Queensland company aims high after receiving Palaszczuk Government funding

A Queensland company commercialising a world-first drone design has been awarded Palaszczuk Government Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding.

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said today (Sunday) Kelvin Grove’s Iridium Dynamics is behind an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) – called Halo – which aims to deliver significantly improved combined flight and hover capacity.

Ms Enoch said the company is using cutting-edge technology to design, build and test the next generation of aeronautical and robotics technologies.

“The Halo is the first vertical take-off and landing UAV combining efficient forward-flight with hovering,” Ms Enoch said. “The company’s UAVs aim to achieve a tenfold increase in hovering efficiency over other hovering fixed-wing UAVs currently in the market, or in development.

“The Palaszczuk Government is providing innovative businesses – like Iridium Dynamics - with opportunities to break into new markets.

“We are supporting these businesses to develop new and improved products, processes, helping to strengthen our existing industries and create new opportunities and jobs”.

Iridium Dynamics, a startup founded in 2015 by young aerospace engineers designing new aerospace technology, was originally attracted from New South Wales under the Palaszczuk Government’s Advance Queensland Hot DesQ program.

Their UAV technology is innovative in that it flies in two different flight modes – it is configured as an aeroplane primarily for long distance travel, and large area inspections, and it can also hover for up-close inspections, take-off and landing.

CEO Ian Conway Lamb said the funding will create three new jobs – with another 20 anticipated over three years.

“The Ignite Ideas grant will help us to reduce our manufacturing costs and provide a product which is affordable even to smaller organisations operating long-range UAVs,” he said.

 “The grant will help to streamline our manufacturing processes, and ensure the product is thoroughly tested, so Iridium Dynamics develops a reputation for building high-reliability UAVs, starting with the first production models.

 “Queensland has a very supportive startup ecosystem. In Queensland we have found we have good access to early funding support, academic expertise through the local universities, and great technical talent to build a company.”

Iridium Dynamics is among 85 innovative Queensland applicants – independently assessed in a highly competitive process - sharing in $10 million under round three of Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding. The company received almost $100,000.

“The Palaszczuk Government has so far supported 203 Queensland businesses through $26.5 million of Ignite Ideas funding over three rounds, driving more than a thousand new jobs,” Ms Enoch said.

 Ignite Ideas is part of the $420 million Advance Queensland initiative turning ideas into action by investing in research and technologies, attracting new investment, building global partnerships and encouraging businesses to start and grow in Queensland.

 Visit the Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas Fund webpage for more information on the program and its recipients.

 ENDS

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