A*STAR Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) domain - Young Individual Research Grant (YIRG)

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Objective

The Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) domain aims to develop and strengthen technological capabilities to support continued growth and competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing and engineering sectors, so as to achieve GDP growth, create good jobs for Singaporeans and position the economy for the future.     

While the MTC IRG aims to develop novel and fresh R&D ideas that are in line with the MTC strategies and goals, solicited through an investigator-led, ground up mechanism across the research ecosystem; the MTC YIRG is a sub-category of grants under the IRG that aims to groom young scientists towards conducting independent research.

Eligibility

Applicants are generally required to fulfil the following criteria at the point of application:

1. Qualification of PhD (not more than 7 years post-PhD) or MD/MBBS/BDS.
2. Employment:
   • PI must hold a primary appointment of at least 75% in a local publicly funded institute (E.g. Minimum of 9 months employment per year with a local Singapore Institution throughout project duration).
   • Co-investigator (Co-I) must hold an appointment in a local publicly funded institution.
3. Not an awardee of the following grants: NRF Fellowship, MOE Tier 2 and 3 grants, MOH/NMRC IRG-equivalent grants.
4. Work with a mentor for guidance in their research.
5. No outstanding report for all national grants currently or previously held.

Funding Details
Typically up to S$325,000 per project (inclusive of 30% indirect costs) over 3 years.

Submission

Please note that there is a limit to the number of submissions by A*STAR. All applicants must first complete the attached ‘2026 MTC IRG YIRG Proposal Template’ and submit through their Host institution’s Research Offices to SingHealth Office of Research (OoR), attention to Khairunisa Binte Khaider at khairunisa.khaider@singhealth.com.sg by 26 May 2026 (Tuesday), 12pm for initial review and shortlisting of all the applications.

For more information on the submission document, please refer to the attached ‘2026 MTC YIRG Application Guide’ and ‘2026 MTC YIRG FAQ’ PDF file.

Note: SingHealth PIs are to please refer to your respective Institutional Research Administrators for guidance on internal deadlines and submission procedures set by your institutions.

Contact person 

For enquiries on YIRG, please contact:

irg_mtc@a-star.edu.sg

Additional Information

MTC YIRG 2026