Defence
Evaluation and
Research
Agency. An agency of the
UK's
Ministry of Defence, conducting the majority of the
MoD's
research effort. Under it's evaluation arm, it has many firing ranges, and any kind of testing
laboratory you'd care to mention. They are based at a number of locations around the
United Kingdom, at some 17 sites. (including
Malvern, the site at which I used to work and my home town)
DERA employs about 12,000 people, and has an annual turnover of about £1bn.
Some of the things they've invented that you've probably come across include RADAR and LCDs.
For more info, see http://www.dera.gov.uk