market a new era of collaboration between the two companies and a further integration of their complementary business models.

Cervus and ST Engineering Antycip (then known as Antycip Simulation) began working together collaboratively in 2016, explains Alan Roan, managing director of UK-based Cervus, with the MoU formalising and elevating an already successful relationship. “We are both SMEs, and pooling resources creates efficiencies and increases our ability to reach into new customers,” Roan continues, “while enabling us to bring new offerings into existing customers.”

One of the highlights of the companies’ seven-year collaboration is the Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE), the British Army’s flagship innovation and experimentation programme, where in 2021 they cooperated to demonstrate the future of British Army training using Cervus’ Hive analytics platform plug in for market leading VR-Forces software from sister company and close partner MAK Technologies, recalls Katie Howe, Senior Accounts Manager, aerospace and defence, at ST Engineering Antycip.

Key to the success of their relationship is that both companies are “small but growing, with an agile, ‘can-do’ attitude towards wider collaboration”, suggests Howe.

“We are both small companies with huge ambition,” echoes Roan, who also highlights Cervus and ST Engineering Antycip’s cooperation on the US Marine Corps’ wargaming capability, when they demonstrated Hive and VR-Forces to MARSYSCOM (Marine Systems Command) and were selected for part two of the activity, and Forge for VR Forces for Project ELDON in support of the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office. “Both companies have a similar culture and relentless focus on the frontline operator.”

By taking their relationship to the next level, ST Engineering Antycip and Cervus hope to be able to offer “more credible demo scenarios and vignettes for mutual opportunity pursuits”, explains Howe, as well as growing both companies’ market presence. Roan comments that the new alliance will be able to offer customers “a fuller simulation and analytics solution, enabling them to train and/or experiment faster and at lower cost.”

Looking to the future, the companies will look to leverage their natural synergy to deliver not only for customers in the defence sector, but to pursue more opportunities in other markets, adds Roan, who describes the enhancing of their relationship as a natural evolution of the past seven years of cooperation.

“This MoU formalises a relationship that has been growing over seven years,” he concludes. “We feel it is worth celebrating and communicating to our customers and partners.”