PRESS RELEASE: Minister for Defence – New members join unique defence industry program
26 November 2013
The Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon David Johnston today congratulated the latest group of Australian organisations to have been selected to join the unique Rapid Prototyping, Development and Evaluation Program (RPDE).
The RPDE, which is a Defence and private sector collaborative venture, was established in 2005 to solve difficult and challenging problems affecting the delivery of capability to the warfighter.
I would like to offer my congratulations to the new members for successfully qualifying for RPDE’s world class Program, Senator Johnston said.
Through engagement with industry, Defence can maximise a wide range of expertise and continue to deliver the right capability for our service men and women. Commitment and cooperation within the Program is paramount he said.
New entrants this year include Optus Networks, UGL Engineering Pty Ltd, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Newcastle.
RPDE already includes an impressive list of Australia’s foremost research and development organisations, and has access to the most innovative solutions from leaders in their field.
A full list of the new and current organisations participating in the Program can be found at www.rpde.org.au.
Media contacts:
Minister for Defence Media Adviser, Rebecca Horton: (02) 6277 7800
Defence Media Operations: (02) 6127 1999
