Rumour Control is a defence innovation consultancy based in Sydney, Australia.
Rumour Control hosts the EX2 website which offers insight, news and commentary on innovation within Australia’s defence, research and industry sectors.
Rumour Control also offers defence innovation advisory services and training for both industry and the research community.
The Director of Rumour Control is Dr Gregor Ferguson, a defence industry and innovation analyst and consultant, who set it up to make a useful contribution in Australia’s new and welcoming defence business environment. Gregor Ferguson is a defence, innovation and defence science analyst and communicator who has worked in the defence industry and media for more than 30 years. A former editor of Australian Defence Magazine, he has also been a frequent contributor to The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.
What does Rumour Control do?
Rumour Control helps Defence innovators and SMEs to understand the defence innovation environment, including the complex (and sometimes confusing) defence customer and the process of innovating in a demanding high-technology marketplace with global competition. It also helps companies, consortia and research teams submit proposals for defence-funded innovation projects.
Specifically, Rumour Control advises on:
- Customer engagement methods and mechanisms
- Engaging with Defence and CDIC Innovation programs
- Structuring defence innovation projects to maximise the chances of success
- Helping organisations and their leaders to unlock their innovation potential
How Can Rumour Control help you?
Rumour Control helps industry and academia understand key customer needs and the mechanisms for addressing them effectively:
- Operational needs of end-users
- Engaging early with end-users to refine customer knowledge
- The Technology Investment Priorities of the Department of Defence
- The relationship between the Australian Defence Force, Department of Defence – including the Capability Acquisition & Sustainment Group (CASG) – the Defence Science & Technology Group (DST) and the Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC)
- The Department of Defence’s industry and research engagement mechanisms; the Defence Innovation Portal, the Defence Innovation Hub and the Next Generation Technology Fund
- Helping prepare a user case and value proposition for the customer
- Helping prepare and submit proposals for the Defence Innovation Hub and Next Generation Technology Fund
- Running Workshops and Seminars on defence and industry innovation
Dr Gregor Ferguson has been a consultant to both DST and the Department of Defence’s former Exports and International Programs (EIP) division. He is also Executive Manager Innovation and Industry Engagement for the AMDA Foundation Limited (AMDA), the not-for-profit foundation responsible for organizing the biennial Australian International Air Show and Aerospace & Defence Exposition at Avalon, Victoria, the Pacific International Maritime and Defence Exposition in Sydney, the Land Forces Exposition and the CIVSEC civil security Congress.
In this role he oversaw the re-shaping and expansion of the specialist conference and seminar programs at each of these events. These highly successful programs address the professional and business needs of Exhibitors and Delegates and are a vital part of the B2B networking activity that creates the business value delivered by each event.
Dr Gregor Ferguson also created and still runs the prestigious Innovation Awards program that sees National, SME, Young Innovator and specialist category innovation awards presented at each event. Nearly $400,000-worth of Innovation grants and scholarships has been presented since 2013. He also has oversight of the Innovation Pitchfest at each event which is run by the Defence Science Institute (DSI), a DST-backed organisation at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Gregor Ferguson did his doctoral research on defence innovation at the University of Adelaide’s Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC). His thesis was titled “Product Innovation Success in the Australian Defence Industry – an Exploratory Study”. It focused on the factors which enable or prevent product innovation success in the Australian defence industry. This is an area of expertise to which he adds more than 25 years’ knowledge of defence acquisition, defence R&D and defence industry in Australia.
Dr Gregor Ferguson, Ph.D, BA (Hons), MRAeS
www.rumourcontrol.com.au
Mob: 0414 803 717