SMEs awarded $3.6 million in first round of new defence capability grants program

Grants totalling $3.6 million have been awarded to 12 SMEs under the first round of the Industry Competitive Evaluation Research Agreement (ICERA) initiative.

ICERA was announced last August and budgeted at $36 million over six years. Grants are worth up to $300,000 per proposal and support contributions “to Defence’s innovation agenda” with monetary support coming from Defence’s Next Generation Technologies Fund. Projects run for up to 18 months.

Six of the 22 grants recipients were focussed on “creating innovative cyber security capabilities,” said defence industry minister Melissa Price. 

Twelve ICERA program partners are below, and the “remaining ICERA outcomes will be announced as arrangements are finalised.”

“I am particularly pleased to announce that two of these initial ICERA partnerships are with businesses new to Defence,” Price added.

There are three priority tiers for proposals, with cyber security at the top.

The second tier includes Enhanced Human Performance; Integrated Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; Medical Countermeasure Products; and Trusted Autonomous Systems. The third tier is made up of Advanced Sensors; Directed Energy Capabilities; Multidisciplinary Material Sciences; Quantum Technologies and Space Capabilities.

Picture: www.dst.defence.gov.au

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ICERA first round grant recipients (source: www.minister.defence.gov.au)

CYBER SECURITY 

• Breakaway Consulting Pty Ltd, NSW
• InfoSect, ACT
• Insight Via Artificial Intelligence, SA
• Jaywick Group Pty Ltd, NSW
• Mentum Systems, ACT
• Spinlock Security, NSW

ADVANCED SENSORS 

• Critus, NSW

ENHANCED HUMAN PERFORMANCE 

• Quantitative, NSW
• Biosensis, SA

INTEGRATED INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE & RECONNAISSANCE 

• Fivecast Pty Ltd, SA
• Safran Electronics & Defence Australasia Pty Ltd (SEDA), NSW

QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES 

• Cryoclock, SA