The Defence Innovation Hub has awarded $15 million in new grants to ten Australian SMEs, focusing on quantum sensing, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems. The funding round is part of a broader push to fast-track 'asymmetric' technologies into service.
One of the major recipients, a Sydney-based quantum startup, received $3.2 million to develop a portable gravity sensor for underground bunker detection. Another grant went to a Perth firm developing AI swarming algorithms for drone fleets.
'Innovation is our combat advantage,' said the Head of Defence Innovation. 'We are investing in the ideas that will define the future battlefield.' The Hub has streamlined its application process, reducing the time from proposal to contract from 9 months to just 12 weeks.