In partnership with major organisations, the initiative aims to convene global leaders across the public and private sectors committed to harnessing science and technology for social and economic good. The Deep Tech for Good initiative will also facilitate knowledge-sharing and success cases where research-based innovations have helped improve lives; help build and scale deep tech solutions and catalyse collaborations among corporates, startups and governments.
Strategic partners include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), XPRIZE Foundation, and the NTU Institute for Science and Technology for Humanity (NISTH). A*StartCentral, an open innovation platform that incubates and accelerates the growth of deep tech startups under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Element AI and Salesforce have also joined the initiative as ecosystem partners.
“At SGInnovate, we have always looked at how we can enable the growth of a robust deep tech community and talent pool, as well as push for the commercialisation of meaningful research,” said Dr Lim Jui, CEO, SGInnovate.
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| Panelists at the virtual launch. Clockwise from 12 o'clock: Professor Evers, SzeKi (moderator), Banifatemi, Busetto, and Ng. Wong is in the centre. |
“I am excited to elevate our work through this partnership with leading organisations that share our belief that deep tech has the power to change lives. When deep science and technology is supported by deep relationships with like-minded partners, we will be empowered to solve even the toughest challenges. And we urge more players from across the innovation ecosystem to join us and rally behind Deep Tech for Good, to create a sustainable, liveable future for everyone.”
At the virtual launch, experts also shared their perspectives on how deep tech can be advanced for social and economic good. The speakers included Amir Banifatemi, XPRIZE Chief Innovation and Growth Officer; Bradley Busetto, Director, UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development; Cecily Ng, General Manager, Singapore, Salesforce; Professor Vanessa Evers, Director, NTU Institute for Science and Technology for Humanity (NISTH); and Jonathan Wong, Chief of Technology and Innovation, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Professor Subra Suresh, President, NTU Singapore said, “As a university at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies such as AI and machine learning that are part of deep tech, NTU is privileged to be a partner in this commendable initiative. Deep Tech for Good is a timely call to action for individuals and organisations to use deep tech as a force for good in society. Deep tech solutions can potentially offer better quality education to every student, reskill and upskill every worker, and mitigate the impact of climate change. These are also among our top priorities at NTU.”
“As we enter the Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals, frontier technologies have the potential to accelerate progress. To realise this potential, we need to harness the collective technological intelligence of the entire region. The Deep Tech for Good initiative is a partnership between government, private sector, academic, philanthropic and multilateral organisations. My hope is that this partnership develops and scales effective tech solutions to sustainable development challenges, and demonstrates how multi-stakeholder tech collaborations can save and change lives,” said Mia Mikic, Director of Trade, Investment and Innovation, ESCAP.
“We want to harness the power of tech and innovation, especially during this pandemic, to help countries in the developing world – in emerging and frontier markets – to leapfrog in their development journeys. How can we use AI and quantum computing, as well as other cutting-edge technologies to not just build markets, but to improve lives?
"For example, through telemedicine in rural areas, or digital farming, or the production of rapid testing for a coronavirus. This launch represents a concerted effort by leading deep tech players to solve some of the biggest problems in the world – whether it is to build sustainable, liveable urban environments, or to bring lifesaving remote medical service to those that need it the most. We are proud to partner with SGInnovate on this goal, and look forward to collaborating more,” said Bradley Busetto, Director, UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development.
Going forward, the Deep Tech for Good initiative will sustain conversations and discussions through a series of thought leadership events, jointly hosted with partners. The goal is to reach out to at least 10,000 individuals including startup founders, investors, corporate leaders, researchers, and government representatives in 2020.
One major event will feature Professor Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director of Mila, a research institute in artificial intelligence and Co-Founder of Element AI, and Dr Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures and President of Sinovation Ventures Artificial Intelligence Institute. They will be sharing their perspectives on the topic AI for Good on 23 July, 9 am Singapore time.
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Partnered activities under the Deep Tech for Good initiative include:
- Deep Tech for Society Insights Paper: This paper will showcase the potential impact offered by emerging deep technologies and discuss issues that governments and societies should consider when regulating the scope of these technologies (e.g. in security and privacy). Through interviews with historians of science and technology, government officials, scientists and more, this paper – targeted to be released in July – will offer valuable perspectives on the evolving place of technology in our society.
- Deep tech talent programmes: Programmes such as the Infinity Series and Summation aim to match top talent with high-potential deep tech startups to explore how emerging areas such as AI, robotics and quantum computing can be utilised to solve problems.
- Innovation challenges: SGInnovate and the UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development are planning an innovation challenge that is seeking deep tech solutions to address the needs of our circular economy, benefit the environment and create economic opportunities. The global challenge is targeted to be launched later this year.
- Other virtual events:
22 July: Building Deep Tech Talent for Meaningful Causes
30 July: Deep Tech for Good – Business Opportunities and Collaborations between Corporates and Scientist-Entrepreneurs
SGInnovate continues to seek international organisations, research institutions and universities, corporations and startups to be part of the Deep Tech for Good initiative. Join.
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