Funding Part of Next Generation Technologies Fund

Australian Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne, speaking on Australian radio this week, has revealed that the Defence department has invested A$2.5 million in the ‘Data 61’ initiative managed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The funding, which is part of the Next Generation Technologies Fund (NGTF), will be managed by CSIRO, which will disburse funds to other bodies including the Universities of South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Sydney and Melbourne, Australian National University, Deakin University and Swinburne University of Technology. Together, the community will pursue cyber security research with an emphasis on developing cyber resilience and countermeasures.

NGTF is a 10-year strategic R&D programme aimed at delivering what the Minister called, “game-changing capabilities for the Australian Defence Force of the future.”