Research & Development (R&D) Projects

R&D plays an important role in contributing to MND’s vision of creating An Endearing Home, A Distinctive Global City for all Singaporeans. As cities around the world face increasingly complex urban sustainability challenges, MND recognises the importance of R&D in future-proofing Singapore’s development, and works closely with partners from the research community and industry to drive R&D efforts that can effectively address key national challenges.

Cities of Tomorrow

The Cities of Tomorrow (CoT) is a multi-agency effort led by MND that seeks to sustain Singapore’s success in the decades ahead by leveraging on R&D. The CoT aims to establish Singapore as a highly liveable, sustainable, and resilient city of the future, and as a vibrant urban solutions hub. This will be achieved through the integrated development of R&D in five key verticals, namely, a) Advanced Construction, b) Resilient Infrastructure, c) New Spaces, d) Greater Sustainability and e) City in Nature. These are supported by three enabling horizontals of Urban Environment Analytics, Complexity Science for Urban Solutions, Smart and Advanced Facilities Management.

More information about the Cities of Tomorrow will be updated soon. 

Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge

The Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2NIC) is a multi-agency effort led by the MND and the National Research Foundation under the Prime Minister’s Office. It leverages on R&D to create innovative technological solutions to optimise Singapore’s space capacity for our long-term development needs, providing options for future generations. The funding allocation for the first phase from 2013 to 2018 is S$135 million.

Find out more about the L2NIC here.

Urban Sustainability R&D Symposia

The Urban Sustainability R&D e-Symposia is remodeled from the Urban Sustainability R&D Congress. Launched in 2011, the R&D Congress was a biennial event co-organised by MND and partner agencies to bring together the research community, industry and government agencies to discuss R&D responses to national sustainability challenges. The R&D Congress also served as the national platform for key stakeholders in Singapore’s urban sustainability development to showcase research capabilities and facilitate cross-sector partnerships to deliver tangible outcomes.

Due to the constraints brought about by COVID-19, the physical R&D Congress has been remodeled into a virtual e-Symposia for 2021. Through a series of exciting monthly research and Innovation and Enterprise (I&E) webinars, the e-Symposia seeks to catalyse discussions on focus areas in the Urban Solutions and Sustainability (USS) domain under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plans.

Find out more about the Urban Sustainability R&D e-Symposia here.