The Defence Trailblazer Program is investing over $200 million in disruptive new technologies to translate into Australian Defence Force (ADF) capability, in partnership with industry, the University of Adelaide (UoA) and UNSW.
“Teaming up with over 40 Australian companies of all sizes, from start-ups to primes gives us a direct pathway to develop cutting-edge technologies and solutions for the ADF,” said Defence Trailblazer Executive Director, Dr Sanjay Mazumdar.
“This year, we are investing in 3 core areas including technology development which has over 25 projects on their way to commercialisation; the creation of the Defence 10X Accelerator for startups to fast-track growth; and industry research opportunities that already translates to 32 PhD scholarships with 16 industry partners.”
PhD scholarships provide students with a minimum $50,000 tax-free per annum stipend scholarship to work on real-word defence industry challenges, which are jointly funded by Defence Trailblazer and an industry partner.
The technology development projects specifically accelerate the translation of proven concepts to commercial-ready products across Quantum Materials, Technologies & Computing; Defensive Hypersonics & Countermeasures; Information Warfare & Advanced Cyber Technologies; Robotics, Autonomous Systems & Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Defence Space Technologies.
To boost the capacity and capability of startups into the ADF, the Defence Trailblazer has partnered with UNSW Founders and private investors to establish the Defence 10x Accelerator Program, which will provide founders with seed investment, access to entrepreneurial mentors and research and development (R&D) capabilities, along with the industry and defence networks to fast-track business growth.
In 2023, the Defence Trailblazer has invested $1.25 million of seed funding matched by $500,000 from private investors in five defence focussed start-up businesses — Advanced Alloy Holdings (AAH), Australian Droid and Robot (ADR), Fortifyedge, Hullbot and Stratoship.
These companies specialise in developing innovative new sovereign capabilities in the areas of advanced materials, robotics, artificial intelligence, and surveillance and communication.
Each startup received $350,000 of seed funding and 10 weeks of one-to-one support from industry experts and mentors, as well as weekly workshops and connections to support their growth, capital raising and global ambitions.
“We are looking forward to seeing the growth of the companies we have invested in. Support for home grown innovation in our geopolitical climate is critical to keeping us one step ahead of our adversaries”, said Defence Trailblazer, Innovation Manager, Liz Kobold.