Singapore joins global network to build partnerships and innovation projects

SINGAPORE has officially joined 47 other countries across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia to explore partnerships and joint innovation projects.

Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong signed an "associate agreement" on Tuesday at the Global Innovation Summit 2021, to put Singapore companies in what is called the Eureka network, designed for cross-border co-innovation collaborations.

As an associate country in Eureka, Singapore will tap into the know how of companies from 47 countries, and position itself as a launchpad for other member countries to access growth opportunities in South-east Asia.

Speaking at the summit, Mr Gan noted that the network will complement two key thrusts in Singapore's push to become a Global-Asia node of technology, innovation and enterprise: cultivating a vibrant innovation ecosystem, and building a robust portfolio of international partnerships.

He also said that government efforts such as the Research, Innovation, and Enterprise 2025 Plan will propel co-innovation and partnerships.

With the Eureka network, Singapore companies enjoy greater access to other entities and markets through a number of initiatives:

* Eurostars, a bi-annual call for joint innovation projects among 36 member countries;

* Eureka Clusters, which provide companies with more long-term, strategic and thematic calls initiated by European industries; and

* The Eureka Network Projects Programme, which enables Eureka member countries to set up country-specific thematic calls of interest within a shorter timeline.

These initiatives will address both short- and long-term interests of Singapore companies, and accommodate varying degrees of market specificity.

The development follows a stint by Enterprise Singapore (ESG), which worked with Eureka on three co-innovation calls, supporting more than 40 Singapore companies to pursue cross-border joint innovation projects. These efforts resulted in 120 joint applications and 39 projects selected for funding over two years.

Hailing it "one of the most innovative countries in the world," Eureka chairperson Ulrich Schuh said Singapore will be a "formidable partner" in the network.