The Australia India Institute (AII) has been awarded the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership (AICCTP) grant by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for a groundbreaking project focused on strengthening submarine cable connectivity and resilience.
This collaboration brings together the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) and Australian cybersecurity leader CyberCX.
The project, titled “Securing the Internet’s Backbone: Developing an Australia-India Framework for Strengthening Submarine Cable Connectivity, Resilience, and Supply Chains,” is spearheaded by AII Research Fellow Samuel Bashfield.
Bashfield is expert on Indo-Pacific security and defence policy with ten years’ experience as an author, researcher, consultant and project manager, delivering insights and dialogue on our most pressing national security challenges.
Bashfield emphasised the crucial role of submarine cables, which handle nearly 99% of global internet traffic and are essential to digital communication.
“Submarine cable networks form the backbone of modern digital information flows,” he added.
“As these networks expand, the need to protect and enhance their resilience has become even more urgent.”
This project was selected in round four of DFAT’s AICCTP funding and underscores Australia and India’s shared dedication to cybersecurity and critical technology.
The initiative will produce policy-focused publications and culminate in a “1.5 Track Dialogue” in Perth in 2025, gathering leaders from government, industry, and academia to strengthen digital infrastructure resilience.
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