Theme 1: National capability

What we’ve heard

Australia is internationally renowned for our strong technical expertise and innovations. Some of our inventions are well-known and widely celebrated, such as the cochlear implant, black box flight recorder, Wi-Fi and polymer banknotes. Others go underappreciated, including some of our major achievements in robotics and automation. For example, research performed by the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR) between 1995 and 2001 produced one of the most important advances in robotics in the past 2 decades. The papers published by members of the centre on the Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) method are among the most highly cited in robotics world-wide. The SLAM method allows a robot to build a map of its environment while it determines its location. This innovation is vital to technologies across the globe, such as autonomous vehicles, drones, robot vacuum cleaners and virtual reality headsets. 

Australia has leading academic and government robotics institutions. They produce globally competitive research and innovation, with a strong focus on field and other service robots. This expertise is partly shaped by our geography – our vast and diverse landscape is ideal for testing and deploying large or remotely operated robots. Our R&D strengths and field robotics expertise are the foundation of our current robotics industry. 

Australia has a competitive advantage in developing niche and high-quality robotic systems. We excel in integrating and customising robotics and automation solutions, particularly autonomous vehicles and drones for the mining, resources and defence sectors. Australia is increasingly commercialising solutions for medical sciences and agriculture, such as robots to support health research and drones for crop and livestock monitoring. Australia’s robotics industry also has strengths in:

• Supplying and customising hardware for robotic platforms. This involves adding bespoke features and capabilities to existing industrial robot systems.
• Providing integration services such as analysing business processes and optimising them through robotics and automation.
• Developing software and AI technologies for robots, including computer vision and sensing technologies.

By using our strengths and investing strategically, we can build a Future Made in Australia and grow an internationally competitive robotics and automation sector. However, Australia faces barriers in commercialising and scaling up our innovations. This is partly because of the limited availability of domestic and foreign capital where investors may see robotics as a risky investment. They can also be unwilling to fund technologies which have a longer expected return on investment.

Australia’s robotics and automation industry consists mostly of small companies, rather than end-to-end manufacturers of large-scale robotics solutions. These small companies tend to focus on niche areas of robotics and automation technologies or different points of the research-to-integration pipeline. Several of these companies are leading global exporters in their field. 

Australia is home to many robotics facilities that offer collaborative spaces with specialised equipment, expertise and resources. These spaces bring industry, researchers and government together to collaborate and help industry development. Robotics facilities are spread throughout the country and have developed strong expertise in their areas of focus. These spaces present opportunities to further scale, improve coordination, support collaboration and bring together Australia’s robotics industry.  

Supporting government initiatives

The Australian Government has many initiatives underway to support industry and improve our national capability in research, development and commercialisation.

• The Future Made in Australia agenda strengthens Australia's capabilities in key industries, securing Australia's place in a changing global economic and strategic landscape and maximising the economic and industrial benefits of the move to net zero.
• The National Reconstruction Fund provides funding for projects that diversify and transform Australia’s industry. As part of the $15 billion NRF, the government has announced a target investment level of $1 billion for critical technologies, which may include robotics technologies, and $1 billion for advanced manufacturing. 
• The Industry Growth Program provides commercialisation and growth advice to innovative start-ups and SMEs with one or more of the 7 government identified priority areas of the Australian economy for the NRF.
  • This includes providing Industry Partner Organisation grant funding for the ARM Hub, which will provide specialised sectoral advice and expertise to businesses participating in the program and complement the one-on-one Advisory Service of IGP.
• The Research and Development Tax Incentive encourages additional business investment in R&D, providing tax offsets for business expenditure on eligible R&D. 
• The strategic examination of Australia's research and development system determines how we can maximise the impact of science, research, and innovation and get more value from investment in R&D.
• AusIndustry’s national network of Regional Managers provides local business connections and impartial, trusted guidance tailored to businesses. 
• The business.gov.au website and contact centre provide continual support, connecting businesses with information from across all levels of government.
• The Buy Australian Plan builds domestic industry capability by leveraging government procurement.
• The Australian Industry Participation policy gives Australian industry a full, fair and reasonable opportunity to compete for supply opportunities. 
• The Business Research and Innovation Initiative provides startups and SMEs with grant funding to develop innovative solutions for government policy and service delivery challenges. Australian Government agencies support the program to develop new-to-market technologies that they can negotiate to buy.
• The National Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 highlights focus areas to help deliver diverse, resilient and sustainable supply chains, meet net zero ambitions, maximise the economic opportunity presented by minerals endowment, and maintain and grow sovereign capability.
• The Moon to Mars Initiative supports multiple robotics and automation technologies, including the Trailblazer rover to demonstrate robotics and remote operation on the moon.
• Main Sequence, founded by CSIRO, addresses the ‘valley of death’ between research and commercialisation by investing government and private sector funds as equity funding for companies conducting projects. 
• The AUKUS Pillar II: Advanced Capabilities technology partnership focuses on trilaterally accelerating the delivery of advanced capabilities.
• Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator facilitates collaborative partnerships between Defence, industry and academia to accelerate the development and transition of innovative technologies into capability, including in the area of trusted autonomy.
• The Defence Industry Development Strategy supports reforms and capabilities to deliver the National Defence Strategy. 
• The Defence Industry Development Grant provides support to SMEs for acquiring and commissioning new defence capabilities, international accreditation and certification, skills development and security posturing for suppliers, aligned with the seven Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities.
• The Australian Trade and Investment Commission continues to support exporter journeys to new and priority markets and attract productive foreign investment to scale Australia’s sovereign capabilities in the robotics sector.
• Rural Research and Development Corporations drive innovation and productivity growth in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector through government and rural industry co-investment.
• The Research Translation and Commercialisation Agenda boosts collaboration between universities and industry, driving commercial returns, including:
  • The Trailblazer Universities Program, which builds new research capabilities, drives commercialisation outcomes and invests in new industry engagement opportunities.
  • The Australia’s Economic Accelerator, which helps create a research ecosystem where our worldclass university research is translated and commercialised into real world innovations and productivity gains.
  • The National Industry PhD Program, which builds a bedrock of research talent skilled in university-industry collaboration. 
• The National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy delivers national research infrastructure to help support Australian researchers to remain internationally competitive and maximise the potential for economic benefits from scientific discoveries. 

To build our national capability in robotics, the strategy has set the following objectives, outcomes and indicators of success.

Objectives

• Boost research and development, commercialisation and scaling up of Australian solutions targeting areas of Australian strength
• Use government’s purchasing power to grow domestic demand for robotics and automation
• Raise the profile of Australia’s robotics and automation capabilities and supply chains locally and globally
• Leverage Australia’s international partnerships and networks, as well as state and territory governments, to create new opportunities

Outcomes

• Australian industry has improved access to robotics facilities that encourage collaboration, innovation and commercialisation. 
• A larger, sustainable Australian robotics and automation industry that produces trusted, reliable solutions and exports globally. 
• An ecosystem where researchers and industry work together to deliver innovative, world-leading commercial outcomes that address critical challenges.
• Government and industry have a deeper understanding of Australia’s robotics capabilities and supply chains, helping to develop targeted actions, encourage collaboration and grow the local robotics ecosystem.
• Government purchasing power maximises local industry’s robotics and automation capabilities and grows domestic demand.
• Increased access to both domestic and international markets and investment helps Australian robotics companies to scale up their innovations and grows our robotics industry.

Indicators of success

• Improved performance of Australia’s robotics industry across multiple measures of business performance.
• Growth in the size of Australia’s robotics industry.
• Growth in employment in Australia’s robotics industry.
• Increased robotics-related R&D expenditure and patent filing activity.
• Increased number of high-quality research publications for robotics.
• Increased rates of collaboration, co-investment and commercialisation.
• Increased value of government procurement of Australian-made robotics systems.