Academic partner sought for space tech symposium

The Next Generation Technologies Fund (NGTF) is seeking an Australian academic partner to co-host a space technologies symposium as part of the Emerging and Disruptive Technology Assessment Symposium (EDTAS) series. 

The EDTAS on space technologies will bring together internationally recognised academic, industry and Defence leaders in a multidisciplinary workshop environment over two days to explore and shape the long-term vision for space technologies.

EDTAS will seek to understand Australia’s strategic needs, current technology capabilities and future technology development landscape and directions.

The symposium is to be held in the week beginning 4 March 2019 at a venue to be decided. The EDTAS academic partner must be a participant in the Defence Science Partnership program and must have established research programs in space capabilities.

The symposium will seek to understand Australia's strategic needs, current technology capabilities and future technology development landscape and directions. Research drivers, challenges and opportunities around the following four themes will be explored:

• Advanced space launch technologies; 
• Space sensors and communications technologies;
• Comprehensive space domain awareness; and
• Technologies supporting space capabilities. 

The academic partner will co-host the event, co-ordinate academic participation with internationally recognised leading researchers from institutions across Australia, and organise and sponsor a student innovation session aimed at potential concepts and ideas.

The academic partner must be a participant in the Defence Science Partnership program and must have established research programs in space capabilities. 

DST and NGTF have stated that the following would also be desirable from an academic partner:

• Access to high level conference facilities to cater for up to 100 participants in a cabaret-style format (essential);
• Identification of a thought leader at professorial level and a post-doctoral researcher to provide operational support in partnership with DST;
• Indicate how this EDTAS could tie into other space-related activities conducted by the university; and
• Appropriate nearby accommodation available for national and international guests.

The EDTAS series is a technology foresighting program under the NGTF. It is designed to consider an emerging science and technology topic that will likely have a major impact – transformational or disruptive – for the defence or national security domains in a 20-plus year timeframe.

Proposals are to be submitted by COB 9 November 2018. More information and to obtain an application pack for your institution is available here.

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