About

Trailblazer Universities Program

iLAuNCH is part of the Australian Government’s Trailblazer Universities Program delivered by the Department of Education.

Through this Program, the Australian Government will build new research capabilities, driving commercialisation outcomes and investing in new industry engagement opportunities.

A total of $370.3 million will be invested from 2022–2026 to build additional capacity to focus on the problems that matter to the nation by driving research excellence and real-world impact.

Six Australian universities will become leaders in research commercialisation, with dedicated investment in priority areas. Each Trailblazer university will receive $50 million, which will be matched by university and industry partner contributions.

 

iLAuNCH Overview and Vision

The Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications, and Hypersonics Hub (iLAuNCH) program is a collaboration of regionally based institutions, led by the University of Southern Queensland with The Australian National University, and the University of South Australia.


iLAuNCH brings together over 20 industry organisations to build Australia’s sovereign space capability by addressing critical gaps and accelerating development of a space technology sector. With $180 million to invest in industry research, commercialisation and manufacturing, we are committed to Australia’s burgeoning space industry. We will achieve this through growing our commercially viable civil rockets, rocket test and launch facilities, rapid satellite manufacturing, communication technologies and integrated sensing systems.

We are commercialising cool ideas into space hardware.

  • Fast: 5 years
  • Hard: TRL 4 to 8 (space qualified)
  • Leveraged: $50m Government funding into a $180m consortium
  • Generous: IP favourable to industry
  • World class: researchers from UniSQ, ANU, and UniSA
  • Focussed: experienced industry leadership team
  • Inspirational: building the space workforce of the future

 

iLAuNCH Objectives

  • Research Commercialisation: Provide research commercialisation through IP translation for Australian sovereign capabilities in advanced technologies.
  • Launch-Ready Technology Ecosystem: Accelerate the transformation of this early stage or ‘low-mid TRL’ sector to a launch-ready manufacturing ecosystem with supporting supply chain.
  • Space Commercialisation Model: Create a space commercialisation model that supports the current iLAuNCH activities and creates a legacy beyond the four years.
  • Industry Skills Development: Co-design with industry the pathways for industry skills development through school and higher education initiatives.

The project is providing significant investment and opportunity in regional Queensland with the establishment of a major manufacturing precinct.

 

iLAuNCH Impact

Our industry partners have identified $3.65 billion in economic benefits associated with the core iLAuNCH commercialisation projects, which will accelerate Australian IP to market, and the development of a Space Engineering Degree that will create a pipeline of skilled, job-ready engineers into this exciting high-value, high-growth sector.

The program will provide critical research, equipment and infrastructure in support of rocket manufacturing, rocket launch and in-space hardware such as satellites, communications and sensors.

The Hub will support its industry partners to develop a space manufacturing precinct in regional Queensland for rocket manufacturing and associated supply chain development, servicing civil and defence requirements.