Next Generation Technologies Fund - Small Business Innovation Research for Defence - Call for Applications

Small Business Innovation Research for Defence (SBIRD)

SBIRD is a program for research projects designed to be undertaken by the Australian Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector of the community (including University start-ups) under one of the Next Generation Technologies Fund themes. SBIRD is an opportunity for SMEs to become involved in Defence research projects at an early stage, leveraging their creativity and innovative thinking to explore alternative approaches to Defence S&T problems.

Call for Proposals – A Joint Effort: Integrating Advanced Materials onto Military Platforms - Stage 2

This parallel Australia and United Kingdom funded research topic will be managed by the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and funded in Australia by the Small Business Innovation Research for Defence (SBIRD), part of the Next Generation Technologies Fund. We seek proposals from Australian, New Zealand and British Industry and Academia on the topic of novel methods for the integration of advanced materials onto military platforms. It is envisaged that Stage 2 proposals will start at around TRL 2-4 and increase.

This document outlines the requirements for Australian and New Zealand applicants only. Joint bids between Australian and the UK should contact DASA at [email hidden] to determine the best route.

This topic seeks innovative technologies that will help to expedite the insertion of advanced materials into platforms, through innovations in joining technologies. SBIRD and DASA are seeking proposals that will deliver innovations in joining technology to enable the use of advanced materials on military platforms. Innovations should address the challenging demands of the defence environment and must therefore:

• Improve the durability of structures and joints to reduce failure and maintainability issues;

• Enable new design choices to be made for future military platforms to maintain a capability advantage;

• Provide new routes to create and manage joints across the life-cycle of a military platform.

A collaborative approach with multiple parties is desirable in Stage 2.

The initial funding pool of up to A$1,000,000 is expected to fund 3 to 5 proposals. The cost to SBIRD per Australian or New Zealand proposal should be in the range of $200k - $350K.