Six projects have secured nearly $900,000 in funding through the seventh round of the Defence Innovation Partnership’s Collaborative Research Fund (CRF).
This initiative fosters collaboration among the government, the university sector, and industry, acting as a catalyst for research, development, and innovation with relevance to defence, Defence Innovation Partnership said in a media release.
Defence SA’s Acting Chief Executive Reg Carruthers highlighted the consistently increasing quality of applications, emphasising the broad range of themes covered and the depth of research and industry expertise in South Australia.
“It is encouraging to see such close collaboration between South Australian researchers with Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) involvement across all projects,” he noted.
Carruthers continued, “The projects chosen focus on Defence priorities, so we are investing in research activities that address a specific need aimed at improving capability for our Defence Forces.”
The awarded projects cover areas such as mathematical modelling of conflict environments, MARL (Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning) performance improvement, evaluation of state uncertainty for space objects, cyber terrain mapping, and the development of pharmaceutical radiation protectants and mitigants.
The comprehensive roster of projects that have been granted funding up to $150,000 includes initiatives such as the development of sovereign manufacturing for reliable defence structures through 3D metal printing and structural health monitoring.
This project, spearheaded by the University of Adelaide in collaboration with Flinders University, DSTG, and AML3D, secured a CRF funding of $150,000.
Another initiative, focusing on mathematical modelling of a complex and contested conflict environment with an emphasis on the influence of logistics and resource transfer, is led by Flinders University in partnership with the University of South Australia and DSTG, receiving a CRF funding of $149,830.
Led by the University of Adelaide, the project titled “Warm Starts and Goal-based Heuristics to Improve MARL Performance in Advanced Distributed Defence” collaborates with the University of South Australia, DSTG, and DEWC Services, securing a CRF funding of $150,000.
The Evaluation of State Uncertainty for Resident Space Objects research is undertaken by Flinders University in association with the University of Adelaide, DSTG, and Lockheed Martin Australia, receiving a CRF funding of $150,000.
Additionally, the project “Cyber Terrain Mapping and Analysis of Operational Technology Networks,” led by Insight Via Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, and DSTG, secured a CRF funding of $147,128.
Meanwhile, the University of Adelaide leads a project in partnership with Flinders University, the University of South Australia, DSTG, and Plantworx Organics Pty Ltd., focusing on the development of a first-in-class pharmaceutical radiation protectant and mitigant, with a CRF funding of $150,000.
The CRF, now having funded 35 projects, reflects a total investment of approximately $5 million from the state government, complemented by contributions from the Commonwealth, industry, and universities.
The Defence Innovation Partnership, a collaboration between Defence SA, DSTG, and South Australia’s three public universities, continues to play a crucial role in advancing defence-related research and innovation in the region.
