News

Unlocking AUKUS Pillar II will need more than BAU

Technology advancement is critical, but it is not the only essential ingredient for the success of AUKUS Pillar II. Without progress on two unheralded ‘functional’ areas – information sharing...

BluGlass raises $4.3m to scale laser diode production

Semiconductor tech developer BluGlass has raised $4.3 million from institutional and sophisticated investors to scale production, just weeks after making the first sale of its gallium nitride distributed feedback...

SQC appoints ex-ARM chief as chair, fills govt board vacancy

Silicon Quantum Computing has appointed Simon Segars, the former chief executive of British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings, as the new chair of its board. Mr Segars...

Venture capitalists are backing a ‘steroid Olympics’: Really.

For many, elite sport is the quintessential human endeavour. It drives ferocious competition, captures unconditional tribal loyalty, and rewards the victors with fame and fortune. As the Olympic motto...

Export control reforms threaten our fabless chipmakers

Proposed reforms to defence export controls pose a threat to Australia’s competitiveness in the global semiconductor industry and could ultimately push fabless chipmakers with local operations to move offshore....

The NRF: An industry champion or a rent seeker’s delight?

The appointment of former Macquarie Bank executive Ivan Power as chief executive of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) was a low-key affair. Relative to the months-long anticipation of who...

Gig guide: WA minerals chief to lead $1.8bn innovation fund

Rebecca Tomkinson, the chief executive of the Western Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy is the new chair of the state government’s $1.8 billion Future Health Research and Innovation...

Additional $50m for BioMedTech commercialisation program

Digital health accelerator ANDHealth and biomedical commercialisation fund Brandon BioCatalyst have been awarded $50 million to launch another round of their CUREator+ BioMedTech program to support commercialisation and translation...

Ghost Bat production is shaped toward potential exports

The federal government has dropped an additional $400 million on its ‘Ghost Bat’ collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to secure three working prototypes of a next-generation ‘Block Two’ version of...

The tech projects most at risk across Canberra

A handful of digital projects underway across the federal government have been revealed as being at risk of major issues by the Digital Transformation Agency’s first public disclosure of...

NSW summit gets underway ahead of policy blueprint

An eclectic group of more than 75 innovation leaders from across academia, business, startups and venture capital will meet at New South Wales Parliament House on Friday for an...

Cheap and cheerful ways to make the RDTI sing

Sandy Plunkett’s excellent article in Monday’s edition of InnovationAus.com, ‘Money for nothing: Australia’s dismal R&D performance‘, provided much food for thought as to what the federal government might focus...

ACMA flags new misinformation metrics for Big Tech

Australia’s communications regulator is developing a new set of metrics to boost visibility of the actions social media giants like Meta and TikTok are taking to combat harmful misinformation...

Govt adds critical minerals link to NAIF mandate

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility’s investment mandate has been updated to tie it more closely to the government’s critical minerals strategy, emissions reduction targets, and ambition to become a...