The University of Sydney and Thales Australia have extended their longstanding partnership to continue research and development of transformational solutions in aerospace, space, defence and digital security fields.

Agreed in 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was established to research, develop and master emerging technologies, with a focus on digital technologies including big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The partnership extension will continue the close collaboration, which comprises well established activities such as:

the Australian Research Council Industry Transformation Research Hub on Intelligent Robotic Systems for Real-Time Asset Management
research on vision-based space object detection and tracking with the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre
research and development activities focused on Autonomous Mine Counter Measures with the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre (TAS-DCRC), and
development of integrated optical components for communication and LIDAR (light detection and ranging) applications.
The collaboration with Thales Australia has also yielded significant success through directly funded PhD programs in the areas of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, and Electrical and Information Engineering. Thales also sponsors eight engineering industry placements and has directly funded research in Low Altitude Air Traffic Management for drone operations.

As the collaboration develops both parties intend to embed staff within each other’s organisation to accelerate the translation of research and development into solutions that bring impact to the community, particularly focusing on national security outcomes.

The new partnership extension was signed by Professor Emma Johnston, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Thales Australia & New Zealand CEO Jeff Connolly.

“Our researchers have the ideas and expertise that can help make Australia and the world a better place to live and this partnership accelerates the translation of our ideas into real world impact. Some of the new projects we are excited about are collaborations with the University of Sydney Business School focused on drone operations and logistics – this is the type of work that can make a difference to daily life,” said Professor Johnston.