By Peter Mullner, Boise State University Many modern devices – from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines – rely on strong magnets made from a type of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and the United States has moved toward renewable energy,…
Sparc Hydrogen and the University of Adelaide were awarded $2.75 million under the Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Innovate program, with the grant to support activities around the company’s photocatalytic water splitting (PWS) reactor technology at Roseworthy, South Australia. In a statement, ASX-listed graphene business Sparc Technologies – which is part of the Sparc Hydrogen joint…
Alister Haigh, the CEO of the Haigh’s Chocolates confectionery dynasty, retired from the role on Friday after 30 years. According to an article on the Australian Industry Group (of which Haigh’s is a member) website, Haigh will be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Peter Millard, who will be the first non-Haigh family CEO in the…
The next round of Australia’s Economic Accelerator Ignite and Innovate grants will open on July 23, “making an additional $150 million available” to university projects moving research towards commercialisation, the federal government has announced. The grants administered by AEA support researcher-led projects that are at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 – 5 (via Ignite) or…
The federal government has granted Major Project Status to two large-scale, renewable energy-related projects – the Northern Silica Project and Bonaparte Carbon Capture and Storage Project – and renewed that status for two others. According to a statement from industry minister Tim Ayres on Thursday, Northern Silica (located north of Cairns) will produce “3 to…
Arafura vessel commissioned The Royal Australian Navy commissioned the first of six Arafura class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) at Fremantle, Western Australia, on Saturday. According to a statement from Defence, the OPVs (built by Luerssen Australia, which is owned by Civmec as of Wednesday) will improve the “ability to contribute to maritime patrol, response and…
Henderson, Western Australia-based construction and engineering firm Civmec has confirmed the completed acquisition of all shares in Luerssen Australia, the local subsidiary of NVL (Naval Vessels Lürssen.) The $20 million deal was completed on Wednesday. Civmec said in an ASX statement that it will consolidate its role in local naval shipbuilding “by bringing Luerssen Australia’s…
The Queensland government says it will establish a new Manufacturing Hub in Toowoomba, following a funding allocation of $10 million in last week’s state budget. No opening date was given in the update on Tuesday. The statement from manufacturing minister Dale Last said the Toowoomba hub will “soon begin working with local manufacturers to strengthen…
A new book published by the Acton Institute for Policy Research and Innovation confronts the persistent failure of successive Australian governments to deliver a coherent, long-term innovation policy. In Thinking in Public: Australia’s Missing Innovation Policy—Will it Ever Be Found?, author John H. Howard, a leading figure in Australian innovation and public policy circles for…
SGH has announced that Boral CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal will step down, with the transition to a new leader at SGH’s building products division expected “in early 2026”. SGH, formerly known as Seven Group Holdings, said on Tuesday that it had worked with Bansal on “a structured succession to ensure a smooth leadership transition”. …