Thirty-five new industry partners are on a mission to accelerate defence innovation and strengthen our national security by joining forces with the Defence Trailblazer program.

The $240 million Defence Trailblazer program will focus on building defence workforce capabilities and co-designing multi-domain solutions for the Australian Defence Force.

The program is a strategic partnership between the University of Adelaide and UNSW Sydney, with support for the Australian Government’s Department of Education.

Of the fifty partners that expressed interest when the Defence Traiblazer program was announced in April 2022, thirty-five have now signed contracts.

Diraq is among the first group of partners which include industry leaders Boeing Defence Australia, CAE Australia, Cisco, Lockheed Martin Australia, Northrop Grumman Australia, SAAB Australia and Thales, along with a diverse mix of SMEs and start-up companies including Elysium EPL, Flawless Photonics, Greenroom Robotics, HB11, QuantX, Silentium Defence, SRC Australia and Viden.

“We are thrilled to announce our newly joined partners who have been instrumental in shaping activities for our Workforce and R&D programs in which they will participate,” said Defence Trailblazer Executive Director, Dr Sanjay Mazumdar.

“Together, we are committed to solving the toughest challenges facing our national security through workforce upskilling and translating innovative ideas into products and services for the ADF.

“Working with industry partners to spearhead faster innovation cycles will be key to the success of the program in meeting the challenges of a rapidly evolving threat landscape.”

Innovation is at the core CAE Australia’s business operations and solution design. The Defence Trailblazer partner delivers leading-edge training and operational support for the defence sector.  

“Innovation is not a choice, but a strategic imperative for our industry to proactively address the evolving needs of defence and delivering at a point of need and time” said Matthew Sibree, Managing Director Indo-Pacific, CAE Defence & Security.

“CAE Australia is honoured to participate in the Defence Trailblazer program. Together with our program partners, we can accelerate the implementation of training technologies to enhance the mission preparedness, safety and performance of our personnel - our most critical asset in defence capability.”

Key focus areas for the program are quantum technologies, defensive hypersonics and countermeasures, robotics, autonomous systems and AI (RAS-AI), defence space technologies, cyber and information warfare (IW).

Developing innovative systems to combat cyber threats and mitigate the risk of disinformation by adversaries will be central to how conflicts are fought and won in the future. 

Elysium EPL is a key industry player in developing leading-edge information solutions for the defence sector.  

“Information is increasingly being used as a form of power, and this is an opportunity for Australia to cement itself as a world leader in building business capability to leverage information and protect against the misuse of it,” said Elysium EPL Director, Anthony Allen.

“Elysium EPL is excited to be partnering with Defence Trailblazer to pioneer the development of practical tools that will support Australian businesses and our national defences in the age of information warfare.”

Along with Elysium EPL and CAE, each of the Defence Trailblazer partners bring unique capabilities and know-how to deliver across the key priority needs of the ADF.

Diraq CEO and founder, Andrew Dzurak said “Diraq is thrilled to announce our involvement as an industry partner to the Quantum Materials, Technologies & Computing stream of the Defence Trailblazer initiative – a groundbreaking collaboration between the University of Adelaide, UNSW Sydney, and the Australian Government Department of Education.”

“Quantum computing is revolutionising the way important computational challenges are solved. In partnering with Defence Trailblazer, Diraq is uniquely positioned to accelerate the momentum of current R&D programs and to pioneer transformative approaches in the Defence sector. Our alliance is a testament to our mutual dedication to driving innovation, creating new frontiers in the process.”

“Together, we’re charting a bold new course, aiming to endow our defence systems with Sovereign Capability, bolstered by the computational power quantum computing offers. Our vision extends beyond creating innovative technology, but also fostering job growth, and promoting an ecosystem with a workforce culture focused innovation. Together, we’re on a path to redefine what’s possible and enhance defence capabilities through the power of quantum computing.”

The full list of newly signed industry partners and an overview of how they will be participating in the program is available on the Defence Trailblazer website: www.dtb.solutions

The Defence Trailblazer program will officially launch on the Friday 21 July at the National Wine Centre, Adelaide.