C4ISREW specialist DEWC Services has officially opened its new office at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra Launch on Northbourne, in a move set to deepen collaboration with the university and drive cutting-edge research to enhance Australia’s defence capabilities. DEWC Services is the latest defence industry collaborator to join a thriving ecosystem of defence, space and cyber companies, researchers and organisations at UNSW Canberra Launch.
The Launch community brings together industry, academia and government to foster innovation and build sovereign defence capabilities and technologies. It will be integrated into the Defence and Security Innovation Precinct, as part of the future UNSW Canberra City Campus, which is expected to open by 2028.
DEWC Services’ recent move into Launch strengthens the company’s partnership with UNSW, which has continued to grow since the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2023, affirming their commitment to jointly address high-priority defence research challenges.
DEWC Services CEO Allan Dundas said joining the Launch community was a strategic move that ensures closer proximity to the university’s researchers and other defence industry collaborators. “We are excited to be part of a collaborative and dynamic community that enables industry and researchers to come together to develop capabilities and solutions for Australia’s strategic Defence priorities,” Dundas said.
Based at the company’s new office, DEWC Services Canberra Lead Dr Aaron Matthews said the team was already working closely with researchers on high-priority areas such as digital engineering, cybersecurity and applying artificial intelligence (AI) to the challenges of Defence missions.
“UNSW Canberra is one of Australia’s leading centres for defence and security capability research and being co-located with specialist researchers provides more opportunities to work closely on technical research projects,” Dr Matthews said. “One of the areas of research we have been focusing on is digital engineering, using computer simulations to assess the performance of equipment in operational environments to deliver them into service more rapidly and with less rework. Decision support simulation can also be used to empower warfighters to make accurate and rapid decisions at an operational level when they are on the battlefield or conducting military exercises. We are also leveraging the university’s research expertise across cyber security, AI and advanced technologies to deepen our understanding and explore how we can develop new models and apply them to the operational needs of Defence.”
Dr Matthews said the company will translate the research into marketable capability and software solutions that Defence could use to enhance battle management systems and programs, such as Land 4140 Army communications system, P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Navy’s in development Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessel.
As part of the partnership between DEWC Services and UNSW, there are also plans in the pipeline to create work-integrated learning opportunities for university students and graduates studying in the areas of engineering, technology and other defence aligned capabilities.