FLAIM Systems, which makes virtual reality-based technology for training firefighters, has announced a $6.7 million Series A round, led by the Victorian government investment vehicle Breakthrough Victoria. FLAIM was established in 2019 to migrate technology from Deakin University in fields including virtual reality and haptics into a new company, and has since achieved sales to…
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The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has celebrated the successful sign off on $2 billion in funding since its establishment on July 1, 2012. On December 5, 2022, 10 projects started with ARENA committing a total of just over $48 million, taking the sum of all ARENA funding to $2.04 billion. While it’s not possible…
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Wide Open Agriculture has progressed site selection for its commercial scale factory to manufacture buntine protein derived from sweet lupin. The company told investors this followed positive feedback from potential partners and sales prospects for the product’s versatility as a food ingredient in multiple high value food categories. CEO Jay Albany said the company had…
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The federal government has announced approximately $3.2 million in matched funding to six defence industry SMEs. The grants came through two programs, Defence Global Competitiveness and Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority. According to industry minister Pat Conroy, the grants would help provide “the opportunity to deliver cutting-edge manufacturing and maintenance capabilities” to the Australian Defence Force…
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Group 6 Metals and Fortescue Future Industries have announced a non-binding memorandum of understanding, enabling the pair to explore using renewable energy, heat energy and hydrogen at the Dolphin Tungsten Mine on King Island, Tasmania. Group 6 is currently redeveloping the mine, which it owns 100 per cent of, and which has been closed since…
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By Peter Roberts The federal government’s big promise to manufacturers at last year’s election, the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund will become a reality after the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation Bill passed the Senate last night. The National Reconstruction Fund is seen by the government as a key part of ensuring Australia is a country…
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The federal government and rail industry stakeholders have signed an agreement to standardise rail systems and bring Australia’s rail network into the 21st century. The Australian and Victorian governments and the Australasian Railway Association on behalf of rail industry leaders signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to make rail more competitive and interoperable across Australia. The…
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Australia lacks the hydrogen skills and training capabilities it needs to achieve its newly-legislated carbon reduction targets, according to new research by Swinburne University of Technology’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2). Over the long term, delivering education and training through registered organisations can protect workers transitioning into the hydrogen economy from being locked out of the…
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Apprentice numbers on the rise The latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show there were 402,245 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 30 September 2022, 14 per cent higher than at the same time in 2021. The figures, in the report Apprentices and trainees 2022: September quarter, also show apprentice…
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By Sam John, The University of Melbourne Since it was founded in 2016, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface (BCI) company Neuralink has had its moments in biotech news. Whether it was the time Musk promised his “link” would let people communicate telepathically, or when the whole company was under investigation for potentially violating the Animal Welfare…
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