Seven WA small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have secured significant backing through the AUKUS SME Readiness Fund, positioning local industry to enhance capability, lift competitiveness, and pursue high‑value opportunities within AUKUS supply chains.
Matrix Composites and Engineering, FSC Civils, Terral 5 Technologies, Murlaw, Mig-Co Engineering, Kanyana Engineering, and Rollwell Engineering are the successful recipients of the grant funding. The businesses represent a diverse cross‑section of Western Australia’s defence industry and have demonstrated strong capability and readiness to engage in AUKUS supply chains.
The funding will help them enhance their technical capability, capacity, and credentials to participate in Australian, United States, and United Kingdom defence markets. This includes emerging opportunities linked to the industrial base supporting Australia’s nuclear‑powered submarine enterprise and that of AUKUS trilateral partners.
The 2025 grant round was delivered through the $2 million AUKUS SME Readiness Fund – a four-year program offering matched grants of up to $100,000 to help WA SMEs invest in the skills, systems, and processes needed to strengthen their capability and competitiveness in AUKUS supply chains.
The inaugural round attracted 36 applications from across the State, with the volume and quality of submissions exceeding available funding and underscoring the strength, depth, and growing competitiveness of WA’s SME defence sector. The AUKUS SME Readiness Fund was designed in line with the Made in WA Plan, to broaden the number of WA businesses able to access AUKUS Pillar I and Pillar II opportunities, while strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the State’s defence industrial base.
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