Pattens Group Pty Ltd

A vital new lifeline in the fight against aggressive breast cancer — led right here in Australia. 🔬✨

Triple-negative breast cancer is notoriously hard to treat, accounting for a disproportionate number of breast cancer deaths because standard targeted therapies simply don’t work on it.

But Australian scientists from the University of Adelaide and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute have uncovered a game-changing molecular switch (miR-342) driving the spread of the disease.

The most exciting part? Instead of spending a decade developing new compounds from scratch, the team discovered that an existing, approved breast cancer therapy (CDK4/6 inhibitors like palbociclib) could be repurposed to shut this pathway down and halt secondary tumour growth.

It is incredible homegrown science that could fast-track new treatment options to patients when every second counts. 🇦🇺

What medical breakthrough do you hope to see Australian researchers tackle next? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

Imagine topping up your car's battery faster than filling a tank of petrol at the bowser. ⚡️

Aussie researchers have just achieved a global first: proving that quantum batteries actually charge faster the bigger they get!

Led by Dr James Quach at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, alongside RMIT University and the University of Melbourne, the team built a room-temperature proof-of-concept battery that harnesses quantum entanglement and superposition instead of slow chemical reactions.

Charged wirelessly using laser light, this homegrown breakthrough could radically transform how we power everything from offshore drones and maritime vessels to everyday electric vehicles. 🇦🇺💡

If you could wirelessly beam power to any device in your life right now, what would it be? Drop your thoughts below! 👇

Australia just backed its defence industry with US$3 billion in finance.

The new Defence Industry Growth Facility gives Australian defence businesses — especially SMEs — access to loans, bonds, guarantees and equity to expand facilities, grow exports and build Defence-aligned capability.

It's not a grant. It's government-backed finance designed to help you scale faster.
Full program details, including application dates, are still to be released — but the businesses that prepare now will be first to move.

Thinking about how this could apply to your business? Drop a comment or send us a DM.

Need more info about this particular program? Visit this link: https://pattens.com/grants/defence-industry-growth-facility/

Australia’s LAND 156 counter-drone initiative is advancing with the evaluation of OpenWorks Engineering’s Vision Guard system.

OpenWorks has been contracted to supply Vision Guard to the Australian Defence Force for evaluation as an early-warning capability for dismounted personnel.

The portable system combines panoramic optical sensing with AI-enabled detection, tracking and identification, and can be configured to fuse radar, acoustic and other sensor inputs.

Importantly, this is an evaluation contract, rather than a confirmed full-scale operational procurement.

If validated, capabilities such as Vision Guard could give frontline personnel additional warning time against small drones used for reconnaissance or attack.

Australia is turning sunshine into a global energy opportunity. ☀️

Sun Cable is a proposed Australian-led project that could generate renewable electricity in the Northern Territory and transmit it to Singapore through one of the world’s longest subsea power links.

It is not exporting electricity yet, and its final route, capacity, financing and timeline are still being developed. But the vision is significant: Australian solar power could eventually support regional energy security, reduce emissions and demonstrate how renewable energy can cross borders. 🌏⚡

Could Australia become one of the world’s leading clean-energy exporters?

A historic public health victory decades in the making! 🇦🇺✨

Australia has officially been validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, making us the 30th country in the world—and the first in history to conquer this blinding disease across such vast, remote landscapes.

Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of preventable blindness. While it disappeared from urban areas decades ago, it persisted in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

This incredible milestone is a direct result of decades of tireless leadership by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), dedicated local healthcare workers, and community-led initiatives rolling out targeted screening, treatment, and improved local infrastructure.

It proves what is possible when healthcare solutions are community-driven, culturally safe, and backed by long-term commitment. 👏

What other long-standing public health challenges do you think could be solved by putting local communities firmly in the driver’s seat?

Government Proposes Largest R&D Tax Boost in Years

Base rate entities could see refundable offsets climb from 43.5% to 48% under the 2026-27 Federal Budget

Australian businesses running genuine research and development are set for a windfall. The 2026-27 Federal Budget proposes lifting the refundable R&D Tax Incentive offset for base rate entities from 43.5% to 48%, the largest single increase to the scheme in years.

Under the plan, the premium paid on top of a company's tax rate rises from 18.5% to 23%. For a base rate entity paying 25% corporate tax, that takes the total refundable offset to 48%. Non-base rate entities, which pay 30% tax, would see their offset rise to 53%.

The size of the gain depends on how much a company spends and where that spend sits. A 4.5 percentage point rise in the headline rate can translate to a 25% to 50% increase in the actual dollar value a business receives back.

The change targets core R&D activity: work built on genuine technical uncertainty, where the outcome isn't known going in. Businesses running deep, experimental research stand to gain the most, particularly in biotech, medtech, and advanced manufacturing, where cash flow during the testing phase often decides whether a project moves forward.

For entrepreneurs and startups weighing whether to keep research onshore or take it offshore, the proposed rate makes Australia a stronger place to run that work. For established SMEs already claiming the incentive, it means a bigger refund on the same spend, without any change to how the program operates day to day.

The measure isn't law. It's a proposal in the current Federal Budget, with a start date set for income years from 1 July 2028. That gives businesses close to two years to plan their research programs around the higher rate rather than react to it once it lands.

For a country that has spent years being told to spend more on innovation, this is the government putting money behind the ask. Businesses running real experimentation now have a clear incentive, and a clear deadline, to plan for.

First Nations Organisations: $10M Is Now Open to Fast-Track Your Clean Energy Project.

The Australian Government has opened applications for the First Nations Clean Energy Projects – Pilot Grants, offering $1 million to $10 million to help First Nations organisations move clean energy projects from feasibility to financial close.

Funding can cover engineering design, approvals, financing readiness, workforce planning and community engagement — up to 100% of eligible costs.

Applications open 1 September 2026 and close 28 September 2026. With only two grants available nationally, early preparation matters.

🔗 To learn more about the comprehensive eligibility criteria, priority sectors, and compliance requirements, check our dedicated grant page: https://pattens.com/grants/first-nations-clean-energy-projects-pilot-grants/

Is your organisation eligible? Comment below or send us a message to find out.

A huge leap forward for marine conservation, designed right here in Australia! 🪸🇦🇺

Aussie non-profit Reef Design Labs is leading the charge to rebuild devastated marine ecosystems using modular, 3D-printed ceramic blocks.

Developed by Melbourne entrepreneur Alex Goad, the Modular Artificial Reef Structure (MARS) system works like an underwater Lego set.

Divers can quickly snap the custom ceramic pieces together by hand without heavy machinery, recreating the natural nooks and crannies corals and marine life need to thrive.

Deployed as far as the Maldives, these ceramic blocks act as living underwater laboratories, helping scientists research heat-tolerant corals while providing immediate shelter for ocean species fighting climate change. 🐠✨

What other Aussie innovations give you hope for the future of our oceans? Drop your thoughts below! 👇