You may have noticed via our social media and other channels, that late last month Minister for Defence Industry, The Hon. Melissa Price MP announced the Australian Department of Defence’s new Office of Defence Industry Support (ODIS).

ODIS, which replaces the Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CIDC), will be used by Defence and major contractors to find Australian solutions to capability challenges among small and medium businesses.

“ODIS is a new organisation with a redefined purpose that will be a trusted link between Defence and Australian SMEs,” Minister Price said. “ODIS will employ a proactive strategy to support businesses, because we need to start dragging the right SMEs through the door with the ability to provide local solutions to Defence’s capability requirements.”

It was an honour to be invited to this launch event in Canberra and hear from the Minister directly about the upcoming opportunities for Industry, particularly for the Hunter and we look forward to sharing what is to come…

As one of its first orders of business benefiting our region, ODIS has committed to funding a new round of the Defence Ready Seminar Series for Hunter-based businesses in 2022. The Defence Ready Seminar Series is designed to assist SMEs to:

  • develop sustainable organisational capabilities and competencies to meet Australian and International Defence Prime Contractor requirements;
  • overcome identified weaknesses or shortfalls in their capabilities and/or competencies; or
  • when they must meet specific Defence tender requirements that require a credible response.

Run by Hunter Defence alongside Goal Group and AIDN NSW – and with the much-valued support of ODIS – the series will see forty (40) fully-funded places available to Hunter-based SMEs for each of the 13 training modules that make up the six month program in 2022*:

The 2021 series saw the 40 funded places fully allocated for each module, and the feedback received was exceptional. Below is just one example of the feedback we have received:

“This series has been an excellent overview and has made defence far more accessible for SMEs like my company. Without it, I am not sure we would have chosen to lay out a plan to get defence ready. Defence from an outsider’s perspective is incredibly complex and confusing. This course has given my company the tools and knowledge on how to approach defence, get our business aligned with defence objectives and given us an opportunity to share our capabilities to defence.”

2021 Seminar Series Participant

For more information and to register you interest for 2022, visit Defence Ready Seminar Series today.

* Please note: The Defence Department has set very clear guidance around the criteria for access to one of the forty funded places within each of the thirteen courses, and priority will be given to Hunter and regional-NSW based SMEs, building capability to potentially partner on Defence projects in the future. If your organisation is successful in achieving a funded place in one of these courses, Hunter Defence will let you know three (3) weeks before your selected seminars(s) of interest are due to start.