ASCA EDT Explore: Information Warfare and Quantum Technologies
Funds Australian companies and universities conducting long-term R&D in information warfare countermeasures and quantum technologies for Defence.
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The ASCA EDT Explore program is a contract-based research initiative run by the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator within Australia's Department of Defence, under the ASCA EDT stream. EDT is designed to test ideas and concepts and to invest in deeper long-term partnerships with universities and industry to nurture research and development capability shaped by Defence's future requirements. The Explore Approach to Market focused on two priority areas: Information Warfare and Quantum Technologies.
The Information Warfare priority addressed detecting and countering AI-powered technologies that produce convincing synthetic media — fake video, imagery, audio, and text at mass scale. The Quantum Technologies priority covered all areas, with stated sub-areas of precision sensing, enhanced computational capability, and secure communications. Contracts were valued up to AUD 3,300,000 (including GST) over three years in duration. No minimum contract value is stated. The 24 awarded contracts have a combined recipient base of 11 universities and 11 industry (for-profit) partners.
Eligibility covers Australian industry (for-profit companies) and Australian universities and research institutions. The page references 'Australian universities and industry partners' throughout. The Approach to Market was approved by the Chief Defence Scientist and published via AusTender. Foreign entities are not eligible. 24 contracts have been signed.
The Approach to Market opened on 11 November 2023 and closed on 9 February 2024. ASCA received 179 white paper responses; shortlisted respondents were invited to co-design work packages with Defence before full contracts were issued. The program is currently between cycles — contracts are active, and no successor Explore round has been announced. Future EDT rounds on other topics may follow the same co-design model.
To engage with future Explore rounds, monitor asca.gov.au/opportunities and AusTender. ASCA cannot accept unsolicited proposals.
Information Warfare — detecting and countering AI-powered synthetic media and disinformation; Quantum Technologies — precision sensing, enhanced computational capability, and secure quantum communications.
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