Collaboration is the new

On 29 August 2014, an enterprise tech exchange forum on “Synergy through MNC-SME Collaborations: Fostering Growth in the Electronics Industry” was organised by the Centre of Innovation for Electronics (COIE) and SPRING Singapore. This event marked SPRING's and COIE’s continuous efforts to promote and support collaboration between multinational corporations (MNCs) and local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Guest-of-Honour was Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

Mr Teo announced that three MNCs – Intel, National Instruments and NXP Semiconductors – have pledged their commitment to actively drive collaboration projects with local electronics SMEs under SPRING’s Partnerships for Capability Transformation (PACT) programme.

PACT fosters mutually-beneficial partnerships between large organisations and SMEs. The scope extends from partner development to knowledge transfer, to accelerated commercialisation opportunities. And COIE is proud to be a player in this strategic initiative.

COIE Director, Ms Lim Siew Eng, said: “We believe that the MNC-SME collaborative partnership is a win-win for all. It elevates the innovation capacity to bring compelling solutions faster to the market. NYP COIE will continue to play the important role of an innovation value-chain partner and be the bridge of these co-innovators within the ecosystem.”

At the seminar, speakers from the three PACT MNCs shared about the opportunities in the emerging areas and their plans to work with SMEs to drive new technologies.

competitive advantage

Guest-of-Honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Trade and Industry (2nd from left), with representatives from PACT partners – Intel, NXP Semiconductors and National Instruments.

COIE to support MNC-SME collaborations in electronics

Mr Teo interacting with the SME exhibitors as he viewed the projects.

Jointly established by:

Issue 13Mar 2015 COIE Newsletter

Speakers from the three MNCs sharing detailsabout their plans for collaboration with SMEs:-

Driving Technology Forward with Local SME PartnershipsMr Gregory Bryant, Vice President,

Sales & Marketing Group, Intel

Driving Design-Centric IP Development with SMEsMr Chandran Nair, Managing Director,South East Asia, National Instruments

Secure Connections for a Smarter WorldMr Simon McLean, Vice President,

Sales & Marketing, South Asia-Pacific, NXP

Internet of Things - A golden opportunity to besuccessful through collaborations

Mr Michael Bolt, Director,NXP Research Asia Lab

A Better Approach to Embedded System DesignMr Aashish Mehta, Technical Marketing Manager,

National Instruments

Next Generation IoT TechnologiesMr Kenny Sng, Regional Director,

ESS, Asia Pacific Japan, Intel

There was also a project exhibition which showcased successful innovations from MNC-SME tie-ups.

In his speech, Mr Teo urged the 200-strong audience to take advantage of the exciting opportunities presented. More SMEs could reap important benefits by participating in collaborations to build niche capabilities for themselves, he said.

Touring the specialist and innovation centres at NYP’s engineering school.

All abuzz – networking and interacting at the exhibit gallery.

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In September and October 2014, COIE showcased itself to 4,000 participants over two trade shows – TechInnovation and Manufacturing Solutions Expo.

At the exhibitions, COIE profiled its development capabilities and services available, along with a display of selected co-innovation projects with SMEs.

In addition, COIE specially arranged for its IoT Open Innovation Community members to meet and explore potential business opportunities with several lead-demand organisations at the TechInnovation event. These lead-demand drivers – both private and public – included 3M, Covidien Inc, HDB, MediaTek, National Instruments, Samsung, Sentosa Leisure Management and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Expanding Network,

Participating in trade shows and exhibitions provide a platform for COIE to gain exposure and to explore partnership opportunities.

Showcasing Capabilities

In June 2014, COIE and SPRING Singapore jointly led a delegation of SMEs on a mission trip to Europe, which took them to the UK, Amsterdam and Germany. With a focus on Internet of Things (IoT), the objectives were two-fold:

• To help SMEs spot opportunities in IoT technologies and pick up learning points from successful applications in Europe.• To understand the challenges in IoT deployment and identify suitable platform technologies.

The six-day trip covered visits and sharing sessions with European government agencies, private organisations and SMEs, including a visit to NXP headquarters in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

The visit exposed the delegation to emerging technologies, IoT and smart city projects in Europe, giving them valuable insights into global best practices. The exposure and contacts gained by the Singapore SMEs would also be useful in penetrating new markets and potential tech sourcing.

As one participant, Ms Chan Lay Eng from Gimper Services, sums it: “Personally, the most valuable take-away for the trip was the opportunity to network with the European SMEs and the delegation members from Singapore. In the near future, I hope to be able to exploit the network for joint collaboration and tech-sourcing.”

SME delegation to Europe

The delegation to the UK, Amsterdam and Germany gained insights into global best practices and potential opportunities for IoT applications.

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Published by Centre of Innovation for Electronics, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore. All rights reserved.Website: www.electronics-coi.sg

The IoT Open Innovation Community (IOIC) is gaining traction. On the back of Internet of Things (IoT) emerging as the next megatrend, COIE organised a series of thematic seminars, workshops and networking sessions open to SMEs signed up as IOIC members. The purpose is to share learning and experience, empower members in their capacity and capability to innovate, and spur momentum in co-innovation partnerships.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital Creating Values withReal World IoT Applications

On 10 November 2014, some 20 IOIC members attended a sharing-cum-networking session on TTSH Tech Needs Grant Call Briefing. The TTSH’s clinical innovation team was at hand to expand on the needs scope and to clarify any points raised.

SMEs got to share their intended proposals individually with the TTSH team and received broad inputs to sharpen their ideas. Officers from SPRING Singapore were also present to lend their support.

The by-invitation-only event on 8 December 2014 boasted of insightful technical sharing by Mr John Barber, Gartner’s managing director for IoT research. His talk was titled “IoT Use Cases – Examples That Explain the Real World Value”.

The participants subsequently attended either one of the two workshops on NFC and Azure Cloud Services. The two hands-on workshops were conducted by NXP and NYP’s Wireless Technology Centre, and Microsoft respectively.

Events benefitting IOIC members

Tech Needs Grant Call Briefing

Active Ageing, Self Care,Community Rehabilitation

Serious Gaming & Software Workforce & Productivity

Interventions

- Mobility & Fall Prevention- Medication Compliance

- ADL, Urinary Incontinence

- 3D Print for Surgical Guides/Plaster Cast Replacement/

Implants & Prosthetics- Ageing Eye Conditions/

Visual Impairment- Diagnostic

- Cognitive/Physical Rehabilitation

- Clinical Education

- Robotics & Automation- Hand Hygiene

4 Key Focus Areas

Gartner’s Mr John Barber spelt out the intricacy of competing in the IoT space and shared numerous global use cases, citing key success factors and critical technology inhibitors.

MediaTek Technical Seminar

On 3 December 2014, COIE and MediaTek co-hosted a technical seminar cum workshop. At the workshop, the SME participants learnt how to tap into yet another viable technology platform for the development of wearable IoT solutions. The platform supports miniaturisation of devices with high power efficiency.

The participants were introduced to the technical capabilities of MediaTek’s Aster (MT2502) chipset and LinkIt development platform.

cum Workshop

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