SMART Innovation Grant

Objective

The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) is a major research enterprise in Singapore established by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in partnership with the National Research Foundation of Singapore (NRF) in 2007. It aims to serve as a major anchor point for MIT in Asia; a place for innovation and industrial engagement for MIT in Asia.

The SMART Innovation Centre under SMART helps to identify and nurture a broad range of emerging technologies including but not limited to biotechnology, biomedical devices, information technology, new materials, nanotechnology, and energy innovations and will act as a catalyst to create a fertile environment for faculty and student entrepreneurship to grow. It administers a Grant Programme (Innovation Grant & Ignition Grant) that enables faculty and students to pursue exciting new avenues of market-driven research and participate in programmes that will help accelerate their innovations toward commercialisation.

The Innovation Grant, together with the support from the SMART Innovation Centre aims to assist faculty and their research team move their discovery from the laboratory toward the marketplace. The funding will be used to:

1. De-risk the technology by developing prototypes or conducting proof-of-concept experiments; and

2. Determine a go-to-market strategy for the products or services being developed.

The Innovation Grant is the primary grant which the end point of the grant funding would be a well-defined business opportunity attractive to start-up company formation or licensing to a commercial firm.

Teams are encouraged to approach SingHealth Intellectual Property Office, SHIP (see contact email below) for support with their applications.

Funding Details

Funding support of up to S$250,000 per project for 2 years.

Along with funding, the grant recipients will receive:

1. Guidance and team building opportunities through its Catalyst Program, connections to the entrepreneurial community, and the i-Teams class.

Exposure through SMART Innovation Centre events and opportunities to connect with investors, entrepreneurs, the business community, and the media as appropriate.

Eligibility Criteria

Interested researchers from Institutes of Higher Learning in Singapore and Public Health Institutions (such as SingHealth cluster institutions) are welcome to apply.

Submission

Interested applicants must apply here (internet accessible link) to submit the application form and budget sheet online before 20th April 2020, 5pm.

Things to note:

1. Scientific reviews are a crucial part for the panel discussion.

2. Please suggest at least 3 independent scientific reviewers (preferably not all in your department) who would be likely to do a review on your project. Please ensure that the reviewers are willing to write the review as the project will be disqualified if no reviewers reply.

Contact Person in SMART

Ms Candy Yeo Wai Cheng (SMART HQ)

Email: candy@smart.mit.edu

Contact Person in SHIP

Email: SHIP@singhealth.com.sg  

Additional Information

Please refer to the following documents and the website here (internet accessibe).

• 19th Grant Call For Proposals Poster.pdf
• IG budget Template (for-SIN-applicants) as at 24Feb2020.doc
• Proposal Application Template as at 24Feb20.doc