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 budget for 2022-23, announced on 29 March, will be $48.6 billion, including $1.6 billion for the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD). The budget will rise in the out years, according to the Defence Portfolio Budget Statement, to $51.6, $53.5…
The Australian Government has announced Australia’s first-ever national space mission as part of its 2022-23 Budget. The figures disclosed on 29 March include $1.16 billion out to 2038-39 and $38.5 million per annum thereafter for the first phase of a…
Adelaide-based Fleet Space Technologies has launched GeoSphere, a first-of-its-kind system that combines wireless Geodes, intelligent cloud processing and a constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellites to discover critical resources up to 100 times faster than traditional methods. The GeoSphere…
Cutting-edge Australian companies and research centres participating in Indo Pacific 2022 are invited to pitch their innovative ideas and technologies to the Australian and international community at PitchFest This is your chance to present your new products and R&D projects…
The Australian department of Defence has issued a request for Information (RFI) on Test and Evaluation (T&E), demonstrating its commitment to work with industry to develop key sovereign Defence capabilities. Defence in late-2020 recognised that test, evaluation, certification and systems…
The Adelaide-based Defence Innovation Hub, in collaboration with the Australian Army is seeking innovative Submissions from industry for a Special Notice relating to ‘Tactical Logistics Uncrewed Aerial Systems for the Land Force’. This will include exhibiting at Army Innovation Day…
Aerospace engineering business Hypersonix Launch Systems together with the University of Southern Queensland, LSM Advanced Composites and New South Wales-based Romar Engineering, have been awarded a $2.95 million Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grant from the Federal Government. The project,…
The Federal department of Industry Science Energy and Resources (DISER) has awarded more than $32 million in grants to 13 industry-led joint research projects under round 12 of the Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) initiative. These grants will help…
The Australian Department of Industry Science Energy and Resources (DISER) has awarded a $52 million grant to the Australian Space Manufacturing Network (ASMN) under the Collaboration Stream of the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative. The grant will help to co-fund…
Elbit Systems of Australia, or ELSA, has made use of the hiatus caused by the controversy over its Battle Management System (BMS) for the Australian Army to reinvent itself as a thoroughly Australian company. Gregor Ferguson At the launch…
