The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub is seeking $12 million in funding to establish a dedicated Defence Accelerator program that would best equip the Warfighter.
In a statement today, ARM Hub CEO Cori Stewart highlighted the need to fund a solution that would support Australia’s defence capability to be better protected, mobile, and connected.
The CEO also discussed the major hurdles faced by Australia’s manufacturing industry and small to medium-sized enterprises in terms of engaging with Defence.
“The Accelerator will enable emerging technology providers to develop, demonstrate, and scale-up delivery of innovative Defence solutions in a rapid development process, which is something we don’t have access to at this time,” Stewart said.
The Accelerator addresses key issues for SMEs that seek to work with Defence, such as the significant investment in time and resources required to meet Defence compliance, the lack of knowledge of Defence procurement and the Defence ecosystem; as well as the lack of a stable mechanism to form consortia to respond comprehensively to Defence tenders.
“The Accelerator would act as a focal point for a ‘whole-of-ecosystem’ approach to supporting Australian SMEs, and ultimately the Warfighter,” Stewart said.
Griffith Defence Network’s Professor Adam Findlay supported Stewart’s call to fund the Accelerator program in Queensland.
“Such an initiative would greatly increase the rate of technology adoption, and support the build-up of sovereign resilience, through actively promoting the uptake of world-leading Australian Industry Content into Defence,” Findlay said in the statement.
The Accelerator model would be ideal for next-generation technology that needs to be harnessed quickly in order to provide a battlefield advantage, according to Stewart.
“It’s not a silver bullet, but it does address some major inhibitors for Australian SME to participate in the Defence Industry,” she said.
“It will make the Defence Supply environment significantly less hostile to Australian SMEs and start-ups; increase sovereign manufacturing capability and Australian industry content; while also boosting capability overmatch.”
