Boeing Research & Technology - Australia

Boeing Research & Technology – Australia supports the future growth and profitability of Boeing Australia’s businesses and the broader Boeing enterprise. This advanced research and development arm creates future aerospace solutions while improving the cycle time, cost, quality and performance of current systems.

Two Australian-based locations – the Melbourne Technology Centre, co-located with Boeing Aerostructures Australia and the Brisbane Technology Centre, co-located in The University of Queensland, are microcosms of research and development transforming the aerospace and defence industry.

Partnering for a Brighter Future

BR&T-A is a highly collaborative organisation that brings the best of Australian technology to Boeing. It’s a focal point for collaboration with research and development organisations, including universities, private sector providers, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Defence Science and Technology Group. A core strategy of BR&T-A’s success is leveraging Australia’s leading universities in technology domains of strategic importance to Boeing. BR&T-A champions unique PhD Alliance and Industry Scholarship programs, which provide top-up funding for PhD students and creates a leading talent pipeline for Boeing Australia.

A hallmark of Boeing's technology partnerships in Australia is a 30+ year relationship with CSIRO. The two organisations have jointly invested more than $AUD200 million over the course of the partnership. CSIRO has been named Boeing’s Supplier of the Year on five occasions: 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the Environmental category, and 2023. The parties have made numerous breakthroughs since first partnering in 1989.

Research Areas

The work BR&T-A performs today transcends numerous parts of Boeing's businesses in Australia and around the world.

In Brisbane, research areas include:

  • Additive manufacturing
  • Advanced autonomy
  • Computational mechanics
  • Human factors
  • Live virtual, and constructive modelling and simulation.
  • Model-based engineering
  • Remote testing and advanced test automation

In Melbourne, research areas include:

  • Composite material development
  • Integrated composite architectures
  • Automated production systems
  • Low cost resin infusion technology

The team works closely with the manufacturers of flight control surfaces for Boeing commercial and defence aircraft, providing highly integrated large-scale resin-infused composite structures and production system technologies. BR&T-A is creating the next generation of Industry 4.0 and 5.0 technologies through its research on light robotics and automation, which is improving factory and employee safety.

Research Technology Transitions from BR&T-A

Recent examples of technology transitions include:

Cobots
Improving factory safety in Melbourne.

CST-100 Starliner training
Developing a virtual reality (VR) training ground for astronauts on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.

Conceptual image of blue data fields

Autonomous Systems and AI
Designing, developing and upgrading autonomous systems and networked operations for customers.