National platform to nurture deep tech start-ups from Singapore

At the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) Day, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), Mr Heng Swee Keat, announced the launch of the National Graduate Research Innovation Programme (National GRIP), a collaboration by NRF, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and NTU Singapore. Set to commence in January 2025, National GRIP represents a significant investment in Singapore’s innovation ecosystem, with SGD 50 million in financial and in-kind support committed over the next five years.

National GRIP will integrate two existing incubator programmes—NUS’s Graduate Research Innovation Programme 2.0 (NUS GRIP 2.0) and NTU’s Lean Launchpad (LLP2.0). These programmes have collectively supported over 400 startup teams and produced nearly 160 spin-offs since their inception. The new National GRIP programme aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and commercialisation by guiding startup teams through refining ideas, validating market needs, and developing strong business models within a structured framework.

Participants will benefit from personalised mentorship by industry leaders and access to a vast network of experts, with the goal of training up to 300 startup teams by 2028 and nurturing over 150 spin-offs by 2030, advancing Singapore’s position in global deep tech entrepreneurship.

The 12-month programme will bring together aspiring founders, innovators, and researchers from Singapore's autonomous universities and A*STAR research institutes, allowing participants to form interdisciplinary teams that leverage the unique expertise of their respective institutions. National GRIP participants will gain access to a wide pool of intellectual property across universities and research institutes, and can also collaborate with existing teams from NUS GRIP 2.0 and LLP2.0 to launch innovative deep tech startups.

Professor Louis Phee, NTU's Vice President (Innovation and Entrepreneurship), added, “Bringing together Singapore's two leading universities to collaborate and lead all local universities in innovation and entrepreneurship presents a tremendous opportunity for the nation. It allows us to combine our strengths and experiences in venture building and entrepreneurial education, to identify and train the best talent in Singapore. Through the National GRIP, we aim to create high-potential teams, pair them with disruptive innovations, and nurture them into ventures that have the promise to become some of Singapore's most investible deep tech spin-offs, which in return bring good economic returns to the country.”