JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Singapore, 18 November 2022 | For Immediate Release

PIER71^TM to Drive Industry Adoption for MarineTech Start-Ups through

Industry Mentorship and Test-bedding Opportunities

1. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) enhanced their support for start-ups under the PIER71™ (Port Innovation Ecosystem Reimagined @ BLOCK71) initiative by signing a Partnership Agreement with the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) during the Smart Port Challenge 2022 (SPC) Grand Final.

2. Signed by Mr Teo Teng Seng, Chairman, Digital Transformation Committee, SSA, and Mr Ng Yi Han, Director (Innovation, Technology & Talent Department), MPA, and witnessed by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport, the partnership agreement connects start-ups with SSA’s member companies to validate their solutions, gain test-bedding support, and leverage on networking opportunities with the maritime industry through the Start-Up Engagement Workgroup. This support channel will broaden the engagement efforts of PIER71™ by connecting start-ups with industry partners that have not participated in PIER71™’s programmes before.

3. The three winners of SPC 2022 were also announced by Mr Chee at the event. The first, second and third place winners are GotSurge, GreenCOP and Seadronix. These winners were selected following an evaluation by a panel of judges on their proposed solution, business model, market potential, impact to the maritime industry and overall team capability. The winning teams walked away with cash prizes of S$10,000, S$5,000 and S$3,000 respectively.

4. The sixth edition of the SPC received 146 applications from start-ups around the world[1] and 18 were shortlisted as finalists.

5. This year’s finalists have a strong focus on green technology, addressing the need for more sustainable energy and waste management. Solutions also include use of data and artificial intelligence to optimise safety and efficiency in vessel operations and supply chain management. The finalists have completed PIER71^TM Accelerate, a six-week market validation and customer discovery programme and are now eligible to apply for a grant of up to S$50,000 from MPA to embark on pilot projects with maritime companies.

6. Mr Kenneth Lim, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry and Transformation), MPA, said, “Strong collaboration is essential to supporting digital and decarbonisation transformation efforts in the maritime industry. The partnership with SSA will strengthen SPC’s ability to accelerate the scalability and adoption of future-ready solutions, and create efficient and sustainable supply chains as a dynamic international maritime centre”.

7. Brian Koh, Director, Corporate Partnerships, NUS Enterprise, said, “Beyond Smart Port Challenge, start-ups that continue to maintain an active engagement within the PIER71™ ecosystem have the advantage of gaining further exposure and industry traction. It is through this tightly-knit community of innovative thinkers that synergies can be discovered and become the driving force for transformation and new ideas. NUS provides a pivotal platform to incubate and nurture promising start-ups through our corporate partnerships and global network, allowing them to uncover new opportunities.”

8. Mr Teo Teng Seng, Chairman, Digital Transformation Committee, SSA, said, “Increasingly, the maritime industry looks to start-ups to help them increase their productivity and gain a competitive edge. Our start-up engagement workgroup aims to extend the expertise and resources within SSA to PIER71™ to enhance the development of the maritime start-up ecosystem. We believe that close linkages and partnership with the industry will create a ripe environment for innovation and look forward to upcoming interactions between our members and the SPC start-ups.

9. “The Smart Port Challenge has connected GotSurge to potential partners and clients. In fact, the validation we received by participating in SPC allowed us to secure our first investor. With their financial support, together with the SPC prize money, we shall be accelerating the development of our suite of apps to efficiently manage the fast-moving nature of goods in the marine supplies sector. We are now finalizing the execution plan of our “Green Marine Supplies” supply-chain, including setting up a consolidation centre. This should be up and running by first half of 2023,” said Eric Chean, Managing Director, Got Surge.

10. Supply chain management in the maritime sector is still bogged down by paper-based documentation, deliveries coordinated by phone and multiple middlemen. GotSurge aims to change this through its one-stop digital logistics platform, where customers and suppliers benefit from end-to-end visibility of all deliveries from a single dashboard. This will result in greater efficiencies, reduced costs of up to 30% and an improved customer experience. https://www.gotsurge.co/

11. A recording of the SPC 2022 Grand Final, as well as information on the finalists, will be available at https://pier71.sg 

<end of release>

About PIER71^TM

Founded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), through its entrepreneurial arm NUS Enterprise, PIER71^TM (Port Innovation Ecosystem Reimagined at BLOCK71) aims to grow Singapore’s maritime innovation ecosystem. PIER71^TM boosts innovation in the maritime and maritime-related industries by attracting talents, creating opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, attracting investments into start-ups and accelerating ventures.

PIER71^TM designs and delivers programmes to uncover opportunities within the industry and supports entrepreneurs from ideation to acceleration of their ventures. PIER71^TM provides access to various markets, demand drivers, technology solution providers, investors and more. PIER71^TM also represents a budding and increasingly vibrant ecosystem of stakeholders who are keen to digitalise and create the next wave of maritime innovation.

For more information, please visit https://pier71.sg

 

About the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)

MPA was established on 2 February 1996 with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre, and to advance and safeguard Singapore’s strategic maritime interests. MPA is the driving force behind Singapore’s port and maritime development, taking on the roles of port authority, port regulator, port planner, international maritime centre champion and national maritime representative. MPA partners with industry and other agencies to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate port operations and growth, expand the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development. MPA is responsible for the overall development and growth of the Port of Singapore. In 2021, Singapore remained as the world’s busiest transshipment hub with a container throughput of 37.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

For more information, please visit www.mpa.gov.sg.

About National University of Singapore (NUS)

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 16 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established our NUS Overseas Colleges programme in more than 15 cities around the world.

Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.

For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg

 

About NUS Enterprise

NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of NUS, plays a pivotal role in advancing innovation and entrepreneurship at NUS and beyond. It actively promotes entrepreneurship and cultivates global mind-sets and talents through the synergies of experiential entrepreneurial education, active industry partnerships, holistic entrepreneurship support and catalytic entrepreneurship outreach. Its initiatives and global connections support a range of entrepreneurial journeys and foster ecosystem building in new markets. These initiatives augment and complement the University’s academic programmes and act as a unique bridge to industry well beyond Singapore’s shores.

For more information, please visit https://enterprise.nus.edu.sg

 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Gerald Kheng

MPA Corporate Communications

Email: gerald_kheng@mpa.gov.sg

Chan Yiu Lin

Greener Grass Communications

Email: yiulin@greenergrass.com.sg