Defence Trailblazer hosted a University-Industry Masterclass in Adelaide on 24 September, bringing together researchers, PhD candidates, and professional staff. The half-day session focused on the practical realities of commercialising university research and building effective collaborations with industry. Held in person, the event fostered open dialogue and shared learning across disciplines and career stages.
A Defence Trailblazer collaborative project with Space Machines Company and the University of Adelaide’s AI for Space Group has reached a major milestone, building Australia’s first orbital robotics testbed at its state-of-the-art space simulation facilities at the University of Adelaide.
UndaTech has signed a project agreement to test high-performance, fire-resistant undergarments tailored to the needs of female Defence personnel, supported by the Defence’s Trailblazer’s Technology Development & Acceleration program.
“These garments are designed to mitigate health risks for women in frontline roles,” said UndaTech Founder and ADF veteran Emily Pyke.
SmartSat CRC has launched its E-SPARC (Event-based Sensing Payload for Autonomous Rendezvous Control) project, supported by funding from Defence Trailblazer. The project is a collaboration between SmartSat CRC, the AI for Space Group at the University of Adelaide, Infinity Avionics and Blackswan Space.
UNSW PhD student Richard Rademacher is applying his skills and Defence experience to the growing quantum computing industry. His PhD project with industry partner Diraq aims to expand knowledge of modelling and simulation of silicon spin qubit quantum computers.
Australian cybersecurity firm Bluerydge has successfully demonstrated its sovereign artificial intelligence chatbot in a collaborative project with UNSW Canberra, supported by funding from Defence Trailblazer.
Designed for use in secure and disconnected environments, SierraBlue is a custom large language model (LLM) purpose-built to support Defence and other sensitive sectors with mission-ready AI capability.
The University of Adelaide has been named as a winner in the Financial Review Higher Education Awards’ Research Commercialisation category for its partnership with QuantX Labs.
Defence Trailblazer hosted the Entrepreneurial Foundations for Defence (EFD) 2025 Showcase featured 20 early-stage ventures from across the country, spotlighting the innovators behind cutting-edge technologies with promising applications for Defence. Attendees experienced an impressive display of diversity and ingenuity across key areas such as energy, survivability, advanced materials, autonomous systems, surveillance, cyber technology, logistics, and training solutions.