It is one of the largest markets in the world, making the collaboration between SGInnovate, a leading Singaporean government-backed organization, focused on deep tech innovation, and INESC-ID an excellent opportunity to foster partnerships and drive technological advancements with societal impact. “Innovation knows no borders, and we hope that our initial engagement with SG Innovate marks the beginning of a fruitful partnership, particularly in facilitating access to new funding mechanisms and markets for innovative ideas,” notes Sílvia Castro, Head of the Innovation Office at INESC-ID, who was part of the team that received a Singaporean delegation visiting the premises of INESC-ID.

SGInnovate, private-limited company wholly owned by the Singapore Government, specialized in supporting and scaling Deep Tech startups, aiming to address global challenges through innovation. Based in Singapore, it is focused on developing Human Capital and deploying Investment Capital to empower entrepreneurial initiatives around emerging technologies like Advanced Manufacturing, AgriFood, Healthcare, Biomedical Sciences, and Sustainability. Juliana Lim, SGInnovate’s Executive Director & Talent, and Samantha Fong, Manager of Partnerships, were also hosted by Miguel Correia, Board Member of INESC-ID.

The tour was also an opportunity to meet with representatives from INESC-ID’s startup, including Diogo Rato Co-Founder of Testwaves, Miguel Freire Co-Founder & CEO at Neural Shift, Alexandre David Chief Operating Office at VoiceInteraction, and Marcelino Santos, Co-founder of SiliconGate. “SGInnovate has supported so far around two thousand startups in Singapore. A collaboration between INESC-ID’s startups and SGInnovate may open doors to the expansion on these startups to Singapore, and from there to the Asian market. This is an incredible opportunity for the expansion of their business”, stresses Miguel Correia.

The visit was organized in collaboration with ANI, Startup Portugal, and AICEP, and included other Portuguese research institutes. “Together, we are laying the groundwork to amplify the impact of our deep tech solutions”, summarizes Sílvia Castro.

(Image: Sílvia Castro with the SGInnovate delegation members, Juliana Lim and Samantha Fong | © 2024 INESC-ID)