Flinders University’s launch of “Hacking for National Security” course a step towards added innovation, entrepreneurship, collaboration with Department of Defence

Building on the success that has welcomed its debut efforts in Australia, the Common Mission Project is excited to announce it is expanding its game-changing Hacking for National Security course to a second home.

The non-profit defence accelerator has partnered with Flinders University, where it will continue its mission to empower young entrepreneurial minds, providing them with the materials and connections they require to tackle some of the nation’s most pressing security needs.

“This agreement demonstrates a keen interest held by universities to meaningfully engage with the Department of Defence,” said Jamie Watson, Executive Director of the Common Mission Project in Australia. “Our ‘Hacking for’ platform provides an excellent engagement vehicle under the D. Start Catalyst program run by Defence.”

Common Mission established itself in the country with a 2020 announcement heralding its partnership with the University of New South Wales. There, students in the nation’s pilot

Hacking for National Security course have worked on solutions to two potential scenarios: the need for the Australian Defence Force to remain operational in the event of system-wide communications failure; and the need for Military leaders to make sound command decisions in the face of a previously unseen, ambiguous challenge.

In addition to material support, the course has provided students with access to dozens of industry experts and on-the-ground stakeholders, who have guided their ongoing explorations, which will result in better systems and training for those entrusted with national security.

The “H4D®” model was created at Stanford University by Steve Blank, founder of the Lean Startup movement; Joe Felter, a retired U.S. Army Colonel; and Pete Newell, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former Director of the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, now CEO of BMNT Inc.

Its goal is to marry Military/Intelligence resources and expertise with a nation’s brightest young entrepreneurial minds to create solutions to pressing security problems at start-up speed, a goal not always achievable within lumbering Defence bureaucracies.

Since its debut in 2016, the course has expanded to 50 universities in the U.S. and seven in the UK and, now, two in Australia. Many student teams that have formed companies within the course have discovered their newly developed technologies and programs have civilian markets as well as military ones.

The new collaboration agreement with Flinders University will be implemented in 2022.

The Common Mission Project will provide Flinders with all the materials, collateral and support needed to run a world-class, mission-driven entrepreneurship program targeted toward solving Defence and National Security issues.

“Flinders sees the Hacking for National Security course as a great way to learn about the types of issues that are faced by Defence and increase our knowledge and understanding of how to engage meaningfully with the Department,” said Michael Gilding of Flinders University.