London

War machine: QinetiQ is known for its defence research, such as the design of this plastic tank. Credit: QINETIQ

The contract to run Britain's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is up for grabs — and scientists there are warily eyeing the prospect that the nation's main standards and measurement laboratory could fall under the auspices of a contractor that specializes in military technology.

QinetiQ, which was spun off from the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 2001 to run some of Britain's weapons-development labs, is one of three contenders to run the NPL when its operating contract is renewed in six months' time.

The NPL, which is based in Teddington near London, had its operations contracted out in 1995 to Serco, a services company that runs everything from sports centres to government computer contracts. But Serco's contract runs out in April 2004, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has invited bids from companies to run the lab until 2014. QinetiQ, Serco and Scientific Generics, a Cambridge-based consultancy, are all bidding for the contract.

Serco already has some defence interests, but trade unions at the NPL say they find QinetiQ's military focus incompatible with the lab's civilian tradition. “Lots of scientists at the NPL made a conscious choice not to go into defence research,” says Fiona Sloman, who represents more than half of the 600 staff at the laboratory for the union Prospect. “They would be concerned about QinetiQ taking over,” she adds.

Government officials say that whoever wins the contract will have to pursue the same research agenda, drawn up by the laboratory and the DTI.

But laboratory staff say they are worried that Qinetiq's involvement might deter researchers from joining the lab. “I have big problems with defence companies,” says one physicist who joined NPL in part because it was an applied lab that did not have links to weapons research.

In early November, the DTI is expected to announce which of the three applicants it will choose as its preferred bidder, with whom it will then enter detailed contract negotiations.

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