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 Defence Innovation Hub, in collaboration with the Australian Army, is seeking innovative Submissions from industry for a Special Notice relating to ‘Counter Robotic and Autonomous Systems for the Land Force’. Successful submissions will be exhibited at Army Innovation Day…
Defence has signed contracts worth $1.746 million with the University of South Australia and Deakin University for two research projects which will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to process noisy and dynamic data into information that will give military decision makers…
Adelaide-based SME Inovor technologies is preparing for a busy 2023 says CEO Dr Matt Tetlow. The company is teamed with Lockheed Martin Australia on Defence’s Military Satellite Communications program, Joint Project 9102, which should be decided this month or next,…
US company Sabrewing used AVALON 2023 to conduct a ‘soft launch’ of its Rhaegal family of Uncrewed Air Vehicles (UAV). More than 190 of its Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs have been ordered by Arabian Development and Marketing Company…
Innovation Pitchfest judge Geoff Thomas with Best Aerospace Innovation winner, Mr Henry Bilinsky, MicroTau. Image: AMDA Foundation Limited The AVALON 2023 Conference Centre had standing room only for the Innovation Pitchfest on 1 March at which three pitches were awarded…
In a first for the Avalon Innovation Awards, presented on the first day of AVALON 2023, both the National and the SME Innovation Awards were won by the same company. Melbourne-based 1MILLIKELVIN Pty Limited was named winner of both the…
Melbourne-based SYPAQ Systems is delivering its Corvo™ Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS) drones to the Ukrainian Armed Forces thanks to investment from the Department of Defence,. Following the announcement in July 2022 that Defence would be providing further funds to…
Thales Australia and Swinburne University of Technology’s Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the development of new operational concepts to advance R&D opportunities and support evolving aviation concepts including Advanced Air Mobility…
Swinburne University of Technology’s Aerostructures Innovation and Research Hub, or AIR Hub, will work collaboratively with Latrobe City Council to co-design the future of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). The partnership, announced at Avalon 2023 by Latrobe City Council Mayor Ms…
Speaking at the Innovation Pitchfest and exhibiting an amphibian Cessna C-208 fitted with battery pods are just some of the things Swinburne University of Technology’s first Founder In Residence did at AVALON 2023. As Swinburne’s inaugural Founder In Residence, Dovetail Electric Aviation Business Operations Manager…
