Cicada Innovations, Ai Group and Robotics Australia Group welcome the release of the National Robotics Strategy and announce that they have formed a partnership to support robotics companies and industry to grow and scale together. The Robotics Growth Partnership (RGP) supports the development, commercialisation, scaling and adoption of robotics in Australia in alignment with the newly released National Robotics Strategy.
The partnership will support:
Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said: "Australian industry needs to use technology to update industry capability and business models to rapidly advance productivity. In different ways, every Australian business will be affected by the digitalisation, decarbonisation and diversification transitions which are underway and quickly gathering momentum. We are only going to succeed in these transitions if we seriously focus on capability and productivity gains. Ai Group is committed to assisting industry with this transition and is partnering with Cicada Innovations and Robotics Australia because of their ability to help us provide solutions that result in real and lasting capability transformations," Mr Willox said.
Sally-Ann Williams, CEO of Cicada Innovations said: "We are delighted to collaborate with Robotics Australia Group and Ai Group to provide industry-led support to grow robotics in Australia. Cicada is home to world-leading innovation in robotics such as: Contactile which has developed state-of-the-art tactile sensors and grippers to give robots a sense of touch with broad industry applications; Crest Robotics their advanced robotic system enables operations in hazardous conditions with reduced risk to human operators and offers a greener approach by optimizing maintenance processes to lower carbon emissions. With over two decades experience building deep tech companies and commericalisation capability in sectors such as health, space, agriculture, climate and manufacturing; Cicada is well placed to support the diverse industry applications of robotics companies as they scale."
Nicci Rossouw, CEO, Robotics Australia Group said, "With the release of Australia's first National Robotics Strategy, it’s the right time for our robotics ecosystem to grow through this partnership that offers end-to-end support for robotics innovation and adoption. With Australia facing both labour and housing shortages, an aging population, increasingly unpredictable impacts from climate change and struggling to provide equitable access to healthcare for rural and remote communities, we must urgently look towards technologies like robotics to support humans in finding solutions."
The Australian robotics industry is worth more than $18bn and comprises more than 1,000 companies with robotics capability, employing more than 50,000 people. While the robotics industry in Australia is still young, its focus on developing field robotic solutions for the agriculture, mining, construction, healthcare and defence sectors, expands the range of robotic solutions available to overcome current challenges.
Media enquiries
Tony Melville (Ai Group) – 0419 190 347
About Ai Group
The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group®) is a peak national employer organisation representing traditional, innovative and emerging industry sectors. We have been acting on behalf of businesses across Australia for 150 years. Ai Group and partner organisations represent the interests of more than 60,000 businesses employing more than 1 million staff. Our membership includes businesses of all sizes, from large international companies operating in Australia and iconic Australian brands to family-run SMEs. Our members operate across a wide cross-section of the Australian economy and are linked to the broader economy through national and international supply chains. aigroup.com.au
About Robotics Australia Group
Robotics Australia Group is Australia's peak body for the Australian robotics (and robotics-related) technology sector with a network of more than 5,000 and an international alliance with similar organisations in other countries. Our goal is to build a sustainable robotics industry by supporting the entire robotics ecosystem, from the companies building robots to those researching and developing new robotic technologies, robotics educators and enthusiasts, and the companies looking to adopt robots and robotics-related technologies. Our members and partners include large and small companies that create or adopt robotics technologies. roboausnet.com.au
About Cicada Innovations
Cicada Innovations is the home of deep tech in Australia and supports ventures seeking to create life-changing technology. Since its inception, Cicada has seen an unprecedented $1.3 billion in disclosed exits from six deep tech ventures in the last two decades and helped over 400 companies raise more than $2.6 billion in funding. It has twice been awarded ‘Top Incubator in the World’ by InBIA, and delivered commercialisation training to thousands working in science & technology. www.cicadainnovations.com
