A*STAR
Singapore To Advance COVID-19 Research Collaboration With ASEAN And Strengthen Regional Capabilities To Combat Pandemics
Under Singapore’s chairmanship of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation, and the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, ASEAN had seen stronger Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) collaboration, notably in intra-ASEAN capabilities to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics. Zoom snapshot of the 11th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and …
NTU Singapore Scientists Develop Device To ‘Communicate’ With Plants Using Electrical Signals
The NTU team developed their plant ‘communication’ device by attaching a conformable electrode (a piece of conductive material) on the surface of a Venus flytrap plant using a soft and sticky adhesive known as hydrogel. With the electrode attached to the surface of the flytrap, researchers can achieve two things: pick up electrical signals to …
Sustainable Urban Farming – Lighting Up Our Local Farms
A*STAR’s innovations in hybrid lighting technologies will create farming environments where vegetables can be produced sustainably and cost effectively. Indoor farming has gained traction in highly urbanised countries such as Singapore. Crops can be grown in dense, vertically stacked layers. The Future of Farming By 2050, the world will need to feed an estimated 9 …
Translating R&D Into COVID-19 Kits: DxD Hub And Local Medtech Firms Ramp Up Singapore’s Testing Capability
A year has passed since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Singapore. Ensuring a strong testing capability continues to be one of the nation’s key strategies to contain the spread of the stealthy virus, as large-scale testing allows for the early detection and isolation of cases before they infect others. Within a year, …
Scientific Research Shows Customised Innovations Can Reduce The Risk Of COVID-19 Transmission
The R&D ecosystem in Singapore has been studying various measures that can help support the safe reopening of the economy as we open up in phases. On top of current safe management measures such as wearing of mask, maintaining safe distancing, limiting social contacts and observing good personal hygiene, these additional solutions will help support …
Creating A Factory “Smart” Enough to Operate in the Dark
Meet Singapore’s Tech Transformers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have adopted innovation, embraced new technologies and digitalisation to meet the challenges of a disrupted business environment. Behind their transformation is a partnership with A*STAR, involving training and the adoption of technologies to achieve their digital goals. Here, learn more about the evolution of Fong’s …
Food Innovation For The Future – Collaborating For Sustainable Living
Artificial intelligence for crops, super-charged nutrient absorption, and lab-grown alternative proteins. What do these industry buzzwords mean for Singapore’s future of food? And has the current pandemic changed anything? We speak to three companies making waves in the food innovation ecosystem. TAPPING ON CROP INTELLIGENCE Archisen develops and operates systems and solutions to grow local …
Explainer: Testing The Efficacy Of Protective Face Masks
THE BACTERIAL FILTRATION EFFICIENCY (BFE) TEST This test indicates how well a mask filters droplets containing biological agents such as bacteria or viruses. With SARS-CoV-2 thought to be transmitted through droplets, the BFE test is a proxy for the efficacy of a mask in preventing such transmission. Studies indicate that a cough typically …
Strengthening Food Security With R&D
The current Covid-19 situation has brought the issue of food security into sharper focus. Here’s how A*STAR and the Singapore Food Agency are driving R&D efforts to strengthen the country’s food safety and supply. Having to import more than 90 per cent of its food for its population of almost six million, land-scarce Singapore is …
NTU And A*STAR Scientists Develop New Way To Deliver More Drugs Through The Skin
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have showed that applying “temporal pressure” to the skin of mice can create a new way to deliver drugs. In a paper published in Science Advances, the researchers showed that bringing together two magnets so that they pinch and apply pressure to …