Background

The vision for FutureMedia (http://futuremedia.sg) is that it will provide the means to share and distribute new, innovative content and services with superior quality and flexibility in a trusted and personalized way, improving the citizen’s quality of life, working conditions, education, edutainment and safety. Hence, FutureMedia is about creating what’s next in digital, social and multimedia. Social, digital and multimedia products, applications and services are fundamentally changing (and in some cases breaking) business models and transforming how we communicate. We are in the middle of an evolution and some will survive, some will fail, some will thrive. Industries from journalism, entertainment, publishing, communications, computing and advertisement are all re-evaluating how they will adapt and grow going forward. A test-bed environment allows such industries to understand how their innovative products, services and applications would be best exploited.

Hence, a Co-Space Test-Bed environment necessary to nurture innovative made-in-Singapore FutureMedia products, services and applications is made available in Temasek Polytechnic (TP), leveraging on TP’s 30 hectares-campus, 15,000-student population and the i-Digital Campus infrastructure which includes the setup of a signage system with 50 panels on campus, as well as a LED wall. The test-bed is positioned as a venue where industry and research can work together to experiment, discover, create, scale and commercialize innovations.

About Temasek Polytechnic

Temasek Polytechnic (TP) is a significant contributor to the field of para-professional education in Singapore. TP currently offers 52 full-time diploma courses in the areas of applied science, business, design, engineering, humanities & social sciences and informatics & IT. It also offers over 40 part-time courses, up to the advanced diploma level. TP students undergo a holistic learning system that combines hands-on experience, character education and relevant life skills, in an enriching learning environment. The Polytechnic has also infused global realities into its programmes and developed a mindset on campus that embraces socio-cultural diversity. These approaches ensure that TP graduates are economy relevant, future relevant and life relevant. For more information, please visit http://www.tp.edu.sg.

Offerings

The value proposition for using the FutureMedia Test-bed is threefold.

1. Test Users

There are potentially 15,000 students on campus of which more than 2,000 students are registered trial users. These students could potentially also test devices and applications at their homes.

2. Common Shared Services

Common services needed to enable trial companies/partners to efficiently test their products, applications and services are provided at the test-bed. We have made available a vision-based audience measurement system, IPTV channels, DVB receivers, Set top boxes, Display Panels, Fibre Connections, Interactive Devices and Mobile Data SIM cards.

3. Go-to-Market Partners

The test-bed will work with demand drivers and other major companies/agencies to assist partners to commercially exploit their new products, applications and services.

Impact & Benefits To Potential Partners

1. Industry Partners will be able to fully assess their products, services or applications in the test-bed at half the time at twice the speed to market.
2. Availability of Go-to-market partners
3. There is a ready pool of potential trial users
4. Infrastructure and common services are made available.
5. Cost reduction in conducting large-scale trials.
6. Potential of collaborating and leveraging amongst industry trial partners leading to new forms of innovative products, services and applications.

Call for Proposals – FutureMedia Test-bed

To support the IDM eco-system, the FutureMedia Test-bed is working with MDA/IDMPO to jointly call for proposals to enhance user experience for screens ranging from large format out-of-home signage displays, to traditional TV in the living room, mobile devices and the Internet to enable the seamless consumption of rich digital media that will help catalyse development of related applications and services. We are also interested in proposals that can contribute to the common services in the test-bed leading to increased productivity in conducting trials for partners. Hence, the test-bed welcomes proposals from companies and start-ups involved in the following areas:

1. R&D projects on common services useful for test-bedding for example : audience measurement, web analytics, innovative mobile communication platforms, etc…
2. Create a vibrant ecosystem for Advertising with Real time contextual analytics on consumer behaviour and preferences & innovative delivery of digital advertisement and payment solutions.
3. Enhance, augment, engage and enrich the experience of consuming rich media through greater interactivity, customization and personalization, for example, immersive content, interactive devices, and specialized form of engagement with multiple parties on different types of viewer screens.
4. Contribute to the aggregation, management, publication, distribution and monetization of rich media content for secure micro-transactions, broadcast, event live share and promotion.

Eligibility

The FutureMedia Test-bed welcomes proposals from companies/start-ups that will facilitate in the development of innovative FutureMedia common services in the categories listed in the above section.

Support

In support for this Call for Proposals, companies can look forward to the following support from FutureMedia test-bed.

• MDA funding for successful proposals
• Access to FutureMedia test-bed and common services
• Technical Support from FutureMedia test-bed
• Possible test-marketing and commercialisation opportunities with FutureMedia test-bed demand drivers/sponsors.
• Selected proposals may be promoted and deployed across MDA & Temasek Polytechnic media platforms

Response to CFP

Interested applicants may wish to refer to the FutureMedia CFP slides (download slides) and submission template.

Interested applicants can respond to this call based on the following criteria:

Developmental – New product or service that requires research and development efforts and test bedding support can apply through MDA’s CFP. (link here)

Ready products – Existing products or service that is require test bedding support, please apply through contact below.

To submit an application for the FutureMedia Call for Participation, email it to: mda_idmpo@mda.gov.sg and cc the futuremedia@tp.edu.sg

Period of Call : 18 June 2011 to 1 Aug 2011

Enquiries

For enquiries, please contact:

FutureMedia Co-Space Test-bed email contacts:

futuremedia@tp.edu.sg or Desmond Ang, bsdang@tp.edu.sg