Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp) has entered into a partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to be Singapore’s first industrial ‘living laboratory’. As a living lab, Sembcorp will grant technology providers access and share insights into its proprietary wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy facilities on Jurong Island for late-stage test-bedding and co-innovation of water and environmental technologies, the company said in its press release.
The Sembcorp Industrial Living Lab initiative is in line with the company’s forward-looking approach in developing its competitive edge through technology and innovation, as well as Singapore’s vision to be the leading demand driver of smart and sustainable urban solutions, which was identified as a key growth driver for the economy.
The Sembcorp Industrial Living Lab initiative offers technology providers a rare opportunity to leverage best-in-class industrial wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy facilities to conduct applied research and development (R&D) in areas such as smart water systems and carbon capture .
The initiative will also see Sembcorp and EDB jointly investing up to a total of S$8 million to support the commercialisation of R&D projects from the pilot-testing stage to market-ready levels. Under the partnership, proposals from technology providers will be jointly evaluated by Sembcorp and EDB for their scalability, technological merits and economic impact to Singapore. Sembcorp’s researchers and engineers will then work with successful applicants to test bed their new technologies in actual industrial settings. If the technologies are proven successful, they have the potential to be deployed in Sembcorp’s global operations. This gives smaller players that do not own any infrastructure the chance to scale up their technologies and develop a highly-prized track record.