The Defence Innovation Network is investing $1,000,000 to develop next-generation prototypes in Electronic Warfare and Drone Navigation & Situational Awareness.
Background
The DIN Strategic Investment Initiative is designed to bring together the best research minds across NSW and ACT universities to tackle Defence’s most pressing technology challenges.
The Initiative aims to produce working prototypes, ready for demonstration as a new integrated defence capability. Successful prototypes are expected to open clear pathways to commercialisation, attract the attention of Defence partners and industry, and unlock significant further investment.
Topic
This call invites proposals scoped within the following problem statements:
- Distributed Electronic Warfare At The Tactical Edge: Passive Sensing-First For Agile & Jam‑Resilient Uas Threats ($500,000 per project, delivery within 12-18 months)
- Low‑Cost, Resilient Multi‑Modal Onboard Navigation And Situational Awareness For High‑Speed Unmanned Aerial Systems In GPS-Denied Environments ($250,000 per project, delivery within 6-9 months)
Eligibility
Eligible organisations
Proposals must demonstrate genuine multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration, led by a DIN member university with substantive contributions from at least two DIN universities in total.
Individual researchers
All project participants must be citizens of the Five Eyes Alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States) or NATO member countries.
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed against four key criteria:
- Vision, Ambition & Innovation
- Leadership & Team Quality
- Impact
- The commitment of collaborators.
How to apply
Researchers interested in participating are encouraged to contact DIN early to register their interest, indicating which problem statement they wish to apply for.
Completed proposals must be submitted electronically by 5 pm, 1 June 2026 to info@defenceinnovationnetwork.com.
Timeline
20 Apr 2026 Call for Proposal
01 Jun 2026 Applications due date
Jun 2026 Technical Review Panel Assessment
01 Jul 2026 DIN Steering Committee Approval
06 Jul 2026 Result Announcement
Jul-Sep 2026 Contracting
1 Oct 2026 Project start
