On Monday 15 April 2019, the Honourable Karen Andrews, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology announced that the SmartSat CRC will be given Federal Government Funding to the value of $55 million through the Department of Industry, Science & Technology’s CRC program.
When combined with the $190 million investment from 84 partners, the SmartSat CRC will be the biggest investment in space industry R&D in our history and is set to meet the Australian Space Agency’s goal of lifting Australia’s space industry to $12 billion, generating an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030.
Minister Andrews said the SmartSat CRC will “foster the creation of next-generation space technologies and professions, and make Australia more competitive in the US$350 billion global space economy”.
This is exciting news for all those who have been involved in the CRC to date. We would like to thank all our partners for their ongoing commitment to ensuring the success of the bid.
“This is one of the most exciting research collaborations ever forged in Australia and we look forward to working with an outstanding cohort to develop smart satellite and communications solutions for the future.
We are delighted to have such strong support from both government and industry in forging a really powerful network for space technology innovation.”
-Prof. David Lloyd, Vice Chancellor & President, UniSA