In a bid to turn the top and tails of fish into quality ingredients for human consumption, Denis Asia Pacific works with IPI and the team at Sunvisiae Biotech.

SinFooTech is all for creating a cleaner, greener future. So, when the local start-up discovered a method of turning soy whey − a by-product of tofu production − into a fruity and floral beverage, they spied a tasty opportunity for an alcoholic drink that checked all the eco-friendly boxes.

When Robin Low, CEO of ARB Technologies (ARB), stepped through the doors of TechInnovation 2018, he was full of anticipation about meeting an innovation scout from Mitsui. It was his first time presenting his company to such a large MNC and one that could open new doors for the business.

A chance encounter with IPI in 2015 evolved into a unique opportunity for Nipo International to collaborate with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on a groundbreaking innovation which can potentially help save money, lives and the environment. As a manufacturer of coating systems for the construction industry, Nipo is always exploring new technologies to bridge technology supply and demand.

David Tan and his team mulled over their revenue for the first quarter of 2020, the lowest in their more than 45 years of business, through a virtual meeting at the start of Singapore’s circuit breaker in April. It seemed like there was no end in sight for the raging COVID-19 pandemic in both local and overseas markets as food operations slowed down tremendously, recalled Par International Holdings’ CEO.

With the aim to salvage fallen trees in Singapore and transform them into sustainable products that are valuable, local woodworking and carpentry firm, Roger&Sons kickstarted the Local Tree Project in 2019.

The family-run woodworking business is committed to utilising local raw materials to create bespoke furniture and other wooden objects, but the management and handling of tropical trees in Singapore was not well-established. The existing technologies available to utilise these local trees and the machinery required to process them are still not fully optimised.

GIIAVA’s partnership with NUS, sparked off by IPI, aims to repurpose low-grade vegetable oil for higher value-added uses, which increases revenue yet benefits the environment.

Dr Yashodhan Bhawe stood in front of several large tanks, looking puzzled. He was expecting a straightforward scale-up for a new vegetable oil upgrading process, but things turned awry when “big masses of blobs” were produced instead.

When a Singapore company that distributes smart waste bins met a Finnish firm that produces wall robots that clean building exteriors at a technology matching event co-organised by IPI and the Helsinki Business Hub, the two were drawn to each other. Their focus on smart products meant they could collaborate on research and innovation.

With increased recognition of the environmental impact and the potential loss in value of the by-products from aquatic wastes, such as frog and fish, which have been traditionally discarded, researchers are increasingly looking at how to recover biomaterials such as collagen and develop them into high value-added products for various applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.

The “last mile” problem in logistics refers to the last leg in the delivery of a product from supplier to customer. It is often the least efficient link in the supply chain. For local third-party logistics company, Courex Pte Ltd, which supports retailers in their logistics operations, it saw opportunities to use technology to improve its operations in this final crucial stage to overcome challenges in delivering goods in dense urban cities.