Got a good idea? Here's $1m in funds
$450m initiative to spur private sector collaboration with public agencies in solving problems
By Chong Zi Liang Straits Times 26 Nov 10;
WANTED: good ideas from the private sector to solve problems faced by government ministries. And companies that step forward to take up the challenge could get up to $1 million in government funding.
The Government yesterday launched a $450 million fund to encourage collaboration between its agencies and the private sector in coming up with solutions for its long-term needs.
First announced in Budget 2010, the Public Private Co-Innovation Partnership (CI Partnership) will commit the money over five years to cushion private companies' investment and research into problems identified by the public sector.
Speaking at a Land Transport Authority (LTA) event where she launched the fund, Second Minister for Finance Lim Hwee Hua said: 'Most of the time, the expertise to develop workable solutions lies with our companies in the private sector.'
She added that while looking at how it could help entrepreneurs develop markets in Singapore, the Economic Strategies Committee realised that the Government was a major potential customer in Singapore's small market.
The CI Partnership has two broad objectives:
# One, that the public would be better served when the private sector steps in to fill the gaps of its public counterpart.
# Two, partnership with the Government will allow private companies to become more competitive by leveraging on the jointly developed expertise and building up their track record.
There are three development phases into which the fund will go. Each phase lasts between six and 12 months, and up to eight companies can work on one project. Funding will range between $250,000 and $1 million per company, with the Government co-sharing up to 95 per cent of the cost to implement the ideas.
Although the public and private sectors have worked together in the past, Mrs Lim said it was important to come up with a systematic and deliberate framework to facilitate cooperation.
'We felt it was important to structure it so that there is a constant consciousness among agencies to look for innovative solutions and to provide for this process,' she said.
There are now four pilot projects from three different government agencies inviting proposals to tackle problems. They include the LTA, which wants better licence-plate recognition technology to clamp down on errant drivers, and the Ministry of Health, which is seeking a remote monitoring system for diabetics.
The Singapore Business Federation welcomed the news of the fund. Its chief executive officer, MrTeng Theng Dar, said: 'There are funds for every stage of the business process, from incubation to delivery. I expect companies will be looking out for opportunities.
'The Government's endorsement is more valuable than any amount of advertising money can buy.'
Interested companies can visit the CI Partnership website at www.coinnovation.gov.sg. It went online yesterday.
THE following pilot projects are calling for proposals from the private sector:
# JTC CORPORATION
JTC has two projects for which it would like proposals.
The first involves transforming excavated soft materials like marine clay and mud into alternative reclamation fill.
Such soft materials come from local excavation, tunnelling and dredging works.
JTC believes that if such materials can be used in land reclamation, it will reduce Singapore's reliance on costly sand imports; it will also get rid of the problems associated with disposing of these soft materials.
The second project concerns making use of excavated sedimentary rocks for road construction.
The current Jurong Rock Cavern excavation for oil product storage is generating a large amount of sedimentary rock, which has limited use in construction. They could possibly be of better use as road construction and road surfacing materials.
# LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY AND TRAFFIC POLICE
The LTA and the Traffic Police would like to develop better licence plate recognition technology to identify offenders who drive in bus lanes during restricted hours and those making illegal U-turns.
The new system will be implemented if it is more effective than what the LTA and Traffic Police now have in place.
# MINISTRY OF HEALTH
Although diabetes can be kept in check if patients follow their doctors' prescribed care plan, many patients fail to comply because of complacency, forgetfulness and inconvenience, among other reasons.
The MOH wants a remote monitoring solution that can prompt patients when it is time to take blood glucose readings, inform their caregivers of non-compliance, transmit readings automatically to and alert their physicians early if the patient's condition worsens.
CHONG ZI LIANG
Government commits $450m to Public Private Co-innovation Programme
Ryan Huang Channel NewsAsia 25 Nov 10;
SINGAPORE : The government is committing S$450 million over the next five years to co-develop innovative solutions with the private sector.
The idea for the Public Private Co-Innovation Programme was first mooted earlier this year as part of recommendations by the Economic Strategies Committee.
It was part of wider plans to nurture more globally competitive companies.
Under the new programme, public agencies will have a more structured process and a common platform to seek ideas and solutions from the private sector.
For example, in one of the pilot projects, the Ministry of Health is seeking a solution to remotely monitor the condition of diabetic patients.
Private companies with good ideas can apply for partial funding of up to S$250,000 to develop them further.
More funding - up to a combined S$1.5 million - can be sought for the next two stages of development.
Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Second Minister for Finance said: "This is a win-win solution, in terms of the government potentially delivering better services to the public, and at the same time, the SMEs have a good chance of helping to develop their ideas further all the way to the procurement stage.
"The government is not shortchanged in terms of procurement standards and at the same time, it is procuring better services."
Observers expect the new programme to be a boost for smaller companies by helping to level the playing field.
Teng Theng Dar, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation said: "It's not a standalone type of scheme that we used to see, it's a more holistic approach. For the small and mid-sized firms, they may have the idea, but to bring the idea and test it out takes time and resources.
"The immediate benefit is that we now know that if the idea is good, there is a supporting mechanism coming in."
Interested companies can find more details at www.coinnovation.gov.sg.
Government takes problem solving to a new level
It is set to launch its public-private Co-Innovation Partnership scheme
Karen Ng Business Times 26 Nov 10;
PROBLEM solving in the public sector will take a new twist when the government rolls out its Public-Private Co-Innovation Partnership initiative.
Instead of stipulating what it wants and procuring an off-the-shelf application in a tender process, it now has the additional option of looking at a multitude of ideas and working with a number of companies to derive the best solution.
For a start, the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the Traffic Police, the Ministry of Health and JTC Corp will invite proposals from the private sector to help solve some of the problems they have identified.
Not only will the government put in money to co-develop the ideas - to the tune of $450 million over five years - and serve as the consumer, it will also work with the companies to achieve the best solutions, which can then be marketed to other countries.
This will give smaller companies a leg-up because they will be able to use the Singapore government as a reference and improve their track record, said Lim Hwee Hua, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport.
'A lot of governments want to look at how we do many different things in terms of public services,' Mrs Lim said on the sidelines of LTA's Livetraffic@sg yesterday. 'This can be a very good track record for them to sell themselves.'
This will benefit the public sector as well, since it will open a wider range of ideas.
Pointing to LTA's live traffic management system as an example, Mrs Lim said: 'When I put up a tender, I simply tell you this is what I want. For example, for LTA Live Traffic, it can say I just want applications, I will give you the raw data. But I will not be sure that I have the complete range of ideas.'
She gave an assurance that the government will not be short-changed, as it will procure better services.
A prime example will be LTA's new offering - a live traffic feed called 'Traffic Message Channel Location Table'.
In developing it, LTA worked with home-grown start-up Quantum Inventions, which came up with the software, analysis and design of traffic congestion patterns. So far, one map vendor has bought this product, with two more on the horizon.
Companies whose ideas are accepted may get government grants, that could exceed more than $1.75 million for an individual firm. The actual amount of funding will depend on the nature of the project and the stages of development in the co-innovation process. SMEs will get greater funding support.
While a few government agencies have been known to collaborate with the private sector to come up with solutions, the partnerships were not done in a structured manner.
'In due course, we hope that more and more agencies would actually get into the mode of sharing their medium to long-term plans with the potential suppliers, letting them know what are some of their needs,' said Mrs Lim. 'Then more of the companies can then participate by thinking about the solutions and developing them together with the agencies.'
The nuts and bolts...
Chen Huifen Business Times 26 Nov 10;
THERE are three stages in the Co-Innovation Partnership programme. At the proof-of-concept stage, companies are required to test the feasibility of their ideas.
Up to eight proposals can be accepted and the government will co-share up to 95 per cent of the funding, capped at $250,000 per proposal.
As successful ideas advance to the proof-of-value stage, companies will have to develop prototypes to demonstrate the product or service is feasible.
A maximum of six proposals may be accepted at this phase, where the government co-funds up to 85 per cent of the costs, up to $500,000 per proposal.
Finally, at the test-bedding stage, the prototype or system will have to be validated in a relevant environment and perhaps even begin initial production. Up to three proposals will be accepted.
The government will co-fund up to 70 per cent at this stage, up to $1 million per proposal.
The four projects available for private sector participation are:
1) JTC - The statutory board is looking for solutions to transform excavated soft materials into alternative reclamation fill.
This would not only solve the waste disposal problem in excavation, but also reduce reliance on sand imports for reclamation purposes.
2) JTC - A substantial amount of sedimentary rock is being generated in the process of excavation for the Jurong Rock Cavern (JRC) project.
JTC wants to explore innovative and cost-efficient technologies that can transform this rock into road construction material.
3) Land Transport Authority (LTA) - With the Traffic Police, the LTA is calling for technical trial proposals to identify and capture licence plates of vehicles driving inside bus lanes during restricted hours, or making illegal U-turns.
The agencies want to assess the performance of the proposed systems in terms of accuracy in reading and capturing of vehicle licence plates under local environmental conditions such as extreme weather.
4) Ministry of Health - It is looking for a remote monitoring solution for chronic disease patients - initially for diabetics.
One of the key objectives is to ease the burden on care givers and physicians. For example, such systems could prompt the patient when it is time to take blood glucose readings, transmit readings automatically, inform care givers of non-compliance and alert physicians early to deteriorating patient conditions.
The proposals will be evaluated and approved by the Co-Innovation Committee, comprising members from various government agencies and co-chaired by two permanent secretaries.
To obtain more information, go to www.coinnovation.gov.sg
