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Defence Innovation Hub to focus on priority areas
From 1 July 2022, the Defence Innovation Hub is seeking submissions for innovative technologies in key priority areas: Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD); Undersea Warfare (USW); and Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO). The Hub will invest up to $10 million per key focus area over three years in the best proposals received from industry.
The first round of proposals is due on 31 August.
Most of the current Defence Innovation Hub processes will remain in being. Initial proposals will be evaluated and then the most promising will result in Requests for Proposal, leading to a contract to develop the innovation up to an agreed Technology Readiness Level (TRL).
The three key focus areas are a high priority for investment, said the Hub in a briefing to industry on 28 June. They are designed to stimulate innovative ideas in areas of strategic importance to Defence. However, the Hub will continue to evaluate proposals addressing the existing six major domains – Land, Sea, Air, Cyber, Joint and Enterprise – but proposals addressing these priorities will not be eligible for the key focus area funding.
At present, despite the Ministerial announcements about the GWEO capability earlier this year, the GWEO is not yet live, the Hub says.
In a process similar to that which applicants already follow, submissions aligned with a key focus area can be made through the Defence Innovation Hub portal by responding to the Priority Innovation Notice (PIN), Call for Submission.
In a two-stage process, the first stage requires applicants to provide a high-level overview of their idea. Defence has prepared a detailed scope of work for each key focus area to guide the thinking of applicants.
If the initial submission is successful, applicants will progress to stage two and be issued with Request for Proposal. Key focus area proposals will be grouped together for evaluation. This means all IAMD proposals will be evaluated together and all USW proposals will be evaluated together.
Evaluation outcomes for key focus area proposals are expected from early 2023, though this may be subject to change depending on the volume of submissions received, the Hub warns.
Key focus area submission and evaluation overview – IAMD and USW only
| Stage | Description | Timeframes |
| Stage 1: Call for Submission (CFS) | Submission of a high level summary of the innovation. | Lodge before 1400 (AEST), 31 August 2022 |
| If CFS is successful: | ||
| Stage 2: Request for Proposal (RFP) | Detailed proposal, 4-6 weeks to complete depending on maturity of your technology. | RFP start date based on individual tenderer notification.
Tenderers informed of the outcome of the RFP process from February 2023. |
| If RFP is successful: | ||
| Contract clarification | Tenderer and Hub agree on contract terms. | |
| Contract award | Contract officially executed and Hub project manager appointed. | February 2023 onwards |
| Project delivery | Varies depending on the nature of the contract |
The Hub states that potential applicants must read the Scope of Work for the IAMD and Undersea Warfare priority areas before working on an application, and it also provides a helpful reading list to inform applicants and guide their thinking.
The GWEO focus area is not yet live, the Hub says. More detailed information about the capabilities being sought for this focus area will be provided in due course. But potential applicants with an idea that aligns with a GWEO capability can still submit proposals at any time through the Hub’s PIN solicitation under the Defence Enterprise domain stream.
The Defence Innovation Hub stated that potential applicants, especially those that are new to the defence market, should speak to the Office of Defence Industry Support (ODIS) to learn how they might be able to assist.
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