PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency has awarded 14 projects under the Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme (CFRP)’s first Applied Research grant call, worth a total of $22 million. This was announced by Ms Goh Hanyan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, at the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore’s 2nd Annual Symposium.
The Applied Research grant call, launched at the Singapore International Water Week 2024, is part of PUB’s efforts to promote research collaboration with industry partners as well as cross-sector knowledge transfer for coastal protection and flood management. PUB received a total of 47 proposals for the grant call, with two-thirds of the proposals involving collaboration between Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and industry players. The proposals were evaluated based on several criteria such as practical applications within Singapore's context, level of innovation, ideas to monetise and retain value in Singapore, as well as alignment to national policy such as the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
The CFRP’s Applied Research grant aims to tap on solutions from adjacent sectors and the industry for coastal protection and flood management applications, focusing on solutions with higher technology readiness and potential for near-term adoption. The 14 projects span five focus areas, each with the aim to identify and plug the current knowledge gaps in coastal protection and flood management in Singapore’s context. These solutions include coastal protection measures that utilise recycled waste, and the development of monitoring technologies for coastal protection structures. The five focus areas are:
- Sustainable Materials for Coastal Protection Infrastructure
- Smart Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) System for Coastal Infrastructure
- Comprehensive Decision Matrix for Adaptive Coastal Protection Planning
- Innovative Engineering Solutions for Coastal Protection and Flood Management
- Innovative Monitoring Techniques for Sediment Transport
Following the completion of these Applied Research projects, the solutions could transition to CFRP’s Living Lab programme for additional pilot testing and potential commercialisation.
Ms Hazel Khoo, PUB’s Director of Coastal Protection, said: “The award of these Applied Research projects represents a significant milestone for PUB in advancing our R&D journey for coastal protection and flood management in Singapore. By working together with the industry and academia, we are not only developing innovative solutions against sea level rise but also advancing knowledge and skillsets of our partners to eventually adopt solutions that are adaptive, sustainable and cost-effective for actual implementation. We look forward to successful proof-of-concepts that will contribute to address Singapore’s coastal protection and flood management challenges."
