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| More
innovations that can bring big benefits |
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The inaugural
TEC Seminar received extensive coverage
in print and
broadcast media. |
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Ever heard of a single chip that could detect several
diseases in the shortest possible time? What about
a machine that has the ability to recognise a person
by his or her facial features?
Do these sound too good to be true? These are in
fact part of a line-up of TEC-funded innovations
that have potential to contribute significantly
to the advancement of science and technology.
On 27 July 2005, The Enterprise Challenge (TEC)
showcased a host of new, exciting innovations at
its first-ever TEC Seminar, held at the Suntec NUS
Guild Hall. The event drew more than 100 participants
from 41 public and private organisations.
The seminar fulfilled three fundamental objectives:
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provide an
opportunity for TEC to publicise itself and
create a greater level of awareness in both
the public and private sectors |
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provide a platform for
innovators to showcase their innovations and
find new sources of funding |
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provide public agencies
with a myriad of tried and tested solutions
which could potentially bring about benefits
to their organisations |
Said Dr Tan Kim Siew, Permanent Secretary (Defence
Development) and TEC Chairman, at the opening ceremony:
“Through this seminar, we hope to link up
our proposers with the various public agencies who
play the role of adopters, and venture capitalists
as potential investors to some of these innovations.”
The event showcased eight TEC-funded innovations
which had successfully undergone trial testing:
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Automated
Wireless Temperature System (using Wireless
Sensing and Tracking Technology) piloted by
the Singapore General Hospital |
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An Energy Efficient Air-conditioning
System with Zonal Ventilation Control for
Improved Air Quality piloted by the National
University of Singapore |
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E-Port piloted by the
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore |
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Intelligent Closed Circuit
Television System piloted by the Singapore
Police Force |
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Human Identification Using
Face Recognition Technology piloted by Singapore
National Eye Centre |
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New Soil Improvement —
Electric Vertical Drain piloted by JTC Corporation |
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The Mobile Scrubber Unit
piloted by the Singapore Civil
Defence Force |
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Molecular Diagnostic Biochip
piloted by Tan Tock Seng Hospital |
The TEC Seminar kickstarted with a speech by Dr
Tan. Following that, the participants were separated
into two rooms — The Guild (for potential
adopters) and The College (for potential investors).
Representatives of
the companies (proposers) then presented their innovations
to the
two groups.
The audience was particularly impressed with the
Intelligent Closed Circuit Television (ICCTV) System
developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research.
The system can interpret occurrences of security,
crowd and traffic-related events in different crowded
settings. For example, it can detect someone who
abandons a bag and someone who is loitering in a
crowded area. Upon detection, the system will immediately
alert the user. Hence this system is an excellent
tool for detecting potential acts of terrorism.
The seminar, however, was not merely about representatives
of companies presenting their innovations to a passive
audience. The members of the floor were given a
chance to ask questions at the end of each presentation.
They were also invited to a mini-exhibition in The
College where they viewed demonstrations of the
innovations and heard more from the companies.
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Explaining
the innovations in detail at the
mini-exhibition |
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| A lively
question-and-answer session |
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| Presentation
to public officers at The Guild Room |
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The event was extensively covered by reporters from
The Straits Times, TODAY, Channel NewsAsia,
MediaCorp Radio and Public Sector Technology
& Management magazine. Footages of the
event were aired on Channel 8’s and Channel
NewsAsia’s news programmes. TODAY
carried an article on the seminar and The Straits
Times published a full-page report in the “Digital
Life” section on National Day.
The overwhelming response to this seminar augurs
well for the entire Public Service’s innovation
journey. It was heartening to see that new but great
ideas such as the ones showcased during the TEC
Seminar have not been curtailed by a lack of funds
or support from the Government.
It has been proven that deviating occasionally from
tried-and-tested methods can spark off further improvements
and greater productivity. Most certainly, TEC has
echoed this sentiment by willingly providing the
necessary funding to support fresh ideas.
It is hoped that public agencies would submit more
proposals to TEC and be receptive to take on the
role of piloting agencies for future proposals. |
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| By
PS21 Office |
