Defence awards $7 million in SICP Grants to seven Australian businesses
The Department of Defence has awarded more than $7 million to seven Australian companies through the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority (SICP) Grants program.
Since November 2018 almost 90 Australian small and medium businesses have won SICP Grants worth $47 million.
“The range of capabilities being developed by these latest grant recipients is a vital investment in our sovereign industrial base,” said Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price. “Their dedication and foresight is enabling the Australian Defence Force to maintain a leading edge and increase its self-reliance in an increasingly congested strategic environment.”
The strengthening of manufacturing capabilities is significant in this latest round of grants, which is helping build, on a sustainable basis, Australia’s sovereign industrial capacity to support the ADF.
The Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority Grants announced 24 March:
| Company | Grant Amount | Grant Funding Purpose | State |
| Consunet | $421,406 | Design, construction, accreditation and certification of multi-zoned facility to enable delivery, support and sustainment of sovereign projects. | SA |
| Mincham Aviation | $1,056,374 | Enhancement of ability to develop, manufacture and repair a range of aerospace and defence equipment, including aerial delivery systems, UAVs and naval components. | SA |
| Cryoclock | $599,712 | Improving ability to build high-performance clocks and oscillators to provide a strategically critical technical function for Defence capability. | SA |
| Craig International Ballistics | $1,203,001 | Investment in acquisition, installation and commissioning of autoclave technology for ballistic protection product manufacturing. | QLD |
| Century Products (S.A.) | $1,197,242 | Development of a production scale CNC line with complex milling and turning functionality for supply onto a number of land, sea and air programs. | SA |
| Alfatron | $1,390,658 | Establishment of a Printed Circuit Board Fabrication Line to support the sovereign manufacture of electronic technology. | SA |
| Bambach Wires & Cables | $1,217,020 | Enhancement of existing manufacturing capability to enable the manufacture of small, medium and large diameter low voltage silicone copper cables essential for use in submarine and shipbuilding. | VIC |
Grant applications can be made at any time and submitted through the Centre for Defence Industry Capability at: https://www.business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/Sovereign-Industrial-Capability-Priority-Grants.