Application Process

Grants can be utilised for funding different aspects of  technology development e.g., manpower, consumables, preclinical studies, prototyping, external consultancies, usage of external facilities and others. The usage of the funds allocated by SCOUT will be determined by the project PI with the support and involvement of the SCOUT office and relevant institutional Technology Development & Commercialisation  / Research Admin teams. 

Please approach the SCOUT team at any time for an initial discussion and assessment. The team will need to establish who are the key team members and participating institutions within and, as the case may be, outside SingHealth and whether collaboration agreements and/or invention disclosures are already in place to determine key aspects of project operations and technology commercialisation thereof.

The SCOUT team will work with the PI and team to conduct an initial commercial and technology analysis and put together a project proposal based on a pre-defined template, including establishing project KPIs and working with the SingHealth IP (SHIP) office on IP evaluation. The proposal will then be raised to the SCOUT Management Committee for initial review, and upon the committee’s recommendation will be submitted to the Investment Committee for formal evaluation.

The Investment Committee will evaluate the project proposal and funding will be approved upon support from at least three out of five committee members. Following approval, the SCOUT team will inform the PI of the status and work with the PI on the practicalities involved in commencing work. 

Technology development activities follow according to the approved project plan, with the SCOUT team collaborating closely throughout this phase on operational and administrative support. The investigator will submit progress report twice annually for intermediate reviews by both Committees.  The KPIs, set out at the beginning of the funding phase, must be met by end of the stage before the next phase of funding can be applied for and  considered.