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Recent & Ongoing Projects
Bayer, in partnership with NUS Enterprise, launched the Healthy Hearts, Healthy Aging Asia Pacific Report at Innovfest Unbound 2019 to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration in embracing innovative therapies and technologies for long-term prevention of stroke, heart attacks and other serious cardiovascular events.
The report collates curated insights from experts across eight countries i.e. Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In examining the cardiovascular health imperatives aligned with population aging in the Asia Pacific, the report calls for policy actions in the three areas of education, innovation and collaboration, in order to foster a much-needed shift towards preventive, value-based care.
To download the various reports, click here.
This project examines the link between scientific motivation of individual researchers and technology commercialisation outcomes achieved, using data from NUS, Tsinghua University and Stanford University. The project is funded by a grant from Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, and is being conducted in collaboration with Tsinghua University.
With sponsorship from IBM, NUS Enterprise is developing TechSG, a digital platform for Singapore’s technology entrepreneurial ecosystem. An open and collaborative platform by the community for the community, TechSG integrates and augments the information resources already existing within the ecosystem to provide comprehensive information on the key players in Singapore’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
More than just an information depository, TechSG will provide curated research insights and analytical tools for visualising and tracking the diversity, interdependency, growth dynamics and vibrancy of Singapore’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Under a Master Research Collaboration Agreement with Wonderlabs, TechID expands on the TechSG project to develop an ecosystem portal for three Indonesian cities (Jakarta, Bandung and Jogjakarta). An alpha release of TechID went live in June 2018 featuring 800 startups. TechID will be formally launched under the TechASEAN umbrella network in 2019.
In another collaboration with Wonderlabs, this initiative plans to reposition TechSG and TechID as part of an ASEAN-wide online network comprising six ecosystems portals covering selected ASEAN economies. The launch of TechASEAN, comprising TechSG and TechID in the first phase, is expected to take place in 2019.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth (MCCY), NEC is developing a digital depository platform for meaningful public engagement. The project uses technology co-developed by NEC and Wonderlabs for the TechSG and TechID projects.
Co-funded by an MOE grant, NEC embarked on a comprehensive patent landscape mapping of selected technologies critical to NUS.
Final landscape reports were submitted for graphene, nanomedicine, membrane separation technology for water treatment, software-related artificial intelligence and software-related cybersecurity. NEC also worked with Patsnap to compute indicators-based analytics to benchmark patent assignees in the selected technology areas, and refine the analytics algorithms for potentially wider application.
With the support of the NUS Business School HSS seed fund, this project addressed the tension faced by universities in balancing the core mission of basic research and the “third mission” of contributing economic value and societal impact. It framed the debate in the context of Stokes’ (1997) quadrant model of scientific motivation.
This project, co-funded by a MOE grant, will develop an integrated database and analytics system that allows for the research outcomes and impact made by individual NUS researchers to be mapped, measured and quantified. The system, termed Transferring Academic Knowledge and Expertise at NUS (TAKE-NUS), is modelled after the ongoing TRIC database initiative at Imperial College London.
The analytic results from TAKE-NUS will be used to conduct a comparative study of NUS and Imperial College. This joint study will benchmark NUS with Imperial College, and highlight institutional environments and policies that influence academic knowledge transfer.
This project built upon the TechSG information platform by examining the social networks of tech entrepreneurs. NEC was sponsored by JP Morgan for this joint initiative with Endeavor Insight to map the complex, interwoven networks of connections between Singapore’s innovative entrepreneurs.
Over 200 entrepreneurs were interviewed to spotlight top influencers and identify connections between the entrepreneurs and other actors in the ecosystem. The extensive data, including information on incubation/accelerator programs that the startups had participated in, and university linkages that the startup founders had, helped to create a comprehensive picture of the Singapore startup landscape.
This 2-year project studies high-tech start-ups (HTSUs) in Singapore, with specific focus on growth and survival dynamics. It is funded by a research grant from the National Research Foundation (NRF) under the Science of Research, Innovation and Enterprise (SRIE) programme.
This project is a follow-up to an earlier NRF-funded study conducted by NEC in 2010. A Tracer Survey of HTSUs that participated in the 2010 study will be conducted, to investigate longitudinal growth trends. A survey of HTSUs founded in the last five years will also be conducted. The study will also analyse new firm dynamism and job creation by start-ups in Singapore.
NEC has entered a Research Collaboration Agreement with Patsnap to develop databases and tools for patents landscaping and analysis. Patsnap provides technical support to construct and refine analytic tools and prepare customised patents analysis reports.
NEC and Patsnap are also testing and verifying the usefulness of various patent-based indicators as tools for managing patent strategies, to benchmark selected patenting organizations for comparative and competitive analysis.
NEC has signed a Research Collaboration Agreement with Leiden University’s Centre for Science & Technology Studies (CWTS) to conduct a study of university-industry linkages at the National University of Singapore, using data on co-publications combined with data on invention and technology transfer activities.
This NUS-centric study is envisioned to be part of a larger project involving multiple universities making use of the co-publications database developed by CWTS. NEC has taken a leadership role in initiating a proposed regional study.
Concluded Projects
Edward Elgar recently released this timely volume, which documents the findings from a two-year research project coordinated by NUS Enterprise. This book examines the rising phenomenon of academic entrepreneurship and technology commercialisation among leading universities in Asia.
The volume can be purchased on Edward Elgar online or Amazon.com
In 2009, Singapore’s IP Academy (IPA) commissioned NUS Enterprise to follow up on an earlier project which developed an annual Scorecard of IP performance among Asian nations and organisations.
Modelled after MIT Technology Review’s annual global ranking of leading patenting organisations in the world (now published by The Patents Board), the original Scorecard project focused on Asia and developed additional performance indicators.
This latest follow-on project updates the previously constructed AsiaPac IP Scorecard with patents granted by the USPTO and EPO up to 30 June 2009. The scorecard ranks the leading patent producing economies and provides insights into the trends of IP creation and quality in the Asia Pacific region.
Exploit Technologies (EPTL) of A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) engaged NUS Enterprise to conduct a study in order to better understand the needs, concerns and priorities of ETPL’s two main customer groups: researchers at the A*STAR public research institutes; and licensees who have licensed IP owned by A*STAR or who have evaluated such IP for the purpose of licensing.
In this project, the two customer groups were separately surveyed using self-administered structured questionnaires. Findings from the surveys were used to evaluate the level of satisfaction with ETPL’s services and the perceived impact and effectiveness of its programmes, as well as to identify areas of potential improvement in ETPL’s service provision to its customer groups.
NUS Enterprise was selected as Singapore’s representative in this international comparative research project to develop a Global Talent Index for Science & Technology manpower. The pilot project was coordinated and funded by the Neil D. Levin Institute of International Relations and Commerce, the State University of New York (SUNY), with funding support by IBM.
The Singapore study analysed trends and developments in Singapore’s pool of S&T talent from both demand (employment) and supply (graduates from local institutes of education) perspectives.
NUS Enterprise led and coordinated Singapore’s participation in the 2008 edition of this international benchmarking study on students’ entrepreneurial spirit, involving 19 countries.
The 2011 study is again being coordinated by NUS Enterprise in partnership with the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) of SPRING Singapore. This biennial study is globally coordinated by the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and aims to identify the role and impact of personality-oriented characteristics and university influences on the founding processes and intentions of collegiate entrepreneurs.
The rapid development of digital technology in recent years, particularly quantum advancements in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with the advent of the Internet as an enabler, has driven the phenomenon of digital convergence globally. This growing phenomenon presents opportunities for the creation of a regional hub providing professional IP services for the range of technologies and spin-off activities arising from convergence.
This project by NUS Enterprise aims to identify the issues and opportunities arising from the growth of digital media and to assess the development of IP hub services in Singapore.
This is a collaboration project between NUS Enterprise, Stanford Technology Venture Programme (STVP) and Stanford Project on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPRIE) at Stanford University, with the support of Majulah Connection.
This multi-year research project was carried out to gain deeper understanding of how entrepreneurial links are being forged and strengthened between Silicon Valley and selected innovative regions in Asia.
A major focus of the study was on how prominent Silicon Valley-based Asian entrepreneurs are contributing to the transformation of the entrepreneurial landscape in Asia, through various emerging roles such as returnee entrepreneurs/investors, architects of bi-locational ventures that span Asia and Silicon Valley, mentors of new ventures from Asia, and social entrepreneurs who pioneer socio-economic changes in their homeland.
NUS Enterprise was commissioned by the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING) to conduct a study on high-growth firms in Singapore with a special focus on SMEs.
This project aimed to understand the landscape of such firms in Singapore, and how they have developed over time. In addition, a key objective was to gain a better understanding of the profile of founders/senior management of high-growth firms and the management and strategic processes they employ.
The study conducted by NUS Enterprise involved collation of secondary data, a firm-level survey, and face-to-face interviews with selected firms. Findings from the study will be used to identify factors which may distinguish high-growth firms and contribute to their success, as well as to identify potential policy measures for fostering and sustaining successful, high-impact entrepreneurial firms.
The National Research Foundation (NRF) engaged NUS Enterprise to conduct a study examining the state of high-technology start-ups in Singapore.
This project aimed to understand the landscape of such firms in Singapore and examine the effectiveness of government policies on high-tech start-ups, in order to identify ways to improve the rates of survival, growth and successful exits of high-tech start-ups.
The study involved collation of secondary data, a survey of high-tech start-ups and mini-cases of selected start-ups. Findings from the study were used to understand the factors that drive the development of high-tech start-ups through different growth stages and possible inhibitors or barriers to growth.
This project examines how selected universities in Asia approach academic entrepreneurship and technology transfer activities.
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) of Japan approved a grant for NUS Enterprise to lead and co-ordinate this two-year collaborative research project involving 13 research-intensive universities from nine Asian economies (Japan, China, India, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore). Under this project, researchers from major universities in Asia examined the emerging role of universities in their national and regional innovation systems.
The report, comprising chapters on the experiences of 13 leading universities in Asia, has been published in book form by Edward Elgar.
Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS) is a global biennial research project focused on understanding the entrepreneurial attitudes, intentions, and activities of students at institutes of higher learning (IHLs). The 2013/2014 edition of GUESSS garnered responses from 109,026 students from 759 universities in 34 countries. The NUS Entrepreneurship Centre (NEC) was once again invited to lead and coordinate the 2013/2014 GUESSS study for all tertiary institutions in Singapore, with co-funding support from ACE. In Singapore, a total of 6,471 students from the 3 public universities and 5 polytechnics were successfully surveyed. The Singapore report highlights the relevance of IHLs in nurturing entrepreneurship in the student population
In collaboration with the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) in Austria, the project examined publication and patenting data to discern the collaborative linkages between European and South East Asian research organisations. This project was commissioned by the SEA-EU NET II.
NEC was supported by an MOE grant to identify ways for maximizing translational volume and optimizing the commercialization potential of university research.
The project comprised three parts: i) the study of linkages between University-Industry Co-Publications (UICP) and technology commercialization, ii) the survey of TTO Stakeholders, and iii) benchmarking of NUS’s technology commercialisation against a basket of comparable universities.
NEC led and coordinated Singapore’s participation in this global research project that investigates students’ entrepreneurial intentions and activities across the world. More than 90,000 students from 31 countries participated in this survey.
With the support of Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and SPRING, NEC secured the participation of 6,500 students from three public universities and five polytechnics.
NEC was commissioned by the Asian Development Bank to benchmark innovation activities in Asian economies. As part of this project, indicators and statistics were compiled on 19 economies, including the advanced industrialized Asian economies, China, ASEAN, South Asia and Central Asia.