NEWS & INITIATIVES

Manual handling jobs are a pain in the neck, quite literally. In industries that involve heavy lifting and carrying, back, neck and other injuries account for over $10 billion in medical expenses annually. This holds true even in the military, where soldiers are often required to carry supplies weighing upward of 40kgs, and where the risk of injury is as serious as it is expensive.

MR QUIN CHANG - SENIOR MANAGER, RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, RMIT UNIVERSITY

With their finger on the pulse in the university and defence sectors, The Defence Science Institute’s (DSI) Liaison Managers act as the perfect conduits to collaboration between industry and academia.

RMIT University’s Senior Manager of Research Partnerships, Research and Innovation and DSI Liaison Manager Mr Quin Chang talks about his journey into the field of education and defence.

Diamonds, they say, are forever. One of nature’s most precious stones, they hold potential far beyond their ornamental value. As nanodiamonds (microparticles), they have found use in medicine, electronic applications and even defence through quantum photonics, where their ability to fluoresce can be used to sense magnetic fields. 

Australia’s small to medium enterprises (SMEs) make up over 95% of businesses countrywide, forming an important part of the economy. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they were some of the first to be affected, with restrictions curbing their activity and revenue. To keep these SMEs afloat while continuing to help Victorian researchers further their work in the realm of defence, the Defence Science Institute (DSI) offers a range of grants to facilitate mutually constructive collaborations.