Defence invests $6.6m in developing drone technology

Three Australian companies have signed contracts worth a total of $6.6 million to develop and produce 100 drones for Defence as part of an innovation challenge. The contracts are the latest stage of the Sovereign Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Challenge being managed by Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA). AMSL Aero, Boresight and Grabba Technologies were…

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Australia won’t have ‘green steel’ to itself. Africa is poised to become a global hub

By Charlie Huang, RMIT University Australia is at the forefront of efforts to turn steelmaking green. Earlier this year Australian iron ore producers Rio Tinto teamed up with Australian steelmaker BlueScope to develop “near-zero emission-intensity” pathways for making steel from Pilbara iron ore. Renewable electricity and hydrogen would replace coking coal. Iron ore miner Fortescue…

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BLS makes Australia’s first GMP-certified cannabis gummies

Bioxyne has announced that it has made and supplied the nation’s first pharmaceutical-grade cannabis gummies, in what it calls “a significant milestone for Australian pharmaceutical manufacturing”. The gummies (or pastilles) were made under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification from the Therapeutic Goods Administration by Bioxyne’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Breathe Life Sciences.  BLS received deposits on purchase…

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Federal government gives approval to SunCable’s NT solar farm project

The federal government has given environmental approval for the first stage of SunCable’s Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPL) project in the Northern Territory, which is planned as the nation’s biggest solar farm and a potential exporter of electricity to Singapore. There were “strict conditions to protect nature” attached to the approval, according to a statement from…

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CRC collaborative R&D speeds decarbonisation

The economic value of government investment in collaborative research has again been shown in an authoritative new report – this time in meeting Australia’s net zero ambitions. The report, from consultants ACIL Allen, analysed 13 Cooperative Research Centres’ (CRCs) direct and indirect contributions to Australia’s decarbonisation efforts. The Mapping and Quantification of CRCs’ Work on…

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Towards 3% R&D e-book available now – BDO experts call for cut in red tape

@AuManufacturing’s new report on its editorial series Towards 3% – turbocharging Australia’s innovation efforts has hit a nerve with readers (you can download the free e-book below). Here @AuManufacturing sat down with Ryan Pollett and Nicola Purser from public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory BDO, to understand the importance of the series and report.…

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Diraq solid state quantum processor achieves fidelity benchmark

Quantum computing processor developer Diraq has successfully demonstrated consistent and repeatable operation with above 99 percent fidelity of two-qubit gates in its SiMOS (silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor) quantum dot platform. The technical breakthrough in producing workable quantum computing chips was detailed in a study: Assessment of the errors of high-fidelity two-qubit gates in silicon quantum dots published…

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