Defence Innovation Partnership Team
Energetic and Resourceful, with a Global Reach
Our Team
With deep networks in Defence, industry and research, the Defence Innovation Partnership team proactively pursues opportunities to build defence-relevant research and development collaborations.
With guidance, support and oversight provided by our Advisory Board and the Research Working Group, we have access to a wide network of global experts.
Sumen Rai – Director, Defence Innovation Partnership
Sumen is responsible for leading national and international R&D engagement and collaboration between researchers, industry and government, to deliver innovative solutions to Defence as well as supporting research, development and innovation activities for Defence SA and the South Australian Space Industry Centre.
Sumen has extensive government experience in developing and delivering major initiatives across investment attraction, trade, and industry development in the mining engineering, services and technologies, cleantech, space, and defence sectors.
Sumen has been involved in driving novel initiatives, such as the Convergence Series, which foster conversations about major defence and national security challenges through transdisciplinary perspectives and collaboration.
Sumen has previously worked as a teacher and lecturer in Arts and Design & Technology, a science communicator, and coordinator of outreach and engagement initiatives including several open government hackathons, including the NASA Space Apps Challenge.
Sumen holds a Master of Sustainability, Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Bachelor of Education (Hons), and Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Spatial Science.
Merril Kirk – Program Operations Manager
Merril Kirk is Program Operations Manager at the Defence Innovation Partnership. In her role, Merril is responsible for leading the grants management process for the organisation’s grant fund programs. She also manages the Defence Innovation Partnership’s daily operational requirements and engagement activities, including the Convergence Series events, workshops and conferences.
Merril brings extensive knowledge of South Australia’s industry base, having worked with the South Australia public sector for over 17 years and has experience in the areas of tourism, employment, training, workforce development and industry development.
Prior to joining the Defence Innovation Partnership, she was a supply consultant with the Industry Capability Network (ICN) where she focused on building supply chains in the mineral, renewables, space and defence sectors.
Merril is proactive in building professional and collaborative networks to maximise opportunities locally and globally for South Australian businesses.
Phil Temby – Associate Director
Phil Temby commenced as Associate Director Defence Innovation Partnership in July 2024; embedded as the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) representative.
Since joining DSTG in 2002, Phil has worked with various parts of Defence, including Army, Navy, and RAAF clients, and collaborated extensively with universities and industry on Defence projects. Phil has expertise and research interests spanning a broad range of areas including human-systems performance, decision-support tools, human-machine teaming, simulation-based training, team resilience, and translational research.
Throughout his DSTG career, Phil has held various research leadership positions, managed numerous collaborative research projects, and most recently worked as the Scientific Advisor to Headquarters Forces Command. Phil holds a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide, a Masters in Psychology from the University of South Australia, and a Graduate Certificate in Scientific Leadership from the University of Melbourne.
Phil has served on several national and international research panels, published extensively, and received various awards in recognition of his contributions to Defence innovation, science and technology. Phil is excited to be part of the Defence Innovation Partnership team and is looking forward to fostering partnerships that can enhance Defence capability.
Parth Gohil – Program Coordination Officer
Parth Gohil supports program coordination, stakeholder engagement and the delivery of research and innovation initiatives at the Defence Innovation Partnership.
He has experience across Australia’s MedTech and digital health sectors, having worked with organisations including MTPConnect and the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP). His work has focused on capability mapping, investor and stakeholder engagement, market analysis and reporting, and supporting commercialisation pathways for emerging technologies. He has also contributed to innovation program delivery, working with startups, researchers and industry partners to support translation and impact.
Parth has also contributed to international engagement through the India Tech Export Catalyst (ITEC) Program, supporting market exploration, strategic connections and cross-border collaboration initiatives.
He is particularly interested in strengthening connections between industry, research and government to enable impactful and scalable innovation outcomes.
