Lockheed Martin Australia has released a new set of R&D topics for the Future Submarine Combat System Programme. Up to $75,000 will be provided to successful projects with potential funding available for up to $1 million in Stage 2. Lockheed Martin Australia has partnered with with the Department of Defence and Naval Group Australia to…
The Lion brewery and dairy business, the latest large manufacturer to be hit by a cyber attack, is still rebooting production and experiencing empty supply chains a week after suffering a cyber attack. The maker of XXX and Little Creatures beer said in an update: “There is still some way to go before we can…
Scientists at the Australian National University have demonstrated the direct production of hydrogen within solar PV cells, a development that could potentially bring down the cost of renewable hydrogen production. Thirteen researchers, led by Siva Krishna Karuturi and Heping Shen published their results in a paper in Advanced Energy Journal titled “Over 17% Efficiency Stand‐Alone…
Biotechnology group CSL has bought Vitaeris Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company commercialising a treatment for rejection in solid organ kidney transplant patients. The Vancouver, Canada based company has been in partnership with CSL since 2017 developing clazakizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) monoclonal antibody (MAB), for the potential treatment of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), the leading…
Welding technology developer K-TIG is to work with Bisalloy Steels and Axiom Precision Manufacturing to develop specialist welding capabilities for the defence sector. The three companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a sovereign capability in the efficient and effective welding of specialist steels. Their target is to maximise Australian participation in…
Ballistic armour manufacturer Xtek has secured loan funding to allow the expansion of its ballistic helmet manufacturing facility in Adelaide. The company secured a $2.5 million loan from the Commonwealth Bank which will be used to install commercial scale preform presses needed before the company’s proprietary XTclave composite materials curing and consolidation process. The process…
The federal government is calling for information from companies which are utilising PFAS chemicals or have considered or tried alternatives. The PFAS taskforce of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has written to industry groups seeking information on PFAS use as part of consultations on a National PFAS Position Statement. The current statewent…
A just-completed maintenance operation on HMAS Armidale (pictured) has illustrated the extent of SME involvement in supporting the Australian defence forces. Defence minister Melissa Price today announced Armidale had undocked in Cairns after undergoing a $5 million servicing and restoration project at the Norship shipyard. More than 200 critical tasks were carried out by Norship…
New figures show the apprenticeship and trainee system was continuing its long-term slump even before the Covid-19 pandemic which has put a spanner in the works of training plans across industry. The figures for the December quarter, 2019 from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), show apprenticeship and traineeship commencements down a massive…
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell says small businesses will play a critical role in the post COVID economic recovery, calling on the federal government to establish a small business procurement panel. The panel, proposed in ASBFEO’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan, would require Government contracts with a value of up to $10…
