Our partners
Get access to amenities, tools and services unique to the defence and security innovation space.
![UNSW Canberra Launch on Northbourne promotional imagery UNSW Canberra Launch on Northbourne promotional imagery
Featuring Suzanna Holmes, Luke Garner, Elly Mackay, Rose Mackay](/content/dam/images/canberra/unsw-canberra/general/buildings-facilities/2019-11-unsw-canberra-launch-on-northbourne-promotional-imagery/20191101adfa3448214_8581.cropimg.width=335.crop=square.jpg)
Launch on Northbourne provides access to world-class facilities and infrastructure that will be used by Launch tenants and UNSW research teams. Facilities include a cyber range, concurrent design facility, access to the UNSW Canberra Technical Support Group (TSG), extensive academic databases and other useful resources.
Launch is an incubator for defence, security, cyber and space start-ups, and a key component of UNSW Canberra’s strategic commitment to playing an integral role in nurturing start-ups in the defence and security industries.
As part of the Launch on Northbourne concept we’re inviting applications from start-ups interested in incubating their research and ideas with us and our partners at Northbourne.
Explore
![People talking at Canberra Innovation Network event Canberra Innovation Network](/content/dam/images/canberra/unsw-canberra/general/websites/2022-10-canberra/2023-03-cbrin-7-1.cropimg.width=335.crop=basic.jpeg)
Canberra Innovation Network
The Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) is a not-for-profit organisation that accelerates the innovation and growth of businesses and entrepreneurs by linking them to services, facilities, resources and stakeholders. CBRIN helps innovators, researchers and SMEs make a meaningful impact by connecting them to world-class research and encouraging innovative relationships with industry and government.
In partnership with Launch, CBRIN provides an opportunity for defence and security businesses to communicate and collaborate, discovering world-changing solutions and initiating lasting strategic connections.
Canberra is Australia’s innovation capital. The city has championed urban innovation for many years. The ACT has the highest rates of entrepreneurship and innovation in Australia, with a consistently high number of new business registrations, patent applications, top- ranked universities and ‘kickstarter’ projects.
The ACT Government’s vision for Canberra is ‘a modern city where research, innovation and government meet’. This is a city a city increasingly being recognised as a significant driver of the nation’s intellectual capital for the following reasons:
- close proximity to government
- highest number of patents per capita in Australia
- most educated city in Australia
- highest rate of business creation in Australia in 2018-2019.
Through the CBRIN network organisations can access events, mentoring, professional services and funding expertise, while gaining investment advice, building corporate and government connections, and more.
![Penten Penten](/content/dam/images/canberra/unsw-canberra/general/websites/2022-10-canberra/2023-03-penten-News-Release-1536x1153.cropimg.width=335.crop=basic.jpeg)
Penten
Penten is a 100% Australian-owned secure technology business delivering future cyber and AI technologies to defence and government agencies. The company has actively contributed to challenging the difficult problems facing Defence and National Security agencies with a clear focus on creating a digital advantage for Australia and its allies through technology to make sense of, make mobile and protect vulnerable data from modern adversaries.
Penten arrived at Launch on Northbourne in 2020 and is the ‘anchor’ tenant, attracting other cyber companies looking to co-locate. The company has seen phenomenal growth, increasing from a team of 5 to 143.
As a company creating and delivering security solutions, a secure environment to operate in at Launch was an imperative. As such, special efforts were made to ensure that Penten workspaces would meet the demands of government and defence clients, in addition to benefiting the wider Launch tenants.
“If we wanted to have a global impact on the technology we were creating, there was only one place to do that. Canberra is where the toughest problems are, and we’ve got direct access to federal government decision makers.”
Matthew Wilson, Penten CEO
![SpaceX launch 4 anuary 2023 Skykraft](/content/dam/images/canberra/unsw-canberra/general/news/2023-02-canberra-news/2023-02-Source-SpaceX-launch-4-January-2023-landscape.cropimg.width=335.crop=basic.jpg)
Skykraft
Skykraft: A comprehensive global surveillance and VHF communication service live in 2025
Skykraft is a transport infrastructure company, delivering space-enabled services. From 2025 our comprehensive ATM system will be operational, with global coverage.
Skykraft’s global ATM Services, enabled by space
- Comprehensive ATM: in combining ADS-B and VHF communications services, from space, Skykraft offers air traffic controllers and pilots a genuinely comprehensive ATM service.
- Global coverage: Our ATM System seamlessly covers the globe from ground level up, reducing the need for extensive terrestrial infrastructure or a change to air traffic controller or aircraft equipment.
- Dedicated ATM System: Designed and built solely for ATM services, our space-enabled system does not have to compromise performance in sharing with other services.
- Resilient through redundancy: Unprecedented performance levels and robustness are driven through layers of redundancy throughout.
- Unmatched availability: With >99.9997% availability, our ATM system keeps aircraft covered in the most challenging environments.
Skykraft: Facilitating the Air Traffic Management for the Future
- Capacity and growth: In enhancing a space-enabled surveillance service with VHF communications, we support more efficient airspace management, including trajectory-based operations and 5NM oceanic separation.
- Sustainability: We assist the aviation industry to meet their net zero targets, by enabling more efficient routing that can reduce fuel burn and minimize contrails.
- Robust surveillance: A minimum of 4 satellites in view of an aircraft at any time enables independent measurement and verification of aircraft position, even with total GNSS failure.
- Evergreen System: Our space-enabled system is scalable to grow with demand. Continuous replenishment and replacement assure performance and an ability to deliver new ATM services.
- On track for delivery: In-orbit testing complete in 2024 and operational in 2025.
![Fighter jet Viden](/content/dam/images/canberra/unsw-canberra/general/websites/2022-10-canberra-study-us/2023-01-fighter-jet.cropimg.width=335.crop=basic.png)
Viden
Viden is a national security-focused professional services and cyber security company, owned and run by veterans. Operating the only secure, sovereign-owned, full stack cyber-physical security lab in Australia, Viden is putting Canberra firmly on the map as the nation’s cyber security location of choice. The firm works alongside Government clients specialising in providing cyber security assessments and cyber-worthiness evaluations of ICT networks and other operational technologies, at a hardware, software and supply chain level.
Viden moved to Launch at Northbourne in 2020 with a team of 10. Success in the ACT Government Cyber Accelerator grant program allowed the company to purchase additional equipment and extend its testing procedures. Viden has since grown to a team of 45, with plans to double in size by 2025.
“Canberra is a mecca for cyber security roles. It really is unrivalled in Australia for some of the most interesting and important cyber security work there is. For high-profile complex problems, Canberra is where you need to be.”
Anthony Barnes, Chief Executive Officer, Viden