On 21 May, it was announced that Infocomm Media Development
Authority (IMDA) will implement an Open Innovation Platform (OIP) to provide
companies with better access to business needs and opportunities.
First mentioned in the Budget 2018-19 earlier this year,
the OIP aims to facilitate innovation and narrow the gap between research and
commercialisation. It is one of the measures through which the Singapore
Government foster pervasive innovation.
The Platform is supported by a structured innovation process
from ideation to commercialisation, as well as a physical innovation facility at PIXEL that can support rapid prototyping and other innovation activities.
As a virtual crowd-sourcing platform, the OIP aims to achieve
the following:
(1) Provide Singapore-based companies and
sectors with access to multi-disciplinary talent, expertise, and technology to
accelerate their digitalisation efforts,
(2) Provide Singapore ICM companies with
access to regional business needs and opportunities to co-create, develop and
bring to market exportable and innovation solutions, and
(3) Catalyse innovation capacity by anchoring
and developing vibrant community of problem owners and solvers in Singapore.
On one hand, problem owners including trade associations, SMEs,
government sector leads, and Singapore-based companies will be able to tap on a
wide community through the OIP to solve their business problems.
They can propose innovation challenges at various stages:
(1) Ideation, where problem owners seek new innovative ideas to
address a specific problem, typically requiring a written proposal with
potential implementation option,
(2) Proof-of-Concept, where problem owners seek the ability to
demonstrate the technical viability of key concepts or features within the
proposed solution, typically occurred in a lab setting or as an isolated
exercise, and
(3) Prototype, where problem owners seek a demonstration of a
working prototype tested in an intended or simulated environment, which could
be extended into a larger pilot deployment.
On the other hand, IMDA will work with Singapore-based ICM
companies, researchers from research institutes and Institutes of Higher
Learning (IHLs), or other regional problem solvers to bring in relevant
expertise.
Through the OIP, problem solvers will have access to real
business needs articulated to potential customers, and the opportunity to
co-create solutions. A prize award would be given for each challenge posted on
the OIP. The amount of prize money is determined by the problem owner and is
only awards to the problem solver if the solution meets the evaluation criteria
and is selected by the problem owner via the OIP platform.
The OIP will be launched by mid-2018, together with the first
Challenge Call. Over 20 organisations have already committed to come on-board
the OIP programmes as IMDA’s supporting partners.