Three Australian innovators have been named winners of the LAND FORCES 2021 Innovation Awards. Their success was announced this morning at a special online event hosted by the organiser of LAND FORCES 2021, AMDA Foundation Limited.
The winners include a South Australian SME that has developed the world’s first mobile, lightweight X-Ray machine; another SME with operations in Victoria and the Northern Territory that has developed a battlefield 3D printing system to shorten the Army’s supply chain; and a young researcher in Melbourne who has led the development of computer models to predict how the armour on military vehicles will behave under the onslaught of an IED or land mine.
The LAND FORCES 2021 Innovation Awards attracted a record 45 entries from Australian companies and young researchers. In recognition of their efforts, and to reinforce its commitment to the growth of Australia’s defence SME sector, AMDA Foundation Limited has reinstated the $15,000 cash component to the SME Innovation Award.
The Awards, including the two cheques for $15,000, will be presented at 10.45 on Thursday 3 June, during the Innovation and Technology for the Future Force Conference at LAND FORCES 2021 venue, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC).
The winners are:
- LAND FORCES 2021 National Innovation Award: Micro-X (SA)
- LAND FORCES 2021 Defence SME Innovation Award ($15,000): SPEE3D (Victoria and the NT))
- LAND FORCES 2021 Young Innovator Award ($15,000): Dr Brodie McDonald (Victoria)
In addition, four Award contenders won a High Commendation:
- LAND FORCES 2021 National Innovation Award HIGH COMMENDATION: DefendTex (Victoria)
- LAND FORCES 2021 Defence SME Innovation Award HIGH COMMENDATION: Milspec Manufacturing Pty Limited (New South Wales)
- Land Forces 2021 Young Innovator Award HIGH COMMENDATION: Mr Harry Veivers, DMTC Limited (Queensland); and Mr McKay Whight, Cyborg Dynamics Engineering (Queensland)
The Innovation Awards were created by AMDA Foundation Limited and presented for the first time at the 2013 AVALON Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition. Since then, some $395,000-worth of SME Innovation Grants and Young Innovator Awards have been presented. Today that total climbs to $425,000.
“Our Innovation Awards are designed to recognise and reward the achievements of innovative Australian companies and individuals. They’re still the only Awards of their kind and have become increasingly prestigious,” said LAND FORCES 2021 CEO Ian Honnery. “The quality of the entries received this year are a reflection of both the excellence and ambition of Australian companies serving the country’s defence market,” Honnery added. “They also reflect the increasing attention paid by the industry to export opportunities: a number of the entries are already very active in overseas markets.”
All of the LAND FORCES 2021 Innovation Award winners will be presented with engraved glass trophies, designed and made by Wathaurong Glass Arts, an indigenously owned and managed cooperative in Geelong. In addition, the winners of the SME Innovation Award and Young Innovator Award will be presented with a cheque for $15,000 each. “These monetary Awards are designed as rewards for their efforts and as a financial contribution to further innovation and the development of professional skills,” said Honnery.
AMDA Foundation Limited is an Australian not-for-profit corporation established to promote the development of aviation and Australia’s industrial, manufacturing and information/communications technology resources in the fields of aviation, aerospace, maritime, defence and security. “That the awards have been won by such high-quality candidates speaks for the growing depth and capability of Australia’s growing industry and defence innovation ecosystem,” Honnery added.
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