Innovation Journey

Turning an idea into reality will require an established innovation process. In SingHealth, digital innovation goes through a stringent process to ensure its adherence to IT cybersecurity and Data governance Framework. The innovation journey can be categorized into four phases:

Ideation
Protoyping
Translation
Commercialization

Before the development of new solutions take place, innovators need to first identify and understand the clinical problems that are associated with their chosen strategic focus area. The process of identifying critical clinical problems requires innovators to utilize observation skills and discover new ways of looking at processes, procedures, and events. The well-observed problem, in turn, provides the basis for describing a need – the fundamental building block of the innovation process.

In the ideation stage, emphasis will be placed on the following:

Addressing specific problems or needs
Identifying unmet user needs or existing pain points
Checking market opportunities for adoption

Cluster Level Ideation Resources

Innovation Seed Grant

Innovation Seed Grant (ISG) is a Academic Clinical Program (ACP) Funding for innovators to get early prototyping funding support for their ideas. ISG aims to kick-start and translate early stage innovation projects into working prototypes which would be used to gather feedback from potential users and test the technical feasibility for potential scalability across the cluster. There are two grant calls a year and all staff, i.e. nurses, allied health professionals, administrators and clinicians are encouraged to participate in collaboration with ACPs.

Sandbox

In the world of healthcare innovation, sandbox environments are secure testing grounds for breakthrough technologies without compromising patient safety.

Center for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technologies (CHART) functions as both a sandbox and an implementation task force to optimize automation processes in deploying healthcare robotics and autonomous systems.

For more information on CGH CHART sandbox, please visit CHART | Changi General Hospital contact CHART at chart@cgh.com.sg

HealthX-Innovation Sandbox: The HealthX Co-Innovation Lab enables collaboration on HealthTech innovation between public healthcare institutions and industry partners. Public healthcare institutions can leverage this platform to rethink problems, design and build prototypes or experiment with innovation solutions by tapping into resources from HealthX Co-Innovation Lab.

Healthcare Commercial Cloud (HCC) Sandbox: HCC a dedicated cloud platform designed to provide secure and customized infrastructure for healthcare professionals and organizations. Similar to the Government Commercial Cloud, HCC enables healthcare organizations to leverage commercial cloud services while ensuring stringent security and compliance requirements are met. It provides a standardized landing zone infrastructure with common Border Control Services and Compliance Services across cloud service providers (AWS & Azure).

Sandbox APIs: Accelerate healthcare innovation with secure, production-equivalent APIs. Test, validate, and integrate solutions seamlessly for smooth live deployment.

For more information on HealthX Innovation Sandbox, please visit Synapxe - HealthX Innovation Sandbox or contact Synapxe at healthx@synapxe.sg

Ideation Programs for Innovators

Innovation Clinic

The Innovation Clinic is run by SingHealth Office For Innovation (SHOFI) to provide a platform for innovators across SingHealth DukeNUS AMC to seek advice from a multi-disciplinary expert panel and validate their ideas to get it off the ground. The clinics facilitate link-ups with relevant avenues of support for the ideas to be further developed. The panel of experts from the various fields such as:

Prototyping
Process re-design
Procurement
IT & Digital Strategy
Technology Scouting

You can read up more on Innovation Clinic here.

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The prototyping phase bridges the gap between ideation and translation by developing tangible representations of your innovation concept. This phase focuses on creating initial proof-of-concepts (POCs) or pre-POCs that demonstrate the feasibility and potential of your solution. During this stage, innovators transform abstract ideas into testable prototypes whilst conducting preliminary intellectual property assessments to understand the innovation landscape and potential protection opportunities.

In the prototyping stage, emphasis will be placed on the following:

Developing pre-proof-of-concept or proof-of-concept models·
Conducting intellectual property assessment and point-of-view analysis·
Creating rapid iterations to test core functionalities and assumptions

Cluster Level Translation Resources

Clinical System Innovation Main Grant

The Clinical System Innovation (CSI) Main Grant is an initiative under the Academic Clinical Programme (ACP) Funding and co-administered by SingHealth Office for Innovation and Joint Office of Academic Medicine, seeks to provide innovators with funding to catalyse ideas and develop prototypes. There are two grant calls a year and all staff, i.e. nurses, allied health professionals, administrators and clinicians are encouraged to participate in collaboration with ACPs.

AMII Test-Bedding and Adoption Grant

This grant aims to bridge the gap between your validated prototypes and its adoption at your institute or across the SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC and beyond by applying for the Academic Medicine Innovation Institute (AMII) Adoption Grant. Projects seeking support for testing feasibility and test-bedding of their innovations in clinical practice or to bridge the gaps for adoption and implementation of their innovations across clusters can apply for Tier-1 funding support of up to $300,000 or Tier-2 funding support of up to $500,000 for maximum period of 15 months.

Intellectual Property (IP) Advisory

Do you have an innovation that requires that requires IP protection? Do you need an IP strategy to move your innovation towards commercialization?

For more information, please contact SingHealth Intellectual Property (SHIP) at SHIP@singhealth.com.sg.

The translation phase focuses on transforming validated prototypes into viable solutions ready for real-world implementation. This stage involves developing comprehensive commercial models, advancing product development, conducting necessary clinical studies, and securing regulatory approvals. The translation phase ensures that your innovation meets both market requirements and regulatory standards whilst establishing a clear pathway to commercialisation.

In the translation stage, emphasis will be placed on the following:

Developing robust commercial models and business strategies
Advancing product development to meet market specifications
Conducting clinical studies to validate efficacy and safety
Securing necessary regulatory approvals for market entry

Medical Technologies Office (MTO) Advisory
MTO maintains an ISO13485 certified quality management system. They specializes in the technical development and management, technical documentation, risk assessment, and productization of MedTech projects, guiding innovation projects towards successful adoption.

For more information, please contact Medical Technologies Office (MTO) at MTO@singhealth.com.sg

Intellectual Property (IP) Advisory
Do you have an innovation that requires that requires IP protection? Do you need an IP strategy to move your innovation towards commercialization?

For more information, please contact SingHealth Intellectual Property (SHIP) at SHIP@singhealth.com.sg.

Commercialisation represents the culmination of the innovation journey, focusing specifically on bringing your validated solution to market and achieving sustainable adoption. This phase concentrates on executing market launch strategies and implementing scaling mechanisms to maximise impact and reach. The goal is to generate revenue whilst spreading improvements in patient care across the healthcare ecosystem.

In the commercialisation stage, emphasis will be placed on the following:

Executing strategic market launch initiatives
Implementing adoption strategies for target user groups
Developing and executing scaling plans for broader market penetration

Key Contacts:

Joint Centre for Technology and Development

The Joint Centre for Technology and Development (JointCTeD) provides innovation and entrepreneurship oversight and resources across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre. JointCTeD identifies commercialization opportunities, create commercialization pathways, and provide access to funding and development resources for selected health and biomedical technologies within the AMC.

For more information, please contact Joint CTED at cted@duke-nus.du.sg.

Singhealth Intellectual Property (SHIP)

Do you need to access the pipeline of technologies arising from SingHealth? Do you need to seek any potential licensing opportunities in SingHealth?

For more information, please contact SHIP at SHIP@singhealth.com.sg.