INFOCOMM Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), has partnered Cisco to identify and nurture Singapore-focused startups.

In a joint release, the two said selected startups would participate in the Cisco-Technopreneur Action Group, Platform Accelerated Start-ups (TAG.PASS) Smart Innovation Programme. The programme will help startups create innovative applications using sensors, big data, analytics and Internet of Things (IoT) for the healthcare, public sector, education, manufacturing and financial services sectors, with an aim of harnessing technology to improve the lives of people in Singapore.

The startups will be eligible to participate in the Cisco® DevNet, a community that provides developers with the tools, the resources, and the code needed to build innovative, network-enabled solutions. They will get the chance to visit Cisco's implementations for Smart Cities around the world.

Startups will have access to TAG.PASS's development platform training, domain knowledge sharing, networks, mentorship and coaching from domain experts or other entrepreneurs.

Alex Lin, head of IIPL, said: "I'm excited about this partnership with Cisco, as it provides a beneficial platform for Singapore start-ups to gain access to Cisco's global wealth of resources and access in smart city tech, such as IOT.''

Startups can also apply to participate in an exchange programme to co-innovate with Cisco at the Cisco Barcelona Internet of Things Centre in Spain. These companies can then apply for IIPL's international exchange programme, to learn about Singapore's startups ecosystem and meet mentors.

Over the last 10 years, Singapore has invested more than US$22 billion in research and development to help companies develop, test and commercialise new products and solutions.

Public sector investments have supported about 400 tech startups and generated 800 licences over the last four years. Singapore boasts the world's densest startup ecosystem at JTC LaunchPad@one-north, which houses 500 startups and a community of accelerators, incubators and venture capitalists.