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Dr Gretel Png’s career journey has seen her work and study across the globe before landing in South Australia to work at Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) in late 2018. Through DSTG’s 2021 inaugural NAVIGATE program, Gretel is currently undertaking a placement with the Defence Innovation Partnership (DIP) where she is working to get the new Activator Fund off the ground. “I’ve applied for grants in the past and I wanted to see what it’s like on the other side: to be a part of the organisation that gives grants; how grants are planned, managed, the [...]

Local space start-up Safety from Space is partnering with Flinders University, University of South Australia, SmartSat CRC and the Defence Science and Technology Group to develop an innovative satellite messaging beacon system.The research project is one of four initiatives to receive funding in the latest round of grants from the Defence Innovation Partnership’s Collaborative Research Fund (CRF).It will introduce a new technique for satellite-based connectivity for emergency services and Defence personnel in hazardous environments to be used when ground-based communications network infrastructure is unavailable.Minister for Defence and Space Industries Susan Close said the program continues to deliver real life technological [...]

Veteran-owned South Australian electronic warfare company, Asension, has signed a $4.35 million contract with the Australian Government to deliver a space-based tactical sensor system for Defence. Chief Executive Officer of Asension, Ian Spencer, said the contract –awarded through the Defence Innovation Hub (DIH) – was an exciting opportunity to grow the company’s workforce and progress vital space capability for Defence. “This contract has been pivotal to the successful development of this capability to date and has enabled Asension to grow as a company,” said Mr Spencer. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Pat Conroy MP, said the investment [...]

Australia’s defence innovation ecosystem continues to grow with the Federal Government’s endorsement of the Defence Trailblazer: Concept to Sovereign Capability (CSC) bid under the Trailblazer Universities Program. Led by the University of Adelaide in partnership with the University of New South Wales, the CSC aims to create a cross-sector culture founded on a sharing risk, problem solving, and successes, as well as creating a sense of strategic urgency to sustain the ability of the Australian Defence Force in defending national security within volatile geo-strategic environments. The project will enable researchers and industry to review Defence’s priority research challenges, secure capital [...]

Adelaide-based green-energy technology company, PhosEnergy, are teaming up with The University of Adelaide to develop next-generation nuclear batteries for space and defence industries. PhosEnergy – who develop innovative green-energy tech aimed at recovering useful energy resources and chemicals from unconventional or waste sources – were awarded a grant of more than $2.4 million to support the project under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centre’s Projects (CRC-P) scheme . The company will use the funds to further develop their long-life, reliable, maintenance and fuel-free nuclear battery technology for space and defence industries. The University of Adelaide’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Anton [...]

Applications are now open for grants of up to $11 million for the establishment of artificial intelligence and digital capability centres to help commercialise the technology and support businesses. The Australian Government is investing a total of $44 million to establish four centres, which will be industry-run and enable small and medium businesses to access AI expertise to help them grow and create more jobs. The Artificial Intelligence and Digital Capability Centres Grants will be available to cover up to 75 per cent of project expenditure, with applicants needing to partner with at least one other industry player and build [...]

Associate Professor Rini Akmeliawati is an accomplished academic in the fields of Mechatronics, Robotics and Control, whose contributions are driving inspired breakthroughs in space innovation. With an interest in space and robots that was set in motion as a child, Rini Akmeliawati gained her first degree, a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Honours), from RMIT University in 1997. This was followed by her Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering with a major in Control Systems Engineering, attained from the University of Melbourne in 2001. This launched her academic career, joining the School of Mathematics and Geospatial Sciences at RMIT, where she had the [...]