SABRE Alliance: Bringing Defence, Industry and Research Together to Safeguard Australia

In July 2022, Defence launched the 'Safeguarding Australia through Biotechnology Response and Engagement' (SABRE) Alliance, to bring together biotech capabilities from Australia’s universities, research institutes, SMEs and manufacturers to connect them with the needs of the Defence and national security sectors. MTPConnect has played a role in establishing the SABRE Alliance and in March 2023, the ‘Advancing the SABRE Alliance’ workshop was held in Canberra, as part of the ‘Science Meets Parliament’ program. Our podcast host Caroline Duell was at the event to find out about the initiative and how the sector can get involved. We hear from SABRE Alliance Co- Chairs, Dr Peter Shoubridge (DSTG) and Professor Mark Hutchinson (STA), who explain the origins and purpose of the SABRE Alliance. SABRE Committee members Sue MacLeman, Professor Emily Hilder (DSTG), Dr Leigh Farrell (DMTC) and Major Ricky Schmidt talk about the importance of industry, science and researchers coming together to solve Defence’s most pressing needs. We also hear from industry and science representatives, UQ’s Professor Trent Munro from Microba, Professor Jia-Yee Lee from the University of Melbourne, Paul Davies from Abbott and Dr Andy Shepherd from CSIRO.