Innovation and R&D have always been the essential foundations of a strong, sustainable defence industry. Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper, Defence Industry Policy Statement (DIPS) and Defence Integrated Investment Program (DIIP) acknowledge the importance of successful Defence R&D and innovation to the nation’s defence industry and thus to Australian defence policy. The 2020 Defence Force Structure Plan reinforced these foundations.
EX2 was set up by Dr Gregor Ferguson, a defence industry and innovation analyst and consultant, to make a useful contribution in Australia’s new and welcoming defence business environment.
EX2 helps innovators in Defence, the research sector and industry, and especially SMEs, by providing news and insight about innovation in Defence and adjacent sectors such as space, aerospace and resources.
Gregor Ferguson writes, teaches, advises and runs a national program designed to encourage and reward innovators in the defence, aerospace and maritime domains in both industry and the research and academic communities.
View his bio here (PDF opens in new window).
Dr Gregor Ferguson, Ph.D, BA (Hons), MRAeS
The Australian government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund can now start investing in growing Australia’s industrial capabilities, says the Department of Industry. The Minister for Industry, Ed Husic, and the Finance Minister, Katy Gallagher, have published the National Reconstruction Fund…
Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) has released its first Approach to Market (ATM) for the Mission Program. Industry and research partners have been invited to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to help co-design and deliver ASCA’s first…
The Australian Government plans to unlock billions of dollars in investment and cut red tape for Australia’s Defence industry and its AUKUS partners with the introduction of the proposed Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023. At the time of writing the…
Lockheed Martin Australia and Australian industry partner Av-Comm has successfully completed the installation of the inaugural satellite dish for the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN) in Uralla, regional New South Wales. This marks a significant achievement for the SouthPAN project,…
BAE Systems’ Hunter-class Frigate Program has successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The review, which started in July, is a technical assessment that ensures the design is operationally effective and underpins the more detailed work that will now be…
The Australian government will support an additional 4,001 places at 16 Australian universities to help grow the skilled workforce required to deliver the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pathway. The Department of Education is investing $128 million to fund the extra university…
Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator, ASCA, is seeking white paper proposals as part of the Emerging and Disruptive Technologies Program (AusTender RFP ATM ID: ASCA-EDT-EXPLOR-2023). ASCA’s EDT program focuses on shaping and future-proofing the innovation ecosystem, through investment in long…
HMS Spey, sister ship to HMS Tamar. Image: Defence Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have conducted a combined exercise off the east coast of Australia testing autonomous undersea warfare capabilities. In the Integrated Battle Problem 23-3 exercise…
Sydney-based on-orbit services and logistics startup Space Machines Company (SMC) has used a suite of products from Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to design and build the Optimus Orbital Servicing Vehicle (OSV), one of the largest commercial spacecraft being…
French contender for the RAN’s autonomous minehunting Project SEA1905 Exail has launched a research internship partnership with South Australia’s Flinders University, focused on deepening understanding of maritime autonomy and robotics. The partnership, forged under the leadership of Exail’s Marine Data…
