Partnering options under the NGTF allow for choice and flexibility in scale and time to delivery – from ambitious 'Grand Challenges' to lean and focused technology acceleration. This allows Defence to engage a range of research partners, individually or in teams, from start-ups to primes and national research organisations.

Minister Price said, "The NGTF will contribute up to $6.6 million in funding and support for ideas and proposals from industry and academia to identify and pursue research, design and testing aspects of any sensor payload. Each proposal will be evaluated and assessed to determine the most appropriate funding mechanism and amounts that best facilitates working together on the resulting research activity."

The NGTF, managed by DST, is a new government initiative introduced with the Defence Industry Policy Statement in 2016. Together with the Defence Innovation Hub and the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, these three form the integrated Defence innovation system.

NGTF will make further investments worth approximately $1.2 billion over the next decade on a forward-looking program focusing on research and development in emerging and future technologies for the “future Defence force after next”.

NGTF is focused on the following nine priority areas:

• Integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance;
• Space capabilities;
• Enhanced human performance;
• Medical countermeasure products;
• Multi-disciplinary material sciences;
• Quantum technologies;
• Trusted autonomous systems;
• Cyber; and
• Advanced sensors, hypersonics and directed energy capabilities.

"This initiative is central to Defence’s Resilient Multi-mission Space Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Shot program, and the broader Defence Science and Technology strategy," Minister Price added. 

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Proposals are expected to span over a multi-year time frame, with progress assessed on an annual basis. The call for submissions will be released on AusTender in the first quarter of 2021.