Follow the latest updates of the outbreak on our timeline.


The Australian Government has established a Rapid Response Group to increase domestic stocks of invasive ventilators to fight the battle against coronavirus (Covid-19).

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The new Defence-led Response Group will work to upgrade non-invasive ventilators to invasive ventilators.

Additionally, to support Australia’s response to the outbreak, ways to re-purpose other suitable medical machines as invasive ventilators will be identified.

Australia Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said: “Increasing invasive ventilator capacity in Australian medical facilities is a priority, given the potential for access to internationally sourced ventilators to be constrained.

“Defence is able to coordinate the activities between public and private stakeholders, by harnessing Defence Science and Technology’s capabilities and facilities, and utilising existing expertise in specialist research engineering and technology development.”

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

A prototype to provide a non-invasive to invasive conversion solution is being identified by the group using a fast-fail experimental approach.

The developed solution is expected to be applicable to all non-invasive ventilators used within the hospitals of the country.

Following the successful identification and testing of the prototype, the defence will produce components and consumables for the conversion kits.

The Response Group is being led by Australian Chief Defence Scientist professor Tanya Monro. The team comprises Commonwealth, State and Territory representatives and other industry and university experts.

Australian Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said: “This group led by Professor Monro will support the extensive work that’s already been done to secure and produce more ventilators in Australia, including agreements with local manufacturers ResMed and Grey Innovation.

“We have already witnessed the power of bringing together local manufacturers and clinicians, with an agreement reached for Grey Innovation to lead a group of Aussie companies in making 2,000 invasive ventilators.”

Army Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Army Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact across the defence sector.

Excellence in Action
SignalGeneriX has won the Autonomous Technology Innovation Award for its LOTUS AI Mission Computer -a compact, rugged edge AI platform delivering up to 100 TOPS for ISR, EW, robotics and autonomous systems. Discover how LOTUS is redefining real-time decision-making and autonomy across demanding defence missions.

Discover the Impact