Author: Brandon How

September 10, 2024

Additional accountability gets Teals onboard with FMiA

The Teal independents have backed the Future Made in Australia bill after the government adopted some of their proposed amendments to improve transparency and accountability for funding decisions. The backing helped the landmark legislation sail through the House of Representatives on Monday, but a showdown looms in the Senate later this week. The amendments enable…

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September 9, 2024

CSIRO set to close only US-based office

CSIRO’s United States subsidiary will be shuttered later this year, according to the national science agency’s latest corporate plan, as the extent of its massive enterprise services restructure continues to emerge. The 2024 corporate plan reveals that the office, registered in Delaware as an operating entity for commercialisation less than eight years ago, “will close…

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September 9, 2024

SafetyCulture banks another $75m as valuation takes a hit

Workplace software unicorn SafetyCulture secured $75 million in new capital through its latest funding round, which has valued the Sydney-based company at $200 million less than last year. SafetyCulture plans to use the new funding to continue developing software tools for larger enterprise customers, as well as accelerate its adoption of AI and reward long-time…

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September 6, 2024

Gig Guide: Equatorial Launch poaches Hypersonix talent

Equatorial Launch Australia’s new head of business development is Nina Patz, who leaves Hypersonix Launch Systems after more than three and a half years. Ms Patz moves to the Northern Territory-based spaceport operator as it prepares to launch a rocket made by South Korean manufacturer Innospace in mid-2025. During Ms Patz’s stint at Hypersonix, the…

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September 6, 2024

Harrison.ai’s new model beats GenAI giants

Sydney-based Harrison.ai has launched a new AI model to help radiologists analyse and interpret their patients’ x-rays, proving twice as effective as major large language models. On Thursday, the company launched Harrison.rad.1, which can generate specialised reports based on a particular patient’s context and clinical history and enables radiologists to ask open-ended questions about x-ray…

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September 5, 2024

WA commits $30m to entice VC funds

The Western Australian government on Thursday announced it will invest $30 million into venture capital funds looking to set up in the state if they support local startups in priority sectors. The ‘fund of funds’ model, revealed by InnovationAus.com last month, will back venture capital (VC) funds that can attract $2 dollars of private investment…

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September 5, 2024

Shorten quits politics to lead University of Canberra

Bill Shorten will retire from politics after a 17-year parliamentary career, calling time on championing effective and responsible digital government services to become the University of Canberra’s next vice-chancellor. Mr Shorten will begin his new role in February and will remain in Cabinet as Government Services and NDIS minister overseeing two of the most digitally…

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September 4, 2024

$2 million funding boost for local game developers

Screen Australia has announced support for the development of 39 video games through a fresh $2 million injection into independent projects, a funding package that includes support for games in pre-production as well as gaming festivals. All but four of the supported projects are being developed for PC, with a handful also targeting gaming consoles….

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September 4, 2024

Rocket motor maker relaunches with Go1 co-founder backing

Australian solid rocket motor manufacturer Black Sky Industries has rebranded and launched test and manufacturing facilities in Queensland with backing from the co-founder of edtech unicorn Go1. The firm, formerly Black Sky Aerospace, is the only Australian-owned developer and supplier of solid rocket propellant and rocket motors for defence industry. It also provides assembly services…

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September 3, 2024

Australia’s first high purity alumina facility breaks ground

Construction on Australia’s first commercial-scale high purity alumina facility is underway, with first production expected in the second half of 2026. High purity alumina, which must consist of more than 99.99 per cent aluminium oxide, can be used in the production of semiconductors and lithium-ion batteries, making it a key input to the global energy…

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September 3, 2024

WA-backed wave energy prototype set for launch

A locally-manufactured prototype wave energy converter will be deployed off the coast of Western Australia later this month in a bid to demonstrate the ocean’s potential as a source of renewable energy. More than three years in the making, the project led by the University of Western Australia’s Marine Energy Research Centre with funding support…

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September 2, 2024

$550m in Solar Sunshot grants unlocked

The federal government’s $1 billion program to build supply chain resilience in solar panel manufacturing has opened to applications amid a political storm over its economic merits. The first $550 million in grants and production credits opened over the weekend, mainly targeting commercial-scale manufacturing of solar photovoltaic modules, cells, framing and solar glass. The program…

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September 2, 2024

MTPConnect secures $28.5m for MedTech accelerator

A $28.5 million commercialisation boost will soon be available to MedTechs fighting heart disease and diabetes under the latest round of a Medical Research Future Fund program. The second round of the Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA), which focuses on commercialising novel therapeutics and devices for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, will be run by former…

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September 2, 2024

MTPConnect secures $28.5m for MedTech accelerator

A $28.5 million commercialisation boost will soon be available to MedTechs fighting heart disease and diabetes under the latest round of a Medical Research Future Fund program. The second round of the Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA), which focuses on commercialising novel therapeutics and devices for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, will be run by former…

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August 30, 2024

Gig Guide: Former ServicesAus boss joins ATO review

Former Services Australia chief executive Rebecca Skinner has been brought in to help deliver the Australian Taxation Office’s first capability review in a decade. Ms Skinner, who stepped down from the Services Australia in September 2023, will undertake the review alongside Nigel Ray, a former Treasury deputy secretary. Mr Ray was appointed Australia’s executive director to…

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August 29, 2024

UniAdelaide breakthrough draws 6G era closer

The world is one step closer to 6G communications and ultra fast data transfers following a breakthrough in silicon chip technology led by researchers at the University of Adelaide. Published in the academic journal Laser and Photonic Reviews on Friday, the researchers used a silicon base to set a record in the use of ultra-wideband…

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August 29, 2024

Local tech sector buoyed by ‘aggressive’ Defence digital plan

“Aggressive” is how industry describes Defence’s ambition to phase out legacy IT systems by 2027 under a fresh digital strategy. But a new level of clarity in the department’s plan is also sparking confidence among potential suppliers. The strategy was unveiled to industry at the Defence Digital Industry Forum on Tuesday. This was followed by…

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August 28, 2024

Defence plans to phase out legacy IT by 2027

Defence will mostly phase out its legacy IT system by 2027 under a new digital strategy that will also see the department adopt a cloud-only approach. The three-year strategy and roadmap, released on Wednesday, outlines Defence’s plan to deliver “best-in-class global platforms supported by best-in-class sovereign capability”, including for its Single Information Environment (SIE). It…

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August 27, 2024

New cyber industry advisory board incoming

A cybersecurity industry advisory board will be appointed in the coming months to support the delivery of the Commonwealth Cyber Uplift Plan, according to the National Cybersecurity Coordinator. Lieutenant General Michelle McGuiness on Tuesday said the advisory board will be made up of “large providers” that already support the government’s cybersecurity operations and uplift plan,…

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August 27, 2024

WA govt eyes new business data sharing model

The Western Australian government is considering ways to leverage independent organisations to boost private sector data sharing under a new strategy aimed at scaling digital industries and technology adoption. Innovation and Digital Economy minister Stephen Dawson launched the state’s first Digital Industries Acceleration Strategy on Tuesday, detailing new government actions across five priority areas but…

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August 26, 2024

Defence supply chain program skews to a handful of SMEs

Fewer than a dozen companies secured most of the benefit under Defence’s Global Supply Chain Program in its first 15 years, according to an independent review kept under wraps since 2021. The review, obtained by InnovationAus.com, found that just 11 of the 218 participating SMEs had secured more than half of the contracts signed through…

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August 26, 2024

Drone traffic system to come online next year

Drone traffic will be monitored through a long-awaited flight management system from end of next year, as the Airservices Australia gets to work rolling out the new capability. The federal government’s Aviation White Paper, released on Monday, confirms the new Flight Information Management System (FIMS) will go live in late 2025, enabling existing air traffic…

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August 23, 2024

Gig Guide: ASD chief set to step down

Australian Signals Directorate chief Rachel Noble is set to stand down after almost five years in the role, with her successor expected to be announced by the federal government in the coming days. Abigail Bradshaw, the current head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), is reportedly the front-runner to replace Ms Noble, who also…

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August 23, 2024

Net zero authority legislated despite Coalition resistance

Regional CleanTech and manufacturing investment will be coordinated through a single federal government agency after legislation to create the Net Zero Economy Authority passed the Senate. The bill passed after months of debate on Thursday, with the Greens and independents securing two amendments that add a statutory review and adjust the board’s minimum member count…

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August 22, 2024

A Bretton Woods for content takedowns? eSafety thinks so

A Bretton Woods-like system for overseeing the takedown of harmful digital online content could fill the gap if the United States fails to crack down on the social media giants. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who has struggled to get Elon Musk’s X to pay fines after it closed its Australian office, raised the model…

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August 22, 2024

Green metals advisory panel appointed

A seven-member advisory group has been set up by the federal government to advise on industry policy for decarobonising iron, steel, alumina and aluminium production. The board, which met with Industry and Science minister Ed Husic for the first time on Thursday, is made up of representatives from industry groups, unions, cooperative research centres and…

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August 21, 2024

ASCA buys 300 sovereign drones under $6.6m challenge

Budding Australian drone manufacturers AMSL Aero, Boresight and Grabba Technologies have shared $6.6 million in Defence production contracts following the success of their prototypes under the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s first challenge. The three local manufacturers have each signed a $2.2 million contract to produce 100 general purpose drones under the next stage of ASCA’s)Sovereign…

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August 21, 2024

OAIC won’t pursue Clearview AI further on privacy breach

Australia’s privacy watchdog will not probe facial recognition company Clearview AI again despite remaining questions over whether it failed to comply with orders issued to it following breaches of the Privacy Act. Clearview AI was ordered by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to stop non-consensually harvesting images of people in Australia and delete…

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August 20, 2024

Defence accelerator clocks one year at top speed

The Defence Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator is firing on all cylinders, according to its head Professor Emily Hilder, who says she is “surprised” by how much work her small team has chewed through in just over a year. As the accelerator moves into its second year of operations, Professor Hilder told InnovationAus.com that work on…

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August 20, 2024

Brain-computer interface startup Synchron nears key milestone

Melbourne-founded brain-computer interface company Synchron is expecting to complete its early feasibility study by the end of this year, but will need more capital to secure regulatory approval in the United States. As the COMMAND study wraps up, the company is also in the final planning stages for a subsequent pivotal trial. This is the…

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