Defence Trailblazer is pleased to announce that following a successful showcase in early 2025, that DTECH is returning on Tuesday 24 March 2026. DTECH26 will celebrate Defence Trailblazer’s achievements and impact in bolstering national security, developing disruptive new technologies and upskilling the current and future defence industry workforce.
Associate Professor Steven Wiederman is an interdisciplinary researcher working across the fields of sensory neuroscience, computational neuroscience and autonomous systems. “Over my entire research career, I have worked within defence collaborations," says Associate Professor Wiederman, who heads the Visual Physiology and Neurobotics Laboratory at the University of Adelaide.
The research program provides a comprehensive evaluation of Defence Trailblazer (DTB) projects and initiatives, focusing on how they have effectively supported the identification and removal of collaboration barriers. Led by a dedicated research team, the study draws on national and international models, data collection and benchmarking, and in-depth interviews with DTB staff, university staff, and industry partners.
Defence Trailblazer is proud to announce the latest cohort of innovators joining our Incubation programs for 2025/26. These companies represent the cutting edge of Australian defence technology, each tackling critical capability gaps with bold ideas and technical excellence. Click through to meet the innovators...
We’re thrilled to celebrate a major milestone in our Combat Systems Engineering Micro-credentials program: our first cohort has completed their professional upskilling journey with 15 learners, over half the cohort, successfully finishing all six micro-credentials. That’s more than 300 hours of university-level study completed alongside demanding professional roles, which is an incredible achievement in lifelong learning and defence capability development.
Australian ocean robotics company Hullbot has raised USD $10.6 million (AUD $16 million) to accelerate the global rollout of its autonomous ship-cleaning systems.
Northrop Grumman celebrates the successful completion of the proof-of-concept phase of its Hollow Core Optical Fibre project, delivered in partnership with the University of Adelaide and supported by funding from Defence Trailblazer's Technology Development & Acceleration portfolio.
Defence Trailblazer hosted its final Commercialisation & Collaboration Masterclass for 2025 in Sydney on 29 October, bringing together university researchers, PhD candidates, and professional staff for a dynamic half-day session. The event focused on the practical realities of commercialising university research and building effective collaborations with industry.