• Unit patch worn by Australian Army officer Major Jason Perkins, Staff Officer, Strategic Plans and Operations Integration Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Directorate, Headquarters Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit: Defence
    Unit patch worn by Australian Army officer Major Jason Perkins, Staff Officer, Strategic Plans and Operations Integration Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Directorate, Headquarters Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit: Defence
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First Grand Challenge to counter improvised threats

27 April 2017
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A key element of the Government's $730 million Next Generation Technologies Fund will seek submissions over the next month on proposals to develop innovative solutions to defeat improvised threats.

Grand Challenges are highly complex defence problems which defy conventional solutions and require cross-disciplinary research across institutional and national boundaries.

 

“[This] is a complex and tough problem that can only be solved through a collaborative effort involving multi-disciplinary research”

 

The Grand Challenge (GC) program will see strategic investment in a limited number of large-scale, mission-focused projects with clearly defined end goals; for the Counter Improvised Threats GC $10 million has been set aside.

Participation by academic institutions, publicly funded research agencies and defence industry is essential to ensure optimal outcome delivery and the GC program aims to bring small agile companies, including start-ups, larger companies and academic researchers working alongside DST Group scientists.

The first Grand Challenge recognises that unconventional threats are constantly evolving and have morphed beyond improvised explosive devices.

 Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said the widespread availability of low-cost, sophisticated technology is enabling our adversaries to deploy a diverse and ever-evolving range of improvised threats.

“Defeating improvised threats without casualties is a complex and tough problem that can only be solved through a collaborative effort involving multi-disciplinary research,” he said.

All GC projects are mission-focused with clearly-defined end goals. The program is risk tolerant to promote innovation recognising that some outcomes may not be in line with initial expectations.

A series of information sessions on the Grand Challenges program will be held in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in the week commencing 4 May 2017 with submissions for the program closing as soon as 26 May 2017.

Proposals for the Grand Challenge are to be submitted through the Defence Innovation Portal where further information is available.

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