QuantumTX Space & Technology Incubator Delivers $750,000 to 30 Companies Across Australia
(L-R) AROSE CEO Leanne Cunnold, METS Ignited General Manager WA & SA Kylah Morrison, Quantum Technology Exchange Founder Adjunct Professor Peter Rossdeutscher and AROSE Program Director Michelle Keegan.
The 2022 QuantumTX space and technology incubator program has awarded $750,000 of support to 30 companies from across Australia.
The QuantumTX incubator program helps start-ups and small-to-medium companies develop technologies and services that support remote operations, including in robotics, artificial intelligence, satellite communications, simulation, digital systems and interoperability.
Each company receives $25,000 worth of support to help scale their businesses and innovative products that demonstrate potential global competitive advantage. QuantumTX facilitates access to test sites, specialist sector expertise, technical mentors and international workshops.
Since its inception in 2018, the QuantumTX incubator program has delivered more than $3 million in support to 124 startups and SMEs across the country. The 2022 program is the largest to date.
Quantum Technology Exchange founder, Adjunct Professor Peter Rossdeutscher said participants come from across Australia and will gain access to more than 50 experts from leading companies in the space, resources, defence and technology sectors.
They will also meet with potential capital investors and collaborators, including from Fugro’s new Space Automation, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Control Complex (SpAARC), the Roy Hill Remote Systems Automation Centre, Woodside Energy Robotics Laboratory and the International Space Centre at The University of Western Australia.
“The QuantumTX incubator program facilitates cross-cutting technologies from mining, energy and defence, into the space and advanced manufacturing sectors,” Ad. Prof. Rossdeutscher said. “The circular nature of these opportunities creates advantages, compounding returns and new jobs in all industries.”
AROSE CEO Leanne Cunnold said the QuantumTX incubator program gives SMEs and ‘scale-ups’ the opportunity to leverage and diversify their expertise into the space sector.
“Australia is at the cutting-edge of robotics technology and systems for remote operations,” Ms Cunnold said. “This capability is central to setting up a sustainable presence on the Moon, and eventually supporting human exploration of Mars.”
Ms Cunnold said that while improved safety performance is the primary motivation for industry to increasingly use remote operations, the benefits are widespread including for technology innovation, productivity, sustainability and workforce diversity.
The QuantumTX program is funded is by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the Incubator Support Initiative. The program also receives support through remote operations collaborator AROSE and strategic innovation consultancy Atomic Sky. It has additional support from METS Ignited, Robotics Group Australia and Fugro.
QuantumTX aligns with the Australian Space Agency’s Robotics and Automation on Earth and in Space Roadmap. The growth of analytics and robotics capabilities in the resources sector alone is predicted to add an estimated A$74 billion to the Australia’s economy by 2030 and create 80,000 new jobs. At the end of this decade, the Australian space sector is planned to be around $12 billion and sustain around 30,000 jobs.
QuantumTX 2022 Incubator Program Participants
50MC
Agile8
Ant61
Ausinland
Camp Connect
Caroni
Chameleon Mettle Group
Chironix
Exodus Space Systems
Freelance Robotics
GeoMoby
Gilmour Space Technologies
Hindsite Industries
Innovative Energy Systems
Inovor Technologies
Lycaon Group
Nexxis
Outer Loop Engineering
Pitcrew AI
Praxis Labs
QL Space
Reach Robotics
Robotic Systems
S5 System
Sentient Computing
Space Angel
TechNoL
Tekuma
Traversal Robotics
Valenhold
About QuantumTX
Quantum Technology Exchange (QuantumTX) grows emerging businesses and capability by facilitating collaboration across the downstream space sector from technology innovators in the mining, energy, agriculture and defence industries. QuantumTX is maximising the opportunity for Australia to fully leverage its competitive advantages in cross-cutting technologies in automation, robotics, remote operations, data sciences, simulation and digital communications. QuantumTX was founded by Adjunct Professor Peter Rossdeutscher and Atomic Sky. It is powered by experienced business facilitators, together with support from a range of corporate and government partners providing trial sites, specialist sector expertise, technical mentors and networks.
About Atomic Sky
Atomic Sky is a leading advisory company delivering impact through purpose-led strategic innovation. Launched in 2013, Atomic Sky has helped hundreds of large and small organisations gain competitive advantage through technology, collaboration, sustainability, and transformation. The Atomic Sky team of experts across Australia are all former C-level executives and successful entrepreneurs with exceptional track records leading and incubating successful outcomes.
About AROSE
AROSE (Australian Remote Operations in Space and on Earth) was established to leverage Australia’s world-leading remote operations expertise and transfer knowledge and innovation to off-Earth environments. AROSE seeks to strengthen Australia’s position as a premier remote operations provider to the international space sector while benefitting industry at home. In addition to advancing technology innovation, AROSE seeks to improve workforce skills and diversity and inspire new generations to pursue careers in Space. AROSE is an industry‑led not‑for-profit organisation supported by Western Australian Government funding, member sponsorships and project revenue. AROSE currently has 15 members with established space and resources capability including major mining and energy companies and leading service providers.