Topics

• Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the People’s Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China
• On the Mark, Ready, Get Start!
• The New Face of User Interface
• iJAMMING session
• Co-Space Industry Networking Session

Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the People’s Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China

On 3rd March 2008, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST), the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Cao Jianlin and the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Information, Communication and Arts (MICA), Mr. Chan Yeng Kit, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of Interactive Digital Media.

Mr. Cao Jianlin, Vice Minister of MoST and Mr. Chan Yeng Kit, Permanent Secretary of MICA signed a MOU in the field of IDM.

This MOU will enhance bilateral collaborations in IDM technologies R&D, training and information exchanges, as well as joint marketing of IDM technologies products. To facilitate cooperation under this MOU, a joint working group comprising members from MoST and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) will be established. They will identify, facilitate and link universities, research institutes, potential producers and companies in China and Singapore .

On the same occasion, the Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipal (STCSM), Chen Kehong, and IDMPO Executive Director (MDA), Mr. Michael Yap, signed an MOU on the collaboration between Shanghai city and Singapore to develop and link digital media test-beds. This was the first project to fall under the MOST-MICA MOU. It will support MDA’s internationalization strategy for the China market and underscores China’s and Singapore’s strong commitment to bilateral collaborations on IDM technology.

We look forward to match-making our Singaporean companies with the Chinese counterparts.

(From left) Her Excellency Zhang Xiaokang, PR China Ambassador to Singapore, Mr. Cao Jianlin, Vice Minister to Ministry of Science & Technology, Mr. Chen Kehong, Vice Chairman STCSM, Mr. Michael Yap, Executive Director, IDMPO, Mr. Chan Yeng Kit, Permanent Secretary (MICA) and Dr. Tan Chin Nam, Chairman

On the Mark, Ready, Get Start!

Think you’ve got a brilliant idea that may be the next exciting thing to happen for interactive digital media (IDM), but unsure of how you should proceed?

Don’t be inhibited by the lack of funds or industry experience – be incubated!

Under the IDM Jump-start And Mentor (i.JAM) Micro Funding Scheme, individuals and start-ups can get help to turn their breakthrough ideas into innovative products and services.

Administered by the IDM R&D Programme Office, the scheme pairs start-ups with incubators and funds each start-up up to S$50,000.

There are currently ten incubators (also known as mentors) for the Micro Funding Scheme: NUS Enterprise, Expara, Azione Capital, FrontEdge Capital, Thymos Capital, Athena Innobator, NTU Ventures, Institute of Technical Education, PEMBridge and Stream Global.

Not only do these mentors administer funds on behalf of IDMPO, but they also provide critical guidance and support to the start-ups as well as invest in these ventures in exchange for a stake.

Since the scheme started in July 2007, around 50 projects have been funded.

Interested parties can attend pitching sessions called iJAMMING, held bi-monthly by the IDMPO. Projects that get funded must meet criteria. The next iJAMMING will be held on 26th March 2008.

We speak to Dr Sidney Yee of NUS Enterprise to find out what being an incubator involves. Dr Yee is the Deputy Director of NUS Entrepreneurship Centre (a division of NUS Enterprise) and is currently heading the Micro Funding Scheme projects.

Tell us more the NUS Enterprise?
NUS Enterprise was established in 2001 to provide an entrepreneurial and innovative dimension to education and research. Its mission is to be an agent of change, promote the spirit of innovation and enterprise within the NUS community, and generate value from University resources through Experiential Education, Industry Engagement, and Partnership and Entrepreneurship Support.

We want to create an environment conducive for ‘would-be’ entrepreneurs, and help bring innovative ideas into commercialization. With the fast-paced developments and vast opportunities in the IDM space, we hope to nurture the creation and growth of early-stage start-ups in the IDM industry.

How long has it been an iJAM mentor and how does it go about picking an incubatee?
We have been an iJAM mentor since October 2007. Besides identifying potential start-ups through i-JAMMING sessions, we also receive applications via email and through other NUS-organized events. These are first screened for relevance to the scheme and to the IDM domain. After that, the selection process involves a review panel consisting of experts in the field of IDM to access the viability of the proposals. The proposals come from both within and outside the NUS community.

What are the key factors it looks for?
Our criteria for selection includes innovativeness of the idea, potential to scale, viable business model, the competitive landscape and experience/capabilities of management team.

What are some of the projects being supported?
So far, NUS has funded 10 projects under this scheme. These include a company called TechSailor, which is building an easy-to-use social networking platform that can be easily implemented by those who want to build their own community-based websites. Another company called Tyler Projects builds games that can be played within Facebook. Yet another company, ComiAsia, is a social network that enables budding comic authors and artists in Asia to build their own comics online.

What exactly goes into helping these start-ups?
We have a very comprehensive plan of nurturing the start-ups from the idea to growth stage. They will be assigned officers from NUS who will oversee the nurturing process. At the same time, mentors or business coaches – experienced entrepreneurs – are assigned to each start-up to guide them develop their product and businesses. NUS will also assist these start-ups in securing project grants and follow-on funding. At the same time, we also nurture these companies and their founders in business fundamentals with our comprehensive business clinic programme called BizClinics.

The companies “graduate” when they have achieved growth objectives which include achieving revenue targets, customer acquisition goals, and product launches.

For more information on i.JAM, please go to http://www.idm.sg/idm_indvsupport.asp

The New Face of User Interface

Imagine yourself doing a Google search. Instead of a one-line text interface, you are greeted with the friendly voice and face of “Georgia”.

And imagine going online to “chat” with “Wendy”, the friendly host of the game show you have just watched on TV.

Welcome to the new generation of user interface experience, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) meets digital media content to provide interfaces with friendly virtual “personalities”.

“New interfaces for everything you can imagine” – that is the vision of Mr. Devan Nair, the CEO and Founder of Artificial Life Source Pte Ltd, and that is how he hopes to eventually contribute to the interactive and digital media (IDM) industry here.

Started in August 2007, Artificial Life Source, or ALIFE, is one of 50 over start-up companies that have benefited from being part of the i.JAM (short for IDM Jump-start And Mentor) Micro Funding Scheme. This an initiative launched in 2006 to lend a helping hand to individuals and start-ups with breakthrough ideas that can be developed into innovative products and services.

With the vision to provide the “ultimate” user interface experience for consumers, ALIFE cleverly combines the science of AI with the art of animation to produce interfaces capable of sitting on any new or existing platform – be it the new media (e.g. online) or the traditional media (e.g. broadcast).

These interfaces can be applied to areas ranging from knowledge management, web tools and mobile wireless solutions to the fast-growing arena of massive multiplayer online games.

As an example, Mr. Nair says that in the area of knowledge management, ALIFE can be “the missing link” to encourage people to share their knowledge with their organizations. “Our characters will access the data repositories and chat with users to make them share information with the organization or company,” he explains.

Come April, ALIFE will be showcasing its first product line-up to the world.

This is the culmination of more than two years of R&D efforts carried out in collaboration with talents from various fields including Text To Speech (TTS), Artificial Intelligence and 3D Anim ation.

Says Mr. Nair: “It is not easy to be in this field, and to jump into it without key knowledge and understanding would be simply mad.”

Hence, he is thankful to have been selected for the i.JAM programme and placed under the mentorship of NUS Enterprise, one of the nine incubators in the scheme.

“Besides the invaluable networking opportunities, i.JAM has given us additional funding for a smooth completion of the prototype we were developing with our own funds. Being part of the programme also gave us the confidence to successfully secure our first contract in November 2007 with a company in China,” says Mr. Nair.

While he acknowledges that AI may be in its infancy stage here, he feels the potential will be great and he hopes ALIFE will lead the way as the forerunner in this field.

He says: “Most of the technology we have developed is propriety and will give us an edge over others.”

To find out more about ALIFE, log in to http://www.alifesource.com/

iJAMMING session

On 26 March 2008, we will be having our next iJAMMING networking session.

Time: 6-9pm
Venue: DBS Auditorium, DBS Building Tower 1 Level 3
Please RSVP to mda_idm_staff1@mda.gov.sg

Co-Space Call For Proposals
We are on the cusp of a technological revolution, where the merging of physical and virtual world technologies will create for us experiences that transcend the boundaries of space and time. We refer to this as “Co (existent) Spaces”; where the interoperability between physical and virtual world technologies produces an amalgamation of user specific experiences which synthesize the benefits of both worlds. The Co-Space environment will see interaction moving from web ‘pages’ to web ‘places’, with simultaneous interactions that revolutionise “experiences” for more immersive, emotional and engaging encounters.

The Co-Space industry Call For Proposals
(CFP) is a call for innovative applications and services that best exploit or demonstrate the potential of Co-Space, and have the potential to impact the larger ecosystem.

Details of the CFP will be announced at the MDA’s Media Business Forum, followed by an industry networking session after the event.

Co-Space Industry Networking Session
An informative session of networking has been planned from 6pm – 9pm, where Co-Space stakeholders will be on hand to elaborate on collaborative opportunities, and clarify aspects of Co-Space demand. A snapshot of presentations for the session include:

1. Co-Space applications for city planning and design (Urban Redevelopment Authority, URA)
2. Co-Space applications for Virtual Temasek and Cybermuseum (National Heritage Board, NLB)
3. Co-Space appli cations for Visual Discovery, Growing the Library Community, and creating a Virtual Library (National Library Board, NLB)
4. Co-Space applications for military mission planning, rehearsal and evaluation as well as for training and experimentation for the Third Generation Singapore Armed Forces (Defence Science & Technology Agency, DSTA).

There will also be elevator pitches by Co-Space stakeholders with relevant Co-Space technologies, on possible collaborations for the Co-Space CFP.

*Presentations listed above a subject to change at any time.

Who Should Attend?
- Interactive Digital Media industry players with strengths in Information and Communication Technology, Web 2.0, 3D imaging and visualisation, Virtual Worlds, Gaming platforms, Sensors and Location Based services interested in being a part of a the next generation of Interactive Digital Media.
- Research Institutes with industry collaboration any of the above areas
- Start-Ups and individuals with collaborative interest in any of the above areas.
- Government organisations and demand drivers