Katherine Ziesing | Canberra
In the wake of the announcement of the first Innovation Hub investments , industry was given an update on how the Innovation Hub and Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC) are shaping up. The event saw a packed Adams Hall at ADFA in Canberra to hear about how the organisation is performing barely six months after its formation.
As many keen ADM readers know, the CDIC is the ‘front door’ to dealing with Defence and its plethora of industry programs. Programs such as RPDE, DSTG’s Capability Technology Demonstrator Program (CTD) and others are being rolled into the new framework. Staff from both RPDE and CTDs have now been rolled into the CDIC and both these brands will officially disappear from Defence come July 1.
The resources that the Hub provides will allow us to refine approaches and resources
Glen Alcock, Director of Assessment and Operations in the Innovation Hub and Brigadier Chris Mills, Director General Modernisation – Army explained how the Hub approaches industry in two ways.
“There are ongoing calls for submissions for good ideas along with targeted release of Special Notices through our website,” Alcock said.
In terms of assessing these, each application goes through a two stage assessment process where the initial idea is assessed to see if there is an appetite within the Defence organisation for the initial idea (no technical data at this point, just the idea) and if the idea passes this assessment, an RfP is issued. The RfP response is then assessed in a framework that includes suitability, feasibility, cost, organisational capacity to deliver, timeline and contribution to Australian Defence Industry. At all stages of the program, companies are able to speak with CDIC special adviser on their application for support or clarification navigating the process.
BRIG Mills also explained that the Army Innovation Day framework would be rolled into the Innovation Hub from 2017 onwards. Details of this event, usually held in Q4 in Canberra, will be released through the Innovation Hub’s Special Notices in the next 4-6 weeks.
“The resources that the Hub provides will allow us to refine approaches and resources,” BRIG Mills said when speaking on the contracting mechanisms that the organisation had previously used in this space.