TechInnovation 2020 saw start-ups, polytechnics and universities presenting new technologies and ideas across crowdpitching sessions on four unique themes.

Innovating amid disruption
In crisis there is opportunity, particularly for innovators. Check out 10 interesting Tech Offers found on IPI’s Innovation Marketplace in 2020.

2020 was a year unlike any other. But amid the disruption, opportunities abounded. Pharmaceutical and biotech firms raced to invent vaccines, with the most successful ones minting new billionaires. Elsewhere, innovators were at work in areas ranging from materials and chemicals to health and personal care, busy harnessing opportunities brought about by the pandemic.

While cities occupy just 2% of the earth’s land mass, they house more than half of the world’s population. The global urbanisation rate will increase from 54% to 66% in 2050, according to the United Nations. ASEAN is urbanising at a rapid pace and its reliance on cities as a source of growth is set to increase in the next decade. As more flock to the city’s bright lights, the burden will increase on key public services. Governments need to make their cities safer, sustainable and more efficient. Cities need to be smart.

How IPI fosters innovation through partnerships 
IPI’s refreshed identity reflects its proactive role in empowering enterprises to thrive through innovation, according to IPI CEO Wong Lup Wai.

New and improved technologies for the beauty, healthcare and wearable tech industries.

As the largest and fast-growing organ of the human body, our skin is more than a mechanical barrier that protects our bodies from the rest of the world. It allows us to sense our environment, regulate our body temperature, and—with the help of technology—give us a window into our health.

IPI to give Sustainability a boost through new Innovation Challenge

A blind woman is walking along a street, slowly approaching an obstacle ahead. As she gets closer, the device hanging from her neck emit a high-pulse click, which reflects off the object.

Trained in human echolocation, the returning echo activates a visual processing area in her brain, providing her with information such as the shape, material and distance, which she then uses to build a 3D image of the object in her mind. A wooden bench, she concludes, before she continues on her stroll.

From access to grants, state-of-the-art technology and co-innovation opportunities, the IoT Innovation Challenge 2018 co-organised by IPI, Enterprise Singapore and the Centre of Innovation for Electronics & IoT has helped four Singapore start-ups fast-track their goals. We speak to them to find out how the competition has transformed their businesses.
 

SpaceAge Labs
Deepak Pitta
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

Every aspect of daily life inevitably leaves an impact on the environment: heating or cooling our indoor spaces, throwing out the trash or running the dishwasher all consume energy. But what if the built environment itself—with the help of smarter design—could help mitigate your negative impact on the planet? This is the dream of green buildings.

Thanks to COVID-19, most of our interactions now take place in an almost fully digital world. Employees attend meetings on Zoom and students take exams online; even film festivals and art exhibitions have found ways to take place virtually. While not the same as face-to-face meetings, digital events now have the potential to reach an even wider audience in new and engaging ways.