STA: Discussion papers suggest SERD unfortunately overlooks discovery

The federal government’s Strategic Examination of R&D (SERD) process “has lost its way”, lobby group Science & Technology Australia (STA) has said, following a release of six issues papers from the SERD panel. According to a statement from STA on Wednesday, the “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to build a more complex, innovation-based economy has instead failed on…

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Foundations laid for Australia’s first liquid hydrogen flight test programs AMSL Aero and Stralis Aircraft, two Australian companies that are developing hydrogen-powered aircraft, have successfully registered a family of liquid hydrogen tanks. According to a statement from AMSL Aero on Monday, the tanks will be used for refuelling and enabling zero-emission flights, are known as “Dewar vessels”, and…

Deriving data from dreamers

Less than two weeks before our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards event at Cockle Bay Wharf, we profile another of the standout candidates. Brent Balinski speaks to Sleeptite founder Cameron van den Dungen about an eight-year quest to develop what’s been described as “a bed that watches you sleep”. Sleeptite did not set out…

“Connector of commercialisation” named new President of STA

The joint lead in a RMIT University team on Functional Materials and Microsystems, researcher Professor Sharath Sriram (pictured), has been appointed as the new President of Science & Technology Australia. In a statement from STA lauding the materials scientist and engineer as a “Visionary ‘connector of commercialisation’ and research rockstar”, STA said Sriram possessed an…