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Brisbane-based veteran-owned defence company EPE Oceania has secured a $3.05 million grant from the Queensland Government's Sovereign Industry Development Fund (SIDF) to upgrade and expand a drone manufacturing facility in South-East Queensland.
The funding will support Project MOSAIC, a partnership between EPE Oceania and Grabba Technology to develop Australian-designed small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) and adaptable drone components, creating 25 highly skilled jobs in the process.
EPE Oceania CEO Warwick Penrose says the grant will boost the company's ambitions in sovereign drone manufacturing.
“This support will help accelerate the industrialisation and export of Australian sovereign uncrewed aerial systems developed and manufactured right here in Queensland,” he says.
“Project MOSAIC brings together two innovative Queensland companies to build a scalable, trusted sovereign capability that strengthens Australia's defence preparedness, creates highly skilled local jobs and expands opportunities for Queensland manufacturers throughout the supply chain.”
Grabba Technologies acting managing director Ross McKinnon sees Project MOSAIC as a strategically significant step towards positioning Queensland as Australia’s UAS centre of excellence.
“The capabilities and skills roles delivered through the SIDF grant are pivotal in ensuring Australia’s long-term national security objectives,” he says.
The $3.05 million grant was drawn from the Queensland Government's $180.6 million SIDF, which has attracted more than 250 applications seeking over $2.2 billion in funding.
The fund is designed to grow sovereign manufacturing capability in defence and other strategic industries across Queensland, which is home to more than 163,000 current and former Australian Defence Force personnel.
Jarrod Bleijie, the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, says the fund is focused on delivery and backing investment-ready projects that would deliver real sovereign capability, secure jobs and long-term economic value for Queenslanders.
“Queensland is building the capability to design and manufacture next-generation technologies locally, and this project is part of that,” says Bleijie.
“It strengthens local manufacturing, supports supply chains and creates skilled jobs in a growing advanced manufacturing sector.
“We’re also proud to back veteran-owned businesses like EPE Oceania, creating new opportunities for former Defence personnel to use their skills in civilian jobs here in Queensland.”
The latest announcement builds on a string of defence and space contracts for EPE Oceania, which has rapidly expanded its footprint across Australia's strategic industries.
In December 2024 EPE Oceania was selected to co-lead the $42 million ELO 2 Consortium alongside Lunar Outpost Oceania to build Australia's first lunar rover, nicknamed "Roo-ver," for a NASA Artemis mission.
That project is funded by the Australian Space Agency and aims to deliver a semi-autonomous rover capable of operating on the lunar surface.
EPE Oceania's partner on Project MOSAIC, Grabba Technologies, also has existing federal defence credentials.
In August 2024 the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) awarded Grabba Technologies one of three contracts worth $2.2 million each to produce 100 general-purpose sovereign drones following a competitive fly-off demonstration. AMSL Aero and Boresight received the other two contracts under the same program.
The SIDF grant is subject to EPE Oceania meeting project milestones tied to the facility upgrade and job creation targets.
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