The Defence Industry Growth & Resilience (DIGR) Program has supported 40 Defence Trailblazer industry partners with a total of $3 million grant funding to support $14.9 million worth of projects and activities. The program, which was finalised in the first quarter of 2026, supported businesses to scale and compete to deliver sovereign capability to the Australian Defence Force and potentially our allies.
Keryn Harris, DIGR Project Manager at Defence Trailblazer, said of the program: “DIGR was designed to uplift our industry partners, whether through scaling-up or increasing defence readiness, testing or validating their technologies, or creating workforce opportunities.”
DIGR supported projects or activities conducted through three streams: business uplift, technical and testing, and workforce connect. In the business uplift stream, businesses have used these grant funds to support projects such preparing export market strategies, cybersecurity initiatives, upgrading DISP membership, and R&D strategies.
Businesses successful in the technical and testing stream leveraged the funds for product development through further product testing and validation, which included the use of university equipment and facilities and the Proto-Lab Network.
Seven of the successful DIGR businesses have now employed nine new full-time equivalent staff as part of the workforce connect stream. This has resulted in a direct mobilisation of students and graduates from UNSW and Adelaide University, as well as veterans, into defence industry.
“We are proud to support the enterprise development of our industry partners, many of which have shared how the grants have helped with business growth, technology advancement, and workforce resources,” said Ms Harris.
Case study: DefenSight
DefenSight founder Dr Sonja Frölich
DefenSight is an AI-guided microscopy platform for biosecurity preparedness founded by Adelaide University academic Dr Sonja Frölich, a 2025 participant of Defence Trailblazer’s DINAMIC entrepreneurship program.
DefenSight received support from DIGR in both the business uplift and technical and testing streams, which helped the SME to gain its first defence-aligned commercial arrangement to provide imaging and analysis services to Adelaide University.
“DefenSight has secured its first commercial contract, marking an important milestone as we transition into full commercial operations,” said Dr Frölich.
“This milestone reflects growing demand for high-fidelity, sovereign imaging workflows that strengthen national preparedness and decision advantage. It signals that DefenSight is operational and ready to support new projects and collaborations.”
