The Environment and Water Industry Programme Office (EWI) has awarded funding for three new research and development (R&D) projects worth S$5.5 million following its recent call for proposals.
These projects aim to change the way water sources are treated and monitored, by utilising cloud computing to monitor real-time water quality and green solvents as an alternative method to treat industrial waste, said Mr Teo Ming Kian, who is Permanent Secretary of National Research and Development in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Mr Teo added that there would be S$275 million available for the Water R&D budget over the next five years, after an additional S$140 million was allocated to the Water R&D budget.
Mr Teo was speaking at the launch of the first edition of Innovation in Water/ Singapore - an R&D publication showcasing the latest technologies being developed and tested here.
He was confident Singapore would continue to attract value proposals and spawn more innovative projects to address the challenges of the global water industry.
Recognising environment and water technologies as one of the strategic areas of research, the National Research Foundation committed S$330 million in 2006 to develop the water industry and position Singapore as a global hydrohub.
Thus far, the EWI has funded 61 R&D projects, of which 20 have been completed. This has resulted in 15 patents, two spin-off companies, two processes implemented in the PUB’s water treatment installations and one technology used in a company’s turnkey projects.
While many of these new and innovative products would become an integral part of water treatment processes in the near future, Mr Teo said “some could even bring about quantum improvements”.
He cited the example of Siemens’ novel electrochemical desalination process, which would “drastically reduce energy cost in desalination”.
Home to more than 70 local and international companies, Mr Teo noted that Singapore’s water industry today “is a far cry” from when water R&D in the private sector started about 20 years ago.
