Analysis by Peter Roberts It is now official. Australia now has the economic diversity and export profile of a typical third world nation. Our antipathy to value-adding activities such as manufacturing in favour of industries that require little more than digging it up and shipping it out, has left us dangerously dependent on quarrying. According…
Nerve regeneration company Orthocell (ASX: OCC) is one of two Australian biotech to announce good news in the past week. The Perth company reported positive interim clinical results for CelGro, its collagen-based structure used as a scaffold to help rebuild damaged peripheral nerves. Orthocell’s CelGro achieved positive results in studies of 12 patients at St…
Australia’s National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) launched with much fanfare in 2015 is winding down with projects and funding drying up. The latest casualty is CSIRO’s On Accelerator programme which is to be closed as NISA ‘expires’ on 30 June 2020. The ON programme aimed at supporting teams of researchers from publicly funded research…
Robotic technology venture Fastbrick is to build its first new homes using the Hadrian X bricklaying robot under a commercial deal with Summit Homes Group. Fastbrick, a joint venture between technology developer FBR (ASX: FBR) and brick manufacturer Brickworks (ASX: BKW), will commence a three-stage pilot building programme for the builder. It is the first…
Adelaide’s Flinders University has signed two agreements to provide research and advanced manufacturing technologies to the city’s expanding naval shipbuilders.
CSIRO, the Victorian government and industry partners have developed technology to allow home rooftop PV and battery systems to charge electric vehicles. The organisation teamed up with Nissan and Delta Electronics to overcome problems faced by home PV and battery systems, which can overheat and lose efficiency when charging an EV on hot days. Three…
High-speed welding technology developer K-TIG (ASX: KTG) has rejoined the Australian stock exchange after raising $7 million from investors. The company is commercialising a former CSIRO technology known as Keyhole TIG which operates at a fraction of the cost and time of conventional systems. The listing was a backdoor listing, involving the purchase of Serpantine…
The federal government has announced a number of naval defence industry contracts where work flows to SME technology companies and manufacturers. In separate announcements, defence industry minister Melissa Price revealed new contracts for the $50 billion Attack class submarines and a R&D grant to develop naval unmanned systems. Price announced: # Lockheed Martin had signed…
Comment by Peter Roberts Australians have a habit of clutching onto any small breakthrough or new development and labeling our country a global leader or somesuch in a particular field. One of the latest areas where we are supposed to lead is in the industrial internet of things, the linking together of masses of individual…
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Alexium International (ASX: AJX) is to debut new uses for its flame retardants in the bedding industry at an upcoming show in the United States. CEO Bob Brookins said products incorporating the company’s Alexicool fire retardant would be displayed at the upcoming Las Vegas bedding show. He said: “We are actively working…
