An SGD6 million accelerator programme, the Built Environment Accelerate to Market Programme (BE-AMP) was officially launched by Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong on 23 February.
This funding support will be provided for the development and commercialisation of innovative solutions through Enterprise Singapore’s Gov-PACT initiative. Local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will receive up to 70 per cent of the qualifying project cost, while local non-SMEs will receive up to 50 per cent.
This is an initiative by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), supported by Enterprise Singapore, and JTC Corporation (JTC), which aims to bring inventors and companies together to fast track the entire innovation process to solve industry challenges.
Beyond funding support, Enterprise Singapore is working closely with BCA to connect solutions providers, including startups, to companies in the Built Environment sector seeking innovative solutions for their current needs. JTC will offer relevant spaces in selected buildings and estates to collaborators to test-bed and/or pilot their new solutions.
BCA CEO, Mr Hugh Lim said, “This accelerator programme will help to bridge the current gap between solution seekers and providers. By attracting and matching more innovators to industry firms, we aim to accelerate our drive toward an advanced and integrated sector with progressive and collaborative firms.”
14 industry stakeholders have been identified as demand drivers, also known as Challenge Statement Owners (CSO), for this programme. These are industry firms and public agencies which are seeking solutions for various aspects of the building lifecycle.
A total of 16 challenge statements were revealed, spanning across a wide range of topics including smart project management and facilities management, construction manufacturing and fabrication, building inspections, knowledge management and data capture, and construction safety.
Following the launch of BE-AMP and the release of the first set of challenge statements today, solution providers and innovators are invited to submit their proposals by 12 April 2019.
About 370 stakeholders comprising developers, builders, consultants, trade associations and chambers (TACs), innovators, incubators, accelerators, and regulators have signed up for the event.
Venture capital firm TNB Accelerator is appointed as the accelerator to organise the programme. — Construction+ Online
