Defence Trailblazer extends a sincere thank you to all attendees of DTECH26, which took place in Canberra on 24 March.
Our flagship event celebrated Defence Trailblazer’s achievements and impact in bolstering national security, developing disruptive new technologies and upskilling the current and future defence industry workforce.
In just over three years, Defence Trailblazer has:
- Established 277 industry-academic collaborations to strengthen Australia’s defence sovereign capabilities.
- Advanced 110+ technologies in key Defence priority areas.
- Upskilled 800 students and industry professionals,
- Empowered 355 innovators
In addition, economic consultancy ACIL Allen has estimated Defence Trailblazer will have a longer-term impact, boosting Australia’s GDP by $875 million and supporting 1,000 new jobs over the next two decades.
Capability Showcase
The DTECH Capability Showcase brought together parliamentarians, Defence leaders, industry innovators, and academia to connect and highlight groundbreaking advancements shaping the future of Defence capability.
With over 270 attendees, DTECH26 was even bigger than the inaugural event in 2025. 55 exhibitors gave demonstrations of breakthrough solutions from defence industry, giving attendees an exclusive preview of emerging capabilities from innovative defence SMEs.
The lively event presented many opportunities for networking and discussions on emerging capabilities with Parliamentarians, Defence and R&D thought leaders.
Operation Thesis
This year, Defence Trailblazer introduced an addition to the in-person showcase, Operation Thesis: a 60-minute online seminar spotlighting industry-sponsored research projects.
Five of our promising postgraduate student researchers virtually demonstrate their postgraduate research projects and how academic innovation is being translated into practical defence industry solutions that strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability.
The Operation Thesis event was the culmination of several weeks of intensive research communication training courtesy of Talent Academy, and a competitive heat to select the six finalists. On the morning of DTECH, the finalists presented their projects to an online audience and a panel of judges from Defence, industry and academics.
Lachlan Pointon from Adelaide University was awarded with the People’s Choice Award for their outstanding presentation. Congratulations to the winner, the finalists and all participating students on their professionalism and communications skills – the event showcased the depth of talent within our universities.
DTECH26 GALLERY
