Latest Defence News from ADA-Vic

Hi there,

We are very excited to be hosting the Annual Golf & Networking Day on Friday the 25th of June this year.

ADA-Vic continues to stand at the forefront of advocacy to the Government and Defence stakeholders every week, on behalf of Members.

If you're still scratching your head wondering how to engage with and gain traction in the Defence Supply Chain, start attending our events and please get in touch today via info@australiandefencealliance.org.au so that we can point you in the right direction.

Next Generation Trams Project

In November 2020, the Victorian Government announced $1.48 billion to purchase 100 accessible, energy efficient Next Generation Trams and land for a future tram maintenance facility.

You’re invited to learn more about this exciting new project, and how your business can get involved, at this Department of Transport (DoT) online event.

Be the first to hear about upcoming opportunities on the Next Generation Trams project and get an update on Victoria’s pipeline of rolling stock initiatives, opportunities, and challenges.
Speakers include:

Ben Phyland, Head of Rolling Stock Development, DoT
Richard McConville, Next Generation Trams Project A/Director, DoT
Jill Walsh, Victorian Rail Advocate
Dianne Smith, CEO, Industry Capability Network

Event details

Title: Rolling Stock Industry Webinar – Introducing the Next Generation Trams project
Date: Tuesday 20 April 2021
Time: 4.00pm - 5.15pm
Location: Online - we will be in touch to provide details to access the event.

Participation in this event is by invitation only. Please register before 5pm, Monday 19 April to secure your place.

REGISTER NOW

Defence National Manufacturing
Priority road map released

The Goals

2 years: Manufacturers are investing more in addressing Defence priority capabilities and other market opportunities have improved their linkages within the defence ecosystem.

5 years: Greater manufacturing capability and increased participation in defence supply chains by Australian businesses. Smaller manufacturers are scaling up, creating the underrepresented ‘middle’ of the defence industry.

10 years: More Australian businesses are contributing to local and international defence supply chains, while more Australian innovation and intellectual property is contributing to products supplied to the ADF and other markets.

For the website with more details see more here

From Defence

The Hon Peter Dutton has been appointed as the new Minister for Defence
The Hon Mellissa Price has now been promoted to the Cabinet, more here
Priority Sovereign Industry Capabilities & Grants, Minister for Defence Industry Announcement, more here
Defence funds 40 engineering scholarships at RMIT and QUT to support the national naval shipbuilding enterprise, more here
The Commonwealth Government releases the Naval Shipbuilding Training and Upskilling Program to provide pathways into the naval shipbuilding industry, more here
Defence has committed to procuring an additional three Loyal Wingman aircraft, securing 33 jobs in Victoria, more here
Defence will conduct a review of the Global Supply Chain program. The terms of reference are being developed
The Commonwealth Government has reached agreement with Naval Group that it will spend 60 percent of the contract value in Australia over the life of the program, more here

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

Other News

Latest News from CDIC can be found here
BAE Systems Australia is awarded a 5-year contract with Defence for the Nulka decoy system. This will secure 60 jobs in Victoria, more here
Team Redback completes integration testing of its active protection systems and the SPIKE LR2 missile, more here

ICN understand the challenges faced not only by businesses but all of the people affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 1 April 2021 for a three-month period ICN will provide all active Victorian businesses on ICN Gateway with an automatic upgrade to our Be Seen subscription. This means your company profile will now appear in public searches and Be Seen on ICN Gateway.

ICN has been integral in the delivery of many government programs designed to support SME’s in Australia and New Zealand. Our Industry Advisers are on the ground ready to assist. They work on both sides of the supply chain, and are deeply knowledgeable about local industry and opportunities.

Both ICN and the Victorian government is committed to getting as many people back to work as quickly as possible with stimulus packages and shovel ready projects. These projects will be integral to our economic recovery and ICN wishes to ensure as many Victorian businesses as possible can Be Seen to procurers and project managers.

NOTE: Companies who do not have an active subscription and have subscribed to ICN Gateway who wish to become active again are eligible for the free upgrade. In order to be automatically upgraded, please login to your company profile before 1 April 2021.

Eligibility
To be eligible for these offers your company primary location MUST be in Victoria.

Any Questions?

More information about projects available in your region and other helpful documents are available here.

If you have any questions you can call us on (03) 9864 6700 to speak to an Industry Adviser or email info@icnvic.org.au.

The Victorian Government’s Defence Capture Team is building a better defence.vic.gov.au website. To help do this, the Defence Capture Team has engaged Squiz Australia to undertake two separate activities to ensure the new website meets the needs of its users. Please note, you may opt to participate in one or both of these activities.

The Defence Capture Team is seeking participants for:

User Interviews

To learn more about the day-to-day needs of its users and make the website more useful, the Defence Capture Team via Squiz Australia is seeking participants for 1:1 online usability interview. The interviews will help the Team understand more about how you use the site, which will help them determine what types of features and improvements should be considered.

The online session will take about 60 minutes to complete. You will need a computer with a working microphone, ideally a working camera, and an internet connection. At the session, which will be conducted remotely, they’ll ask you some questions relating to the website – there are no right or wrong answers to these, and don’t worry, you will remain anonymous. Your answers will only be used to help improve the website.

To participate in this process and schedule an appointment with a consultant from Squiz, please contact Ellie Hughes, Defence Capture Team via ellie.hughes@ecodev.vic.gov.au and nominate your preferred availability.

Tree Jack Testing Study

The Defence Capture Team is also seeking participants for a short study to ensure the improvements to the new site structure are on the right track and make sense. This is referred to as Tree Jack testing.
The study will involve a series of questions about where you would expect to find content on the website. Your response will inform development of the new defence.vic.gov.au website structure.
If you agree to participate in this study, you’ll be asked to complete several short tasks via an easy-to-use online research website. The tasks are planned to take 5 to 10 minutes to complete and there are no right or wrong answers.

If this interests you or you have any questions, please contact Ellie Hughes via ellie.hughes@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

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 address here
Web address here

DSI Hazardous Agent Challenge
(DSI-HAC)

Between $50,000 and $500,000 are available per project to support collaborative projects of 6 - 18 months' duration.

DSI is calling for proposals in support of a $1M initiative to advance the development of prototypes for enhanced resilience against chemical and biological threats.

The DSI Hazardous Agent Challenge (DSI-HAC) has been designed to support national collaboration to assist with the formation of multidisciplinary teams, and is open to industry and academia from across Australia.

Industry and academia from across Australia are invited to submit proposals for projects which will support the development of prototype solutions to enable the ADF to respond faster, more flexibly and more resiliently to chemical and biological threats and achieve enhanced situational awareness in contaminated environments for prolonged periods of time.

Funded by Defence through the Next Generation Technologies Fund (NGTF) and the Operating in CBRN Environments (OCE) STaR Shot, the initiative leverages NGTF priority themes in Advanced Sensors and Enhanced Human Performance to support the development of prototype demonstrators in the following areas:

Sensing (Wearable Sensors and Deployed Surveillance): Novel sensor technologies and heterogeneous sensor networks for early detection of chemical or biological threats or accurate characterisation of low concentrations of toxic industrial chemicals at large standoff distances.

Warfighter Resilience: The translation of data gathered from non-invasive wearables into actionable insights that would enhance the warfighter’s ability to predict and extend their capacity to perform their mission under OCE threats and stresses.

The last day for submission of proposals is Wednesday, 12 May 2021.

More information on how to apply can be found here

RMIT - HAPS Challenge
(High Altitude Pseudo Satellites)

The HAPS Challenge aims to energise local Australian development of key technologies and to ensure Australian sovereign HAPS that have accurate station-keeping capability or long endurance capacity needed to allow deployment over an area of operations for a period of days to weeks.

Trusted Autonomous Systems, SmartSat CRC, and RAAF Air Warfare Centre in association with SLWDAC at RMIT invites Australian companies to enter the High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Challenge. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to our national capability.

Phase 1 Submission Due Date = 24th May 2021

Phase 1 Shortlist for Phase 2 completed = 25th June 2021

Phase 2 Commencement = 28th June 2021

Phase 2 Submission Due Date = 8th October 2021

Phase 2 Shortlist for Phase 3 completed = 12th November 2021

Phase 3 Commencement = 15th November 2021

Phase 3 completion and demonstration = 20th May 2022

More information on how to enter can be found here

US DEFENCE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITIES

US Defense - Spectrum and Wireless Monitoring System (SWiM), deadline 02 April, more here
DARPA - Artificial Intelligence Exploration (AIE) Opportunity – Hybrid AI Protect of Open Source Code (SocialCyber), deadline 06 April, more here
DARPA – Low Temperature Logic Technology (LTLT), deadline 06 April, more here
US DARPA – Perceptually-enabled Task Guidance (PTG), deadline 14 May, more here

Companies with an interest in applying can also email, contact here
for further information and support.

UK DEFENCE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITIES

UK DASA is running some competitions!

Wireless Communications, Networking and Information

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.

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.

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 email, contact here
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.