i.ROCK: Building Local Capacity.

The convergence in IDM technologies requires constant investigation in research that is highly interdisciplinary in nature. This brings special advantages to places that have the capacity to absorb ideas and talent from elsewhere, and recombine them to create new knowledge and opportunities. Understanding that the fundamental nature of IDM was convergence, and hence trans-disciplinary in nature, i.ROCK sought to establish a framework to support successful interdisciplinary efforts which would entail gains from trade across disciplinary specializations. 2 public sector calls for proposals have been made to date, with funding disbursed for some 27 projects to deepen research thinking, and widen the scope of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Today, all our major universities and polytechnics have established cross-discipline centres focused on IDM. Both NTU and NUS have each established significant IDM R&D institutes (the Interactive Digital Media Institute, NUS and Institute of Media Innovation, NTU), which consist of some 20 laboratories involving hundreds of researchers in cross-discipline IDM research, and our polytechnics are also offering more than 36 IDM-related courses involving some 9000 students.

The i.ROCK public call projects are also starting to translate into industry-relevant research with 5 IHL R&D projects resulting in commercial spin-offs or industry use. Projects have also secured a total of some S$1.85 million in grants from organizations such as the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, UK, and the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).

The institutionalization of IDM and roots of commercially relevant research testifies to the commitment of local institutions towards capacity building, and attests to growing support for IDM as a sector of growth.

IRC@SG: Mission Driven Research to Intercept Technology’s Growth Path

The Internet, a global system of interconnected networks serves billions of users worldwide, and is a fundamental enabler that has reshaped most of traditional communications media. Today, it is the backbone technology convergence and drives the integration of social consumer interaction with real-time happenings through the pervasive reach of Interactive & Digital Media (IDM).

Up until recently however, the advent of IDM technologies has been limited to a sophisticated audiences, driven largely by the wealth of English speaking industrialized countries.

Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the Earth’s total surface area (or 29.9% of its land area) and with approximately 4 billion people, hosts 60% of the world’s current human population. The existence of this vast market has however, remain largely untouched by the technical advancements elsewhere, where internet penetration, while growing at more than 550% from 2000 – 2009 has achieved a penetration of no more than 20% into the whole of Asia.

As Internet penetration in the West grows to saturation, strategic investments and forward thinking research is needed to intercept technology’s growth path, and prepare Singapore for the Internet’s next wave of users; “The Next Billion”.

IRC@SG provides funding for local institutions to tap on world renowned talent in collaborations that would advance trans-disciplinary thinking and innovation in cutting edge IDM research.

Under the programme, each IRC is tightly coupled with an internationally recognized research partner; where joint research is carried out on mission specific problems endemic to the needs of the region.

Research synergies cultivated through joint explorations for innovative inventions to meet the needs of Asia’s masses. Through an orchestration of East-West knowledge, talent flow and understanding, IRC@SG has put in place the framework for forward thinking research while ensuring that local capacities keep pace with the breakthroughs and technical advances of world leading efforts in Europe, Asia and the USA.

The IRC@SG initiative has worked powerfully as a construct to help researchers think out of the box for solutions that would address future problems. It has also helped to lay the foundations for breakthrough in next generation technologies that would help researchers leapfrog the innovation timeline and create new windows of opportunity for Singapore in the world.