Business involvement to the fore in new Trailblazer programme

While the university sector has dominated news of those to benefit from the federal government’s Trailblazer Universities Program, industry involvement is becoming increasingly obvious and transformational. iLAUNCH hub, involving the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), the Australian National University (ANU) and UniSA, has now revealed details of industry research partnerships to be funded under the…

Wrightbus and Volgren to produce hydrogen-electric buses

Australia’s largest bus body manufacturer Volgren has signed a technology deal to bring the UK’s Wrightbus’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrain to Australia. The two companies will manufacture two zero-emission hydrogen single deck buses which will be the first European-Australian hydrogen combination in the country. They hope the vehicles will demonstrative an alternative to battery electric…

USQ-led space manufacturing hub awarded $50 million Trailblazer grant

A University of Southern Queensland-led hub focussed on space manufacturing has been awarded $50 million through the federal government’s Trailblazer program. The grant, announced on Monday, is the latest through the Trailblazer program, which aims to strengthen commercialisation among universities and focusses on the federal government’s six National Manufacturing Priority sectors. The USQ-led initiative, named…

Three businesses from a single entrepreneurial company get federal grants

The federal government has simultaneously given grants to three start up companies that are subsidiaries of a single publicly listed company. PPK Group announced today that three of its subsidiaries had secured grants under the government’s Trailblazer University Program as part of Geelong’s Deakin University Renewable Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH): Lithium sulphur battery technology company…

Austal could build modules for US, Australian nuclear submarines

By Peter Roberts Perth international shipbuilder Austal could build modules for future nuclear-powered submarines in a move to speed up construction of the US nuclear fleet, and at the same time enabling Australia to access N-subs earlier than previously expected under the Aukus pact. According to a report in the authoritative janes.com, to maintain a…

Election 22 the real issues – industry policy by bureaucrats or consultants

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today with a critical assessment of industry policy, and the role of multi-national company consultants. Here Lance Worrall and Glenn Downey look at the policy advice challenge Whichever coloured ties and scarves (blue or red) forms the majority of the House…

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Clinical trials begin for Australian developed Covid-19 vaccines Clinical human trials have begun on subjects in Melbourne to test the effectiveness and safety of two Melbourne-developed Covid-19 vaccines. The traditional protein-based vaccine was developed by the Doherty Institute, while a mRNA vaccine was developed by Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Melbourne’s IDT Australia manufactured the…