In an innovative collaboration between industry and academia, Chaos1 and UTS are expanding their partnership to harness the potential of student interns, bridging the technical skills gap to support the development of Defence capability. The partnership not only addresses industry demand but also builds a pipeline of highly skilled, job-ready workers who have a heightened understanding of Defence capability challenges.
Chaos1, a mission-first Defence technology company, has continued to expand its strategic partnership with UTS to engage student software development and mechatronics interns to work on Defence-focussed capabilities. Over the last 8 months, 23 interns have been supporting the development and deployment of Chaos1’s ‘EURECAx’– an intelligent innovation decision-making platform to solve novel planning and rapid prototyping efforts at pace for Australian and Allied Defence and National Security practitioners.
EURECAx helps innovative decision-makers action critical outcomes faster, leveraging AI with a security-first approach. Chaos1 has taken its theoretical ‘Design Action’ framework, EURECA, which has a proven history of generating novel capability and planning options for niche areas within Defence and evolved it into an intelligent, simple, scalable and collaborative platform to bring innovation to life.
Engaging with student interns has not only streamlined the development process but also brought the timeline forward by at least 18 months. The UTS students, mainly from Software Engineering, Computing Science, and IT degrees, have contributed to both the front-end interface and back-end development, integrating AI features that are tailored to support complex problem-solving under time constraints.
The partnership has not only accelerated our development and deployment of EURECAx, but it has also showcased the stellar talent at UTS whilst also allowing Chaos1 to provide a unique experience and insight for the students when it comes to the importance of Defence capability. Benny Johanson, Founder & CEO, Chaos1.
Beyond technical expertise, student interns working with Chaos1 at UTS Tech Lab have gained invaluable commercial skills. This unique opportunity allows students to develop confidence, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills within a commercial context. In an environment where not everyone possesses the same technical knowledge, students learn to adapt and excel.
Being part of the Chaos1 project at UTS Tech Lab has been a transformative experience. Working on the EURECAx platform not only expanded my technical skills but also provided a unique glimpse into the critical role digital tools play in solving real-world problems in the Defence sector. The mentorship and collaboration with Chaos1 has been invaluable, giving me the confidence to consider a future career in Defence technology. Trish, UTS Software Engineering student.
The partnership between Chaos1, UTS Tech Lab, and student interns is a testament to the power of collaboration in addressing Defence industry challenges. By fostering talent pipelines, this collaboration not only meets the immediate needs of the Defence sector but also nurtures the skills and capabilities of the next generation of professionals. As we look toward the future, this relationship between industry and academia paves the way for continued innovation and excellence in the defence technology landscape.