Innovation to Develop (I2D)

Funding for development of a healthcare innovation to a commercialisable endpoint

Aim

This funding is for development of a clinically significant and commercially viable healthcare innovation. The grant application must clearly illustrate the scientific merit, competitive advantage and technical feasibility of the project. Additionally, it must demonstrate potential for translation to a point where the technology would be attractive to an industry partner or follow-on funder.

Funding criteria

Grant applications that emphasise on the following aspects of the project are considered for funding:

Well defined unmet healthcare need
Proven scientific merit with proof-of-concept data in in vitro and/or in vivo research/laboratory models
Strong intellectual property position
Detailed development plan highlighting future project work, milestones, endpoints
Clear and achievable commercial plan outlining the proposed route to market, competing technologies and potential industry partners
Potential to result in reduced healthcare costs, delivering cost-effective treatment or adoption by the healthcare system.

Funding quantum

A funding quantum capped at S$300,000 (inclusive of max. 30% indirect costs) will be awarded to the host institution on a reimbursement basis for expenses incurred by project teams towards the development of proposed technology.

Funding Duration

The funding support is up to 1 year with a maximum possible extension of 6 months (subject to approval by NHIC).

Eligibility

The Principal Investigator must hold a primary appointment in and be under the employment of a public healthcare institution or academic medical school in Singapore. Project teams must have strong clinical representation. Collaborations with industry are encouraged if they strengthen the proposal. All applications are considered based on merit and eligibility is not limited to NMRC-funded research.

Only one re-submission is allowed.

Terms and Conditions

Please see Terms and Conditions governing NHIC grants.

NHIC I2D Grant Call

NHIC I2D grant application is open for submission three times a year.

Submission deadlines for 2025 are:

7 February 2025, Friday, 5pm
6 June 2025, Friday, 5pm
3 October 2025, Friday, 5pm

Important: Applicants are advised to refer to institutional internal deadlines for submission of grant applications.

Each form MUST be endorsed and submitted electronically by the designated Research/Innovation Offices from the respective Healthcare Cluster (as listed in the table below) to the NHIC Grant Secretariat.

Healthcare Cluster	Designated Research/Innovation Office
National Healthcare Group (NHG)	NHG Group Research and Innovation
National University Health System (NUHS)	NUHS Research Office
Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)	SingHealth Office of Intellectual Property (SHIP)
Duke-NUS Medical School	Duke-NUS Medical School Sponsored Research Department
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine	NTU Research Support Office
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine	NUHS Research Office

NHIC I2D Grant Process

An overview of the grant process is as follows:

All NHIC I2D grant applications are evaluated based on the criteria detailed below.

NHIC I2D Evaluation Criteria

Category	Considerations
Background and preliminary data	Is there sufficient background to evaluate the scope and nature of the problem? Is the unmet need clear? Does the preliminary data support and de-risk further development of the technology? Has the preliminary data been generated using the technology?
Development plan and deliverables	Is the development plan sensible and robust? Are the deliverables realistic for the timeframe? Are the deliverables attractive to a commercial partner (or a follow-on funder)? Is the timeframe for obtaining ethics approvals appropriate?
Uniqueness of technology	How is the product/solution better than other options that are currently in use? Better, faster, cheaper?
Healthcare impact	Is the expected benefit of this technology clear? How does the technology fit with current clinical practice/standard of care? Consider clinical adoption, patient benefit.
Commercial potential	Is the current IP status clear? Consider the market size, route to market, competitive landscape.
Team composition	Does the team have (or able to access) the necessary competencies in: scientific and technological domains, clinical expertise, business development, where relevant? Will recruitment of manpower impact project timelines?
Budget	Is the budget realistic for the work outlined?

For further queries on NHIC I2D grant, please contact NHIC I2D Grant Secretariat at grant@nhic.cris.sg.

List of Awarded Projects

For the list of awarded Innovation to Develop (I2D) projects, please click here.