Latest Defence News from ADA-Vic

Hi there,

We've had a whirlwind week planning and running events (see more below for details).

Yesterday we hosted a much-needed webinar on Cyber & DISP requirements for the Defence Supply Chain. Cyber security is atop the list of priorities for the Government and Defence; and NOT being cyber ready holds a lot of companies back from being eligible to win Defence related projects.

Our next event is a Face-2-Face networking event on Tuesday night (next week), 9th March with guest speaker Dwayne Kirk, Director - Business Advisory Services from CDIC. Please see below for further information.

Please get in touch today via info@australiandefencealliance.org.au to keep us in the loop of challenges you face so that we can continue to enable you to do Better Business in Defence.

About the Event

We have planned to have the day full of Defence Briefings and Networking opportunities on Friday the 25th of June.

Defence Networking Events are critical to your progress in the Defence Industry.

This event brings people together from all around Australia for a fantastic day of networking set amongst an amazing backdrop for a morning briefing with lunch, a golf competition and then a dinner networking session as well.

You can book in for the full day or join for a half day... but it is an event not to be missed!

Speakers have not been locked in concrete yet, however we are in discussions with some very senior stakeholders in Government, Defence and Industry Primes who will provide updates for the year ahead.

We understand that Golf is not everyone's "cup of tea", however the focus is not on golf - but on the networking that happens in the other 6 hours and also the 2.5 hours on the golf course.

The golf competition is an Ambrose competition, which is played in such a way that all skill levels are catered for and everyone has fun (even if you really can't hit a golf ball!).

Venue:
Medway Golf Club, 57 Omar Street, Maidstone VIC 3012

Date:
Friday 25th June 2021

Major Service Provider Arrangement Industry Consultation Paper

Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) has initiated a review into the Major Service Provider (MSP) panel arrangements (the Review).

As part of the Review, an independent adviser has been appointed to conduct the review and is seeking feedback from stakeholders (including Defence industry) on their experiences with and information on opportunities to improve the MSP panel arrangements and the realisation of the MSP panel objectives.

Responses will be analysed by the independent adviser and a report including de-identified information from respondents will be provided to CASG, including recommendations for improvements.

To provide a response to the industry questionnaire please follow this link here to view the Industry Consultation Paper. Then submit a response via email to: casgcomm.divsstratpanelreview@defence.gov.au.

Responses must be received no later than 1600 (AEST) on 19 March 2021.

Any questions in relation to this consultation should be sent to the MSP Review Team by email at casgcomm.divsstratpanelreview@defence.gov.au

This is your opportunity to share your experience, concerns and provide suggestions for improvement. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

From the Minister for Defence Industry

Minister Price pledges in a new video (here) for the Government to "Back Our Skilled Workforce, Cut Red Tape and Build Closer Ties - Between Defence and Industry to Expand Australia's Export and International Opportunities, Supporting more Australian Companies to Deliver World Class Capability". The Commonwealth Government’s agenda for defence industry in 2021 is fleshed out more here
New Working Securely with Defence guide - launched to help Industry win contracts, more here
Defence has released a report, A Method for Ethical AI in Defence. See more here
Defence has released the Test, evaluation, certification and systems assurance Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority Implementation Plan. See more here
Minister Price set three priorities for this year:

Supporting workforce development
Continuing reforms of Defence’s procurement and contracting processes commenced last year
Supporting efforts to increase defence exports

The Centre for Defence Industry Capability has completed its transfer from the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources to the Department of Defence. The CDIC will sit in CASG

Team Defence Australia is targeting attendance at tradeshows in the second half of 2021. It is uncertain whether tradeshows will go ahead in-person ie. DSEI UK (September).

Funding and Announcements

CDIC Grants Re-Open... 3 x Capability Improvement & Competitiveness Grants, more here
$1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI) Funding Opportunity, more here. Also see the Government's Modern Manufacturing Strategy which the MMI funding aligns with here
The Commonwealth Government has launched the Cyber Security Skills Partnership Innovation Fund to support the delivery of new pathways in the sector, more here
The Commonwealth Government is encouraging space related businesses to apply for the second round of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund grants. See more here
Government promotes Moon to Mars with more Grants, more here & here
Business Events Grant Program = Assistance to attend industry events, more here
Victorian Govt. 'Small Business Digital Adaptation Program', update your business, more here
ASBAS - Funding to Get Professional Advice for updating your business, more here
Skilling Australia's Defence Industry (SADI) Grants "Open for Applications", more here
February’s edition of Defence Technology Review. See more here
Defence has released the Advanced Signals Processing and the Surveillance and Intelligence Sovereign Industry Capability Implementation and Industry Plans, more here
The Minister for Defence has released the Defence Transformation Strategy. See more here
New cyber security campaign launched by the Minister for Defence and Minister for Home Affairs, see more here and here
The Govt. has launched an Inquiry into Developing Australia’s Space Industry. If you would like to contribute thoughts and ideas please see more here
Defence releases SIC Priority Implementation Plan for Aerospace Deeper Maintenance & Structural Integrity, more here & here
ASIO releases a new awareness campaign, 'Think Before You Link' (TBYL), more here
2021 Budget Measures and Support for Defence Industry from Morrison Government, more here
Easing of grant funding rules, making funding opportunities more accessible to all, more here
Intelligence & National Security Threat Research Funding Grants = Open, more here
The New Budget - for defence industry here & also holistically for business and employment here

The current COVID-19 situation highlights the need for Australia’s health security to be underpinned by a nationally coordinated approach to sovereign preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery (PPRR).

Opportunity to Contribute

All organisations that play a role in research, product development, manufacture, or distribution of technologies and products of relevance to the six critical sectors identified below are strongly encouraged to complete to the NHSRA.

The NHSRA will extend beyond previous audits of Australia’s medical countermeasures capability to include end-to-end research, development, manufacturing and distribution in six critical sectors including:

Medical Countermeasures
Medical Devices
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Modelling and Simulation
Hazard Management
Sensing Systems

NHSRA OPENS 30th November 2020
NHSRA CLOSES 31st May 2021
TIME COMMITMENT 15 – 60 minutes (depending on the sector(s) in which your organisation is involved) SCOPE National

For more information please contact DMTC
Phone:   +61 3 9214 4447
Email:  NHSRAadmin@dmtc.com.au
Web:  https://dmtc.com.au/our-activities/nhsra/

This will involve completion of relevant surveys which inquire about their organisational activities and capabilities. By contributing, organisations may have an opportunity to participate in detailed consultations that follow the first phase of data collection. All contributions to the NHSRA are critical to providing a truly national picture of Australia’s capability and capacity in the health security ecosystem.

With a strong focus on supply chain resilience and in-country manufacturing capacity, the NHSRA 2020 will assess the strengths and vulnerabilities of Australia’s PPRR ecosystem. The NHSRA, led by DMTC, is supported by the Defence Science and Technology Group through its Next Generation Technologies Fund. Multiple government agency stakeholders were consulted in the development of the NHSRA and will derive strategic insight and direction from the results including:

Department of Defence
Department of Health
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Department of Industry, Science, Energy, and Resources
Department of Home Affairs
Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

UK DEFENCE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITIES

UK DASA is running some competitions!

Companies with an interest in applying can contact defence@austrade.gov.au

for further information and support.

Logistics = Right on Time

On behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), UK DASA is seeking to engage with industry and academia to identify, develop, and demonstrate to the military logistics community, innovations that have the potential to deliver a step change in military logistics capability across the Maritime, Land and Air domains.

The focus of this competition is on innovative autonomy and automation (including automation for additive manufacturing) for future Deployed Military Logistics Hubs. The primary aim is to inform future military user requirements pan-domain (Maritime, Land and Air), at this time, procurement of successful solutions or further development funding cannot be guaranteed. A total of £800k is available for this competition to fund multiple proposals, with projects showcasing their innovation at a demonstration event to be held in the UK during September 2021.

DASA are interested in technologies which can be progressed towards Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 within the time scale of this contract.

DASA encourages collaboration between organisations for this competition. To support this DASA have a short survey to collect details of those who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. If you are interested in a collaboration, please complete the survey and your details will be circulated among other potential suppliers who have completed the survey and are interested in collaborating.

Deadline for applications: midday GMT on Thursday 25th March 2021. For further information and to apply – visit this link.

Wireless Communications, Networking and Information

This competition is seeking proposals for innovative technologies to deliver information exchange capabilities that are resilient in a highly dynamic operating environment where there are significant challenges from congestion and contention (e.g. jamming). The following areas are of interest:

· novel communication techniques

· novel coding and modulation

· novel networking techniques

DASA are seeking proposals for novel capability in the fields of wireless communications, networking and information theory. Proposals can be based on novel ideas within existing communications standards and defence networks, or for completely new approaches to transmitting information. Proposals can target any of the domains of defence (including Air, Land and Maritime) communications capability; however, proposals should be focussed on deployed scenarios, rather than fixed communications infrastructure, such as data centres.

This competition seeks innovations to demonstrate information exchange capabilities that are resilient to the challenges of the deployed military environment - often referred to as a congested and contested environment. DASA are interested in innovations that will reach Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of between 3 and 6, at the end of the Phase 1 competition. £500k is available for this Phase 1 DASA competition. There is no upper limit per proposal for this competition, but DASA are expecting to fund around 5 to 10 proposals to complete before the end of February 2022.

Deadline for applications: midday BST on Wednesday 7 April 2021. For further information and to apply – visit this link.

Companies with an interest in applying can also contact defence@austrade.gov.au
for further information and support.

The Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program - Sustainment Grants

This grant program provides Australian businesses with funding to develop new or improved capabilities to win work in the sustainment phase of the Joint Strike Fighter Program.

The grant opportunity is to support Assigned-Product Support Providers (A-PSPs) to develop and implement their approved Depot Maintenance Activation Plan (DMAP). Through their plan they'll become a Qualified F-35 Component Depot Source of Repair (DSOR) for maintenance and repair activities for existing components used in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Grants from $50,000 up to $250,000 are available to fund up to 50% of eligible project expenditure for phase 1 and 2. Phase 3 and 4 funding will be determined by the Department of Defence in accordance with the amount outlined in applicants supporting business cases.

The program details are available on the BGA website, including program guidelines with button below.

In the first of many local packages to be offered throughout the life of the 50-year program, these specialised pieces of equipment include the steering gear system, weapons handling system and main shaft line, and will support hundreds of Australian jobs.

Naval Group has officially launched its first ‘Local Manufacturing Package’ expression of interest (EOI) to Australian industry – part of a package expected to be worth almost $900 million, with the company also opening its office at Port Adelaide.

Army Robotics Exposition 2021 (ARX 2021)ARX 2021 will be held at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre on 20 April 2021 in conjunction with the Chief of Army Symposium 2021, which begins the day prior.

The ARX 2021 program will include: verbal presentations from the main stage, static displays and physical demonstrations of ground and air based robotic systems within a designated demonstration area. The event will be promoted through defence media channels and provides an excellent opportunity to build networks within Defence. The Deed of Participation terms (within these CFS Terms) will govern the Applicants’ participation at ARX 2021.

ARX 2021 is open to Defence personnel, Defence contractors, invited guests, Defence invited media. Invitations will be extended to the senior representatives from across technology and innovation groups within Defence.

There is no attendance entry fee for ARX 2021. Successful applicants will be required to self-fund all travel, freight and demonstration costs of their technology for the purposes of ARX 2021 in line with the Deed of Participation.