SingHealth – National Health Innovation Centre Singapore (NHIC) Joint Medical Technology (MedTech) Grant

In 2015, SingHealth and NHIC collaborated and rolled out the annual SingHealth – NHIC Joint MedTech Grant, which funds feasibility studies and deserving pilot projects prior to embarking on NHIC applications.

Medical technology development is a research growth area for SingHealth, which aims to bring novel healthcare technology solutions to the patients’ bedside. The advancement of medical technology is a mission of the SingHealth Medical Technology Office (MTO), a core platform under the SingHealth Office of Research (OoR). One of MTO’s key roles is to link researchers and their validated clinical problem with technological solutions – with an end goal of improving patient care through clinically relevant technology.

This jointly supported grant aims to:

• provide seed funding for investigators to explore novel research ideas,
• support exploratory efforts for early-stage projects that involve an unmet clinical need
• show potential for further development with the next stage of POC funding.

Application Eligibility

I. Only investigators/researchers primarily employed in SingHealth and her member institutions are encouraged to apply provided the following criteria are fulfilled:

1. Principal Investigators (PIs) with previous MedTech research funding (irrespective of funding source) of <S$1 million in total between the period 1 October 2018 to 1 October 2020 are eligible to apply.
2. PIs (other than Allied Health professionals and Nurses) must not have held more than 1 SHF-Foundation/AM grant (i.e. a maximum of 2 SHF-Foundation/AM grants may be awarded to any PI who is not an Allied Health professional or Nurse); Allied Health professionals and Nurses must not have held more than 2 SHF-Foundation/AM grants (i.e. a maximum of 3 SHF-Foundation/AM grants may be awarded if the PI is an Allied Health professional or Nurse).
3. Association/Affiliation with an Academic Clinical Programme (ACP)
   
   1. The PI must be under an ACP or contributing to the growth and development of research in/under an ACP through active collaboration. Justifications must be given to support these research contributions and activities.
      • Applicants will need to complete a self-declaration on the ACP to which their research has contributed and obtain acknowledgement from the respective ACP Vice Chair (Research)*.
        *Refer to attached list ‘ACP Academic Vice Chair, Research & Administrators Contact list (Jul 2020)’
   2. If the applicant is unable to fulfil the above condition (i), the applicant should have his/her proposal signed-off by the relevant ACP Vice Chair (Research) and have it endorsed by the ACP’s Academic Chair while keeping the respective ACP Administrators informed. The signing-off in support and as endorsement of the proposal signifies that the applicant is associated to the ACP.
4. The proposed research project must be conducted within SingHealth Duke-NUS academic health system and the PI must be primarily employed by SingHealth or her member institutions (e.g. MOHH employed medical officers and residents are not eligible). PI must have an official employment (permanent/contract) throughout the effective grant period.
5. PIs must not be recipients of NMRC’s Transition Award (TA) or Clinician Scientist Award (CSA); or be current recipients of SingHealth Duke-NUS AM’s Nurturing Clinician Scientist Scheme (NCSS) or Khoo Mentored Research Award (KMRA); or have been hired under SingHealth Research Strategic Hire or Research Talent schemes, at the point of application and upon award.
6. The project’s aims and objectives, and/or the same protocol have not been funded by other funding agencies.
7. No outstanding reports from previous SHF-Foundation/AM grants.

II. If eligible, successful (awarded) investigators must apply for follow-on funding [such as NHIC Innovation to Develop (I2D) Grant, SMART Innovation Grant and NRF Central Gap fund] or take other concrete steps to develop the technology towards commercialization (details of which must be provided to the grant implementing agencies), at the end of the project.

III. All awarded investigators will need to agree to have a project monitor for their project, assigned by MTO and mutually agreed on by the PI.

IV. Applications that do not fulfil the eligibility criteria will be automatically disqualified from review.

Funding Quantum and Deliverables

The award value is capped at S$100,000 per successful application, to be utilised over a period of 1 year.

The end deliverable should be a physical clinical device, drug or diagnostic solution, potentially applicable in SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medicine Centre (AMC) and optimally, across other healthcare institutions; and/or show potential for patent protection.

Projects should aim towards securing follow-on funding [such as NHIC Innovation to Develop (I2D) Grant, SMART Innovation Grant and NRF Central Gap fund] or take other concrete steps to develop the technology towards commercialization, at the end of the project.

List of funded projects

For more information about this grant, please contact your Host Institution’s Research Office OR SingHealth Office of Research:

Ms Iris Soh
DID: 6576 7014
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ms Tan Yi Mei
DID: 6576 7013
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.