Speech by 2M Tan See Leng at A*STAR's 3 x Joint Labs Signing Ceremony and Innovation Factory @ SIMTech Opening

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Introduction

1. A very good afternoon to all.

2. I am pleased to be here today to witness the launch of joint labs between A*STAR and three of our industry partners – M8M, Mencast and Mirxes – as well as to officiate the opening of the new facility for the Innovation Factory @ SIMTech or IF@SIMTech.

3. I am heartened to hear about the good progress that has been made, to spur research and innovation efforts through various collaborations between the public and private sectors. This has contributed to the development of an open and inclusive ecosystem where research, innovation and enterprise can come together to create commercially-meaningful outcomes for businesses, and help our industry partners scale up.

4. Allow me to share two “growth stories” with you today.

5. First, the growth of collaborations between industry partners, public sector agencies and the wider research community. Through these, companies can tap available resources, knowledge and capabilities to strategise growth, adopt technologies, and upgrade in-house capabilities.

6. This empowers businesses, including SMEs, to boost competitiveness through co-developing and co-deploying manufacturing technologies.

7. Agencies like A*STAR and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) have been supporting SMEs in areas such as productivity, innovation, and capability enhancement, through initiatives such as EnterpriseSG’s Centres of Innovation (COI), which are one-stop innovation hubs that work with SMEs to create new products, services, or solutions in thematic areas such as electronics, energy, environment and water. Today, there are 12 such one-stop innovation hubs.

8. A*STAR’s research institutes are also well-positioned to support industry partners in jointly developing and deploying new technological solutions that they may not have the resources or technical know-how to do so on their own. Research collaborations such as joint labs exemplify this synergy.

9. For our industry partners here today – M8M, Mencast, and Mirxes – the opening of the joint labs marks a milestone in their collaboration with A*STAR, and also highlights their commitment to innovate and gain a competitive edge in global markets.

  a. M8M, a solutions provider in the intra-logistics industry, will leverage its joint lab with A*STAR to co-develop and co-deploy an autonomous and intelligent solution for last mile airside baggage handling. It will help improve the efficiency of operations at airports, and enhance the resilience of the airport and intra-logistics sector.

  b. Mencast, a regional engineering and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) solutions provider, will leverage its joint lab with A*STAR to produce customised marine propellers tailored to meet the unique requirements of customers in the maritime industry.

  c. Mirxes, a Singapore-headquartered RNA technology company, plans to leverage its joint lab with A*STAR to co-develop and deliver an agile, resilient, and sustainable Industry 4.0-enabled In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) manufacturing solution. This solution can be reconfigurable and scalable for IVD manufacturing, and has the potential to reinforce both the local and global diagnostics value chain in the MedTech industry.

10. The joint labs are just some examples of many public-private partnerships and demonstrate the Singapore Government’s commitment to working with and supporting businesses in their innovation endeavours.

11. The second growth story I would like to share is that of the IF@SIMTech. In 2020, I was also invited to launch the pilot IF@SIMTech at its old premises at NTU.

12. Since then, IF@SIMTech has made great strides.

13. Today, we also celebrate the official opening of the IF@SIMTech in its new facility. A*STAR and EnterpriseSG have come together for this initiative to help SMEs transform their ideas into commercially-viable products.

14. The new 5,000 sq. ft co-creation space is equipped with design tools and equipment such as 3D printers for rapid prototyping. A*STAR will bring in design and engineering experts from its research institutes to help companies accelerate prototype creation and upscaling.

15. Since its pilot, IF@SIMTech has grown its member base to more than 60 local enterprises which are embarking on their product innovation journey. These span across different sectors such as Consumer Goods, Industrial Products, as well as Healthcare and Wellness. In addition, the IF@SIMTech has also grown to support enterprises in designing products in the area of sustainability. To date, 11 products have been successfully launched to market.

16. Several companies have already reaped the benefits of this modality.

  a. For example, Hyprcool, a local startup, collaborated with the IF@SIMTech to create a working prototype that incorporates their patented direct-to-server Jet Impingement liquid cooling technology. This prototype, designed to fit 1U liquid-cooled server units (or server units that are around 1.75 inches in height), will address the increased demand for high performance computing applications such as AI and machine learning, which are increasingly being used in enterprise environments and data centres.

  b. Quantum Volts is another local startup that is working with the IF@SIMTech to design a universal battery swapping station for electric bikes. This will be the first electric motorcycle battery swapping station in Singapore that is powered by green and renewable energy sources. This solution will help Quantum Volts reduce their carbon footprint as a service provider, and contribute to a more sustainable future.

17. Today, the IF@SIMTech will also ink a new collaboration with Singapore-headquartered incubator, VentureBlick, allowing more MedTech startups to tap on the product innovation methodology to streamline their journey from ideation and testing, to venture building and market success in the MedTech industry.

18. Such co-creation spaces bring together interested businesses, industry, and agencies to spur innovation efforts and ideation.

19. I strongly encourage SMEs to tap on this facility in your innovation endeavours, to catalyse R&D and scale up ideas to production.

Closing

20. The Singapore Government will continue to offer robust support to aid businesses, including SMEs, in their innovation journey, to become more competitive in today’s economy. We want to grow local, and help our local businesses go global.

21. Together, let us explore new opportunities to enable sustainable long-term growth for our SMEs and our economy.

22. Thank you.