Flinders partners with Blueforge Alliance on maritime defence research

Blueforge Alliance Australia (BFAA) and Flinders University have formalised an agreement to collaborate on maritime research and education programs in support of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Memorandum of Understanding opens partnership opportunities on the development and delivery of collaborative research, education, and workforce development programs supporting advanced manufacturing related to undersea platforms. The agreement will enable Flinders researchers to support programs that uplift supply chain capability while exploring workforce development for current and future students. BlueForge Alliance Australia, an Australian lead not-for-profit, is a strategic enabler for AUKUS, designed to partner across industry, government, and academia to uplift Australia’s sovereign submarine and maritime industrial base. The agreement was signed by Flinders University and BlueForge Alliance Australia during the Indo Pacific 2025 International Maritime Exposition. “Flinders University is internationally recognised as a leader in advanced manufacturing capability at our innovation campus at Tonsley in Adelaide, South Australia and is already supporting the naval shipbuilding industry through capability uplift, making us a natural academic partner for Blueforge Alliance in Australia,” said Flinders Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Raymond Chan. “This agreement reinforces our long-standing leadership in research and education that supports Australia’s current and future defence needs. It builds on our strength in advanced manufacturing at the Flinders’ Factory of the Future and innovative education programs, enabling an impactful partnership with Blueforge Alliance and its U.S partners.” The MoU between Flinders and BFAA builds on a separate agreement between BFAA and the South Australian Government to strengthen the AUKUS workforce. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]