Inspiring Innovation
Fueling the Future of Media

We are launching the “Future of Media” Initiative to catalyse growth in the interactive digital media (IDM) sector. In 2009, we are including Future Mobile, Future Games, Future TV, Future Worlds and Future Books.

The vision of Future of Media is to pull together companies and combine collectively their user base, distribution networks, development platforms and marketing/ promotion resources with a common goal of accelerating the path to global market and success. Under each Future area, a Partner Network will serve to form a compelling platform for other companies to experiment and commercialise their offerings.

Partner Network

We aim to build a self sustaining mini ecosystem by clustering start-ups, small & medium enterprises and key anchor companies in each of the five areas (cluster called “Partner Networks”). Each Partner Network is encouraged to evolve its own developments based on commercial needs and interests. Companies can benefit from being part of the Partner Network by:

• Synergising to bring about the best of breed offerings;
• Leveraging on one another’s customer base, market access and partners;
• Harnessing one another’s capabilities;
• Inspiring and facilitating innovation; and
• Jointly make Calls for Proposals.

Our Support

Through industry feedback, we understand that companies in this sector face industry challenges in the areas of access to global markets, fragmented local demand, scale and access to funding. We will provide support to fuel growth of this sector through facilitating partnership opportunities for our local companies and match making them with other like-minded industry players:

Projects arising from Partner Networks in these five areas could tap on existing funding schemes for support.

Call for Participation

We are calling for participation in each of the 5 Future areas. Companies which are interested to respond to this Call for Participation may indicate their interest by sending an email to MDA_IMG@mda.gov.sg.

Announcements for Call for Proposals
Future Mobile, Future Games and Future Worlds are announcing Calls for Proposals. The details of each Call will be announced to the industry in April 2009 with a 2 month submission period. Proposals will be jointly evaluated by IDMPO and our network partners.

Please refer to sections behind for more information on each area of the Future of Media.

• FutureBooks
• FutureGames
• FutureMobile
• FutureTV
• FutureWorlds

IDMPO FUNDED COMPANIES IN THE PRESS

A few IDMPO funded companies have garnered interest from the public recently.

Personal e-Motion

Personal e-Motion was featured in The Straits Times because its key product KooBits, has caught on like wildfire in schools here and overseas. Three years ago, only four schools here used it; that number has now grown to 80. About 80,000 budding writers in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and China are users.

The program’s appeal lies in its host of easy-to-use multimedia features, said teachers and students. KooBits is now used in schools not only to teach English, but also science, mother tongue and mathematics.

Read Full Article

MXR Corporation

MXR Corporation was also recently featured for wIzQubesTM, a 3D Interactive Mixed Reality Storytelling product which completely revolutionizes the way children read today. The patent-pending technology has won several awards and received press attention worldwide.

MXR has also confirmed a deal with Sanrio Digital to bring HelloKitty into Mixed Reality. Their first demo has been shown at GDC2009 which has received a lot of interests.

Read Full Article

NRF Research Fellowship 2009

The Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) invites brilliant, young researchers who are ready for their first independent research appointments to apply for the prestigious NRF Research Fellowship Awards.

Are you among the best in your research field?
Are you ready to lead your first independent research team?

Join the ranks of the elite NRF Research Fellows!

Apply now if you have a PhD degree from a reputable university and work at the forefront of research in your field. A prior post-doctoral stint at a renowned university or research organisation would be a great advantage.

The NRF Research Fellowship provides:

• Complete freedom and independence to pursue your research direction in Singapore
• A 3-year research grant of up to US$1.5 million, with a possible extension for another 3 years
• A competitive salary
• The opportunity for joint appointment at the host university or research institution
• Freedom to select the host institution in Singapore

The NRF Research Fellowship is open to all talented scientists and researchers under the age of 40 years at the date of application, and within 10 years post-PhD. We welcome research in all disciplines of science and technology.

Please apply online at the following web-link before 06 Sep 2009:
https://rita.nrf.gov.sg/NRF_RF_2009/default.aspx

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to Singapore to present their research work, meet local researchers and identify potential collaborators and host research organisations. Final selection for the awards will be made by the NRF Scientific Advisory Board co-chaired by Dr Curtis Carlson (President & CEO of SRI International) and Prof. Ulrich Suter (Professor of Polymer Materials, ETH Zurich).

From Idea to Investment For the IDM industry, a 5-Day Intensive Workshop presented by Expara Pte. Ltd. & The Media Development Authority of Singapore

3 Day From-Idea-to-Investment Investor Presentation Overview Module
10th, 11th and 12th March 2009
9.00 am – 5.00 pm
Gallery Hotel, Amadeus Room

2 Day Marketing and Finance Advanced Module
18th and 19th March 2009
9.00 am – 5.00 pm
Gallery Hotel, Amadeus Room

Who should attend?
This workshop is designed for participants who have a serious interest in starting or growing a scalable IDM business – a business which can reach a significant size. It will be especially useful for participants who are interested in seeking venture funding for their business and who want to increase their chances of obtaining funding from venture capitalists, angels and other venture investors.
How do we help you get from Idea to Investment?
This is not a “how to write a business plan” course. It is an intensive, hands-on workshop, in which participants will develop their existing IDM business or IDM business ideas into an actual business plan which they will be able to present to potential venture investors.

Workshop highlights

3 Day From-Idea-to-Investment Investor Presentation Overview Module
This overview module will help participants better understand the process and dynamics of fund-raising in order to increase their chances of success. By the end of the workshop, participants will learn:

• What do investors look for in a business plan
• What do investors look for in a presentation
• How to avoid the most common mistakes and to get an investor to read your business plan
• How to get investors to meet with you and how to make an effective investor presentation
• Value proposition and innovation
• Market identification and analysis
• Marketing strategy
• Sustainable competitive advantage
• Business model, financial forecasts and valuation

2 Day Marketing and Finance Advanced Module
The advanced module will help participants better understand the process and dynamics of fund‐raising in order to increase their chances of success. We will focus in detail on two key aspects of the business plan: marketing and competitive strategy and finance.

Participants will learn to:

• Identify their total addressable market
• Develop and implement a marketing strategy
• Position and differentiate one’s products and services from the competition
• Develop a competitive strategy and compete against both established companies and new start‐ups
• Develop and present a business model for their company
• Estimate investment funds required to support the growth of their business
• Forecast the financial performance of their business and calculate the valuation of their company
• Calculate ROI for investors and choose an exit strategy

Investor presentations
At the end of each module, participants will present their business plan to a panel of investors. After the workshop, up to five companies who have completed the From Idea to Investment for the IDM Industry workshop series will be selected to present to investors at a special investor lunch on 31-March. A limited number of seats are available for investors interested in the IDM industry.

To Register
Register online at http://www.expara.com/register/tblRegistration_add.php
Or
Email Ms. Junus Eu at junus@expara.com with the following details:

1. Full name
2. NRIC or Passport No. (if the latter, please indicate country of issue)
3. Nationality
4. Occupation &/or designation
5. Company
6. Contact details (mailing address, email address, contact numbers)
7. A brief description of your IDM business or business idea

Note: The workshop is limited to 30 seats only
For Singaporeans and PRs:
Singaporeans and PRs are required to send a $50 check as a confirmation of your registration. Your $50 check will be returned to you on the final day of the workshop. However, we must receive your $50 check to confirm your seat at the workshop.
For non-Singaporeans:
Fee is at $400 ($200 each for level 1 & 2) for non-Singaporeans or PRs.
Please send your check to:
Attn: Junus Eu
One George Street
#17-05
Singapore 049145
Registration will be confirmed upon receipt of full payment by 6h March 2009 (Fri), and successful registrants will be notified via email and will then be asked to submit their business plan, executive summary or detailed business description prior to the workshop. Lunch is served during both modules
Up to five companies will be selected from those who attend the workshop to present at a special investor lunch hosted by BANSEA, the Business Angel Network of Southeast Asia on 31-March.

For more information or general enquiries, please contact Ms. Junus Eu at
Tel : +65 6435-5295
Fax : +65 6536-7908
Email : junus@expara.com

To date, 500 RSEs (researchers, scientists and engineers) have been engaged. We have also attracted some of the best universities around Asia, Europe and US to jointly establish R&D centres with our IHLs Thus far, we have established – or are in the process of establishing – 7 joint centres.

10 specialized incubators have committed to nurture over 400 start-ups and develop 2,000 entrepreneurial talents from across the country. Some 400 of our young technoprenuers, including many overseas students and permanent residents, are taking their ideas to market.

Further, we have mobilized over 60 VCs, angels and incubators to support these startups once they are ready to seek more funding. In parallel, we have been able to draw on the support of key leading global players such as Apple, Microsoft and HP to extend their technological and to-market outreach to help our startups access the global market. A number of our startups are already serving millions users in more than 200 countries, and becoming leading players in key IDM sub-sectors.

Further ahead, we want to imbue the ecosystem with a spirit of innovation and a culture of R&D. We need the industry to embrace R&D as its engine for growth, private-sector activism to help groom and grow our startups for global reach, and inspiring result outcomes to secure a stake in the next generation media.

A look at our Milestones in 2008

January

• The International Expert Panel (IEP) met on 14-16 Jan 08 to evaluate 27 proposals submitted for the second call for IDM in Education. The results were announced on 24 Mar 08. MOE awarded $4.13M to 4 research proposals on education.

February

• The IDMPO has developed a concept to tie in existing areas of IDM R&D and provide focus for the sector. Referring to this as “Co-Space”, we expect this to be the cornerstone of the next generation media.

March

• MOE launched the third call on 24 Mar 08, focusing on the use of IDM for participatory learning to bridge formal and informal learning environments as well as for alternative modes of assessment.

April

• Nanyang Technological University launched the Institute for Media Innovation (IMI), which would bring together 100 researchers from a range of disciplines, including art and design, engineering and education, focusing on the mega-trends in IDM research today such as next-generation multimedia search, advanced “intelligence” in media, as well as innovative digital cinema and television.

June

• MediaCorp Technologies to set up their Interactive Digital Lab. The IDM Lab, housed in Caldecott Broadcast Centre, will work with renowned research institutions e.g. A*Star, NUS, NTU in R&D areas such as scalable Video Coding, Video indexing, search and retrieval system, Interactive Mobile, P2P streaming technology and Language Translation.Read more.

July

• Local IDM startups and companies get a boost in their pockets thanks to the i.MATCH initiative, which aimed at bridging funding gaps in local IDM sector. The initiative meant to help raise the investment needed by IDM companies to further commercialise and develop their products and their companies. Read more.
• The Keio University, a top institute in Japan, sets up a research centre here with the National University of Singapore. Some 50 researchers from Japan and Singapore will be involved in the Centre. Read more.
• Singapore’s Interactive Digital Media sector was given a S$70 million boost. The money will be set aside to attract more international research centres to partner local institutes of higher learning and set up research centres in Singapore.

August

• Working with IDMPO, Hewlett-Packard is now calling Singapore IDM companies to submit their mediascape proposals using HP’s mScape software. Read more.

September

• 13 projects from local universities will be given a total of $18 million for IDM R&D in Co-Space technologies. This marks the second round of grants handed out to promote research in IDM. Read more.

October

• 15 firms that were selected from the inaugural Co-Space Industry Call for Proposals, received $12m from the IDMPO for digital media projects. The funding is expected to achieve for Singapore an increase of some $37 million in total business spending, 240 new jobs, and create platforms and services that will support some 1,300 third-party applications. Read more.
• The Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), together with the IDM Research and Development Programme Office (IDMPO), will offer up to S$10 million worth of funding for a new mentorship programme. Read more.
• Team GAMBIT won Microsoft’s global Xbox game development challenge, beating 7800 participants from 100 countries. Read more.

November

• Our attempt to become a port-of-call for digital media companies is starting to materialise with more gaming studios and animation companies docking their regional operations in the city-state. Read more.
• Singapore’s fledgling online video game industry has attracted European animation giant Rainbow, which is investing $25 million to create a new game here. Read more.

December

• Singapore can become a world-class media hotbed, say participants of the first Asian edition of SIGGRAPH, one of the world’s most renowned trade shows on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Industry heavyweights Lucasfilm, Pixar, Autodesk and others at the show are bullish about Singapore’s investments in this sector. Read more.
• Singapore is trying to position itself as a media powerhouse. The republic announced a billion-dollar media hub, the Mediapolis, which will be completed by 2020.
• GAME developers here will now be able to create games using free software and publish them on an established online marketplace. They also get a chance to apply for a $50,000 grant to develop these games. Microsoft Singapore said the Republic’s game developers will be the first in Asia, ahead of more mature markets like Japan and Korea, to publish games online on its Community Games Channel. Read more.

All winners were being announced during the Gala Dinners and Award Ceremony held at BAPINDO PLAZA Ballroom. The Winners received the awards from the Vice President of Indonesia, H.E. Jusuf Kalla, who was the GOH for the Gala Dinner.

Winners
Category: Reseach & Development
Company: PGK Media Pte Ltd

Category: e-Learning
Company: Personal e-Motion Pte Ltd

Category: e-Inclusion & e-Community
Company: Central Provident Fund Board

Merit Awards
Category: Secondary Student Project
Institution: Raffles Institution ( 2 Merit Awards)

Category: Security
Company: BoxSentry Pte Ltd

Category: Financial Applications
Company: inQflow Technologies Holdings Pte Ltd

Category: e-Logistic & Supply Chain Management
Company: Planvisage Pte Ltd

Category: Communication Applications
Company: ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems) Pte Ltd

More information about the Asia Pacific ICT Awards

The Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) is an international Awards Program initiated by the Multimedia Development Corporation of Malaysia to increase ICT awareness in the community and assist in bridging the Digital Divide. By providing networking and product benchmarking opportunities to ICT innovators and entrepreneurs in the region, the program is designed to stimulate ICT innovation and creativity, promote economic and trade relations, facilitate technology transfer, and offer business matching opportunities via exposure to venture capitalists and investors.

Participants of the Awards Program comprise members of the APICTA Alliance. They are guided by the Framework of Cooperation identifying how member-economies can work together in support of the Awards Program as well as other programs that foster development and growth of the ICT industry in the region. Its 16 member-economies include Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

APICTA member-economies take turns in hosting the annual Awards Program, which is won through a bidding process. Meanwhile, nominees to the different awards are presented to APICTA by the respective economy coordinator and assessed by a panel of judges representing every member-economy.

Official website: http://www.apicta.com

In the second phase, SiTF will cultivate these ideas further into the project stage with the ultimate goal for commercialisation by establishing funding mechanisms through close collaboration with government bodies and the industry. The selected projects will also have the opportunity to be matched with SiTF’s vast network of members for further investment. Lead SiTF members like MediaCorp Pte Ltd, Microsoft, SingTel and ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) have already expressed their interest in project domains such as interactive media, mobile digital media, broadcast, IPTV and open source development etc. SiTF will continue to market this program to gain greater interest from more corporations who see opportunity to partner with start ups. Through support from the industry, the mentorship programme hopes to make available up to $10m worth of project funding and support over a period of five years.

On the partnership with SiTF, Mr Michael Yap, Executive Director of IDMPO said: “We welcome the joining of SiTF in our effort to fuel innovation in the IDM space. We believe SiTF’s wide network of industry members would add to the vibrancy of our IDM ecosystem. We are exploring with companies such as MediaCorp Pte Ltd and ST Electronics to conduct joint calls for proposals.”

With SiTF, the IDMPO now has a network of 10 incubators to create support structures for the start-ups, including the platforms for regular pitching sessions and finding industry partners. Collectively, the incubators will nurture some 450 start-ups over the next few years. The existing incubators have facilitated the funding of some 90 projects to date, out of which 15 were completed. Thirty per cent of the completed projects have successfully received private investment.

“These are exciting times for players in the interactive digital media industry. Through the joint mentorship programme, SiTF aims to catalyse growth in the industry by enabling ideas to gain access to the right connections, guidance from industry experts and veterans, and obtain the necessary funding in order to ultimately develop into innovative products and services and bring them to market,” said Mr Ng Chong Khim, Chairman of SiTF’s Digitial Media Chapter.

To find out more about the joint Mentorship Programme, please contact Jacquie Khoo at Jacquie.khoo@sitf.org.sg.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Jasmine Wong
Assistant Manager, Communications
Media Development Authority of Singapore
Mobile: 9296-7004
Email: jasmine_wong@mda.gov.sg

Jacqueline Khoo
SiTF
Mobile: +65 9115 8800
DID: +65 6325 9713
Email: Jacquie.khoo@sitf.org.sg

Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) was formed on 1 January 2003 to champion Media 21, a blueprint to transform Singapore into a global media city. Media 21 seeks to create a vibrant media environment by establishing Singapore as a media exchange, exporting Made-by-Singapore content, internationalising local media companies, nurturing local media talent and developing digital media. More information on MDA can be found on www.mda.gov.sg

Interactive & Digital Media (IDM) Sector
The development of the IDM sector requires the collaboration of a diverse range of public sector agencies, educational institutions, industry players and other stakeholders. To achieve this, the National Research Foundation has allocated $500 million over the next five years from 2006 to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme and the set-up of a multi-agency IDM R&D Programme Office within the Media Development Authority of Singapore to oversee R&D initiatives in the IDM space. This multi-agency team is accountable to the IDM Executive Committee and coordinates a cross-disciplinary effort to deepen Singapore’s research capacity in IDM. Please visit www.idm.sg for more information.

About SiTF
Singapore infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) is Singapore’s premier infocomm industry association. It brings together 400 corporate members from MNCs and local companies. The main charter of the federation is to assist its members in business development, market intelligence, overseas trade missions, networking and alliances.
The eight chapters under SiTF are: Best Sourcing, Digital Media, eGovernment, eLearning, Security & Governance, Singapore Enterprise, Service-Oriented Architecture and Wireless. Besides working closely with government and foreign agencies, SiTF is also a member of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), Asian-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) and Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA). SiTF also manages the Infocomm Singapore Centre (ISC) in China (Shanghai and Hangzhou) to give local infocomm companies a foothold in Greater China.
SiTF organises several Singapore’s key infocomm events – SiTF Golf Classic, iX Conference, SITEX, and administers the ‘Infocomm Singapore’ brand initiative. For more information on SiTF, please visit www.sitf.org.sg

The National Research Foundation (NRF)
The National Research Foundation (NRF), a department under the Prime Minister’s Office, sets the national direction for research and development (R&D) by developing policies, plans and strategies for research, innovation and enterprise, funds strategic initiatives, builds up R&D capabilities and capacities through nurturing our own and attracting foreign talent, and coordinates the research agenda of different agencies to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy. It provides secretariat support to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Prime Minister. A five-year budget of S$5 billion has been allocated to the NRF in 2006 to achieve this mission. For more information, please visit www.nrf.gov.sg.

• $12m Awarded to Co-Space™ Projects
• A Closer Look at the Co-Space™ Projects
• IDMPO Entrepreneurs Nominated for BusinessWeek’s Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneurs
• IDMPO Companies’ Found Success through Facebook

$12m Awarded to Co-Space™ Projects
The IDM R&D Programme Office recently announced the selection of 15 projects on the concept of Co-Space for funding through the inaugural Co-Space (industry) Call for proposals. Awarding a total of $12 million, these projects range from transport to heritage planning and have the potential to propel Singapore’s IDM industry and pioneering new innovations.

Collectively, these projects involving 15 companies will achieve for Singapore an increase of some $37 million in Total Business Spending, 240 new jobs, and create platforms and services that will support some 1300 third-party applications. Hands-on training and development will also be provided for some 5600 students and professionals.

Details are in the press release available at http://www.idm.sg/2008/10/idm-captures-the-imagination-of-companies/

A Closer Look at the Co-Space™ Projects

Users will soon be able to navigate Singapore in true, first person 3D view, where there will be realistic simulation of building interiors and waterways; and information will be organized with reference to actual locations.

For example, the MagicStitchTM platform being developed by Visual Factory, in collaboration with NHB will soon allow museum curators from around the world to design and curate their own virtual 3D museum galleries; showcasing precious art works from the national archives of countries around the world.

The Call also saw innovation in new media experiences, where proposals touched on new forms of interactivity and multi-platform broadcasting for more pervasive and engaged media choices. Soon, computer interaction will no longer be confined to the keyboard, as VeeV Interactive Pte Ltd, a wholly-owed subsidiary of Sky Media, will offer users the ability to ‘hold’ and ‘use’ tools to draw, paint, colour and create pictures using an affordable haptic device. PGK Media’s AdMe service will also allow users to interact and send video clips and other media-rich content to more than 40 live-sized mobile billboards located across Singapore

Sun Microsystems and Open Solutions Innovation aim to break new grounds in the creation of new dynamic virtual worlds that allow seamless immersion and interaction with the real world. For example, a wave of your hand in the real world could correspond instantly with your avatar waving in the virtual world. Voice communication is equally realistic as virtual parties can phone outsiders to the virtual world for private calls or conference group calls. These technologies could be applied in conducting real world-virtual world conferences and command centers, in real-to-virtual world classrooms, virtual demonstrations and exhibitions, among others.

Mariko by Thales Technology Centre Singapore will demonstrate its effectiveness particularly in the maritime domain through virtually enhanced sailing scenarios, open to the public on the internet. Mariko targets sailing enthusiasts wishing to enhance their sailing experience.

The relevance of virtual media-rich environments will be brought into a variety of consumer services. For example, taxi commuters can expect shorter queue times at taxi stands as new services such as Stratech System’s Dynamic Vehicle Allocation System will detect commuter queue lengths and convert such data into media rich visual applications on the Internet and commuters’ mobile phones. The system will also allow the capturing and sending of video images from taxi stands to taxi operators’ call centres so that taxis can be better deployed to meet commuters’ demand.

We see Co-Space as the key to unlocking the unfulfilled promise of an information society. To see a complete list of projects and how its influence can seep into our daily activities, please see http://www.idm.sg/co-space/projects/

IDMPO Entrepreneurs Nominated for BusinessWeek’s Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneurs

Eight local entrepreneurs are running to win BusinessWeek’s Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneurs, making Singapore the country with the most individual entries. We congratulate the entrepreneurs of the 5 companies nominated. We are pleased to note that 3 of the 5 companies are in the IDM sector and we will continue to root and support them.

Stanley Han – Stanley Han wrote his own success story when his company created KooBits, a platform for children to create interactive stories, publish e-books, and network with other KooBits users. KooBits has just been launched in more than 60 schools in Singapore and several hundred training centers in Indonesia. Han, a National University of Singapore engineering graduate, plans to launch KooBits in China, Europe, and Australia in 2008.

Aileen Sim – Aileen Sim saw the potential of starting a business in the virtual world before others did. In 2006, Sim co-founded First Meta, a leading provider of financial services for virtual worlds. A year later, her company launched the first virtual-world credit card, the MetaCard. A graduate of the National University of Singapore, she has helped raise $1.7 million for her company and together with her team has brought First Meta to the forefront of integrating real and virtual economies. Her company has been featured in such leading media as TechCrunch, CNET Asia, Wired, and BBC World Service.

Other local entrepreneurs nominated for Asia’s Best Young Entrepreneurs

• Darius Cheung, Varun Chatterji, Rishi Israni and Indradeep Biswas from tenCube
• Leonard Tan from PurpleClick Media and 9 Minutes
• Ryan Lee of Xm-i, Metacommunique

Voting is still on, please show them your support!

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1008_asia_young_entrepreneurs/index.htm

IDMPO Companies’ Found Success through Facebook

My Paper featured two of i.Jam funded projects (Tyler Projects and Fresbo) in a two-paged cover story on 8th October. The story is angled on how local IDM or game companies made use of social networking sites like Facebook to distribute their products/games.

Fresbo and Tyler Projects received IDMPO’s i.JAM funding of S$50k about one year ago.

Vincent Ng, Co-founder of Fresbo, said “The fund came at a time when we were doing third party web projects to sustain the company, as Fresbo World was still in development phase at that time and cash flow was extremely tight. The injection of funds allowed us to stop spending time and effort on sustaining the company and channel all focus into developing the technology and the actual product.”

Read the full story at http://www.idm.sg/filesrepo/08/10/8.pdf

Singapore, 17 October 2008 – Fifteen new projects on the concept of Co-Space™ have been awarded funding by the multi-agency Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Research and Development (R&D) Programme Office (IDMPO) hosted by the Media Development Authority.

Collectively, these projects involving 15 companies will achieve for Singapore an increase of some $37 million in Total Business Spending , 240 new jobs, and create platforms and services that will support some 1300 third-party applications. Hands-on training and development will also be provided for some 5600 students and professionals. The projects have also secured 20 public agencies such as National Library Board, National Heritage Board (NHB) and Sing Health as early adopters.

About S$12 million in funding have been awarded to the 15 projects. They were selected from the inaugural Co-SpaceTM (industry) Call for Proposals which attracted 55 proposals involving some 200 companies from the Broadcasting, Real Estate, Healthcare, Defence, Sports, Gaming, Virtual Worlds, Telecommunications, Education and 3D sub-sectors. The Call closed in June 2008.

The Call is part of the IDMPO’s efforts to build the IDM industry in Singapore, whose strategic programme on behalf of the National Research Foundation has seeded innovation amongst local academic institutions, industry and start-ups across the island. The focus of the R&D extends beyond technology development, to also encouraging stakeholders to experiment with new services, business models, and the translation of IDM into the domains of various economic sectors.

Under the Call, exciting innovations in 3D realism and immersive media will soon result in technologies which will capture and render Singapore in rich 3D detail. These projects, when implemented over the next 2 to 3 years, will mirror Singapore in virtual 3D; including street objects, the surrounding maritime areas, and the interiors of buildings.

“Co-Space™ has spurred innovation and breakthrough thinking in the future of digital-physical environments. The Call has attracted participation from all levels of the industry including start-ups, local Small Medium Enterprises, and Multi-National Companies who have pitched in with us to inspire a new generation of applications. Co-Space™ has jumpstarted cutting edge thinking and innovation in IDM. Our aim moving forward, would be to nurture an environment to support the thousands of companies, students and researchers under our programme; in order to position Singapore at the forefront of this next generation Web”. said Mr Michael Yap, Executive Director, IDMPO.

Projects funded under the Call

Together, the projects will add realism to the 3D environment, with new tools and applications that will revolutionise the way in which organisations and businesses conduct their activities. Users will soon be able to navigate Singapore in true, first-person 3D view, where there will be realistic simulation of building interiors and waterways; and information will be organised with reference to actual locations, – projects undertaken by IDM companies G Element, Metaversum, Thales Technology Centre Singapore, KPB Technologies and Visual Factory.

For example, the MagicStitchTM platform being developed by Visual Factory, in collaboration with NHB will soon allow museum curators from around the world to design and curate their own virtual 3D museum galleries; showcasing precious art works from the national archives of countries around the world.

“NHB has selected Visual Factory Pte Ltd to develop the Cybermuseum project based on its immersive 3D technologies. Visual Factory’s product, MagicStitch™, is an attractive platform for fast and easy deployment of 3D immersive applications. Professional and non professional users can now create their own virtual spaces, social networks, e-commerce applications, and much more” said Mr Philip Chua, Chief Technology Officer, National Heritage Board

With the augmentation of geographical infrastructure such as cameras, location based capabilities and telemetry sensors, the 3D world will provide rich opportunities for new types of services, not least of which is a new virtual shopfront for business owners proposed by Qmax, a real to virtual payment gateway proposed by First Meta, and real-time interactive large scale video streaming proposed by ETi ServTouch.

A framework for the integration of these virtual technologies will also be put in place by Sun Microsystems, who will work with the open source community to couple the rich world of 3D virtual spaces with sensor and location based technologies.

The Call also saw innovation in new media experiences, where proposals touched on new forms of interactivity and multi-platform broadcasting for more pervasive and engaged media choices. Soon, computer interaction will no longer be confined to the keyboard, as VeeV Interactive Pte Ltd, a wholly-owed subsidiary of Sky Media, will offer users the ability to ‘hold’ and ‘use’ tools to draw, paint, colour and create pictures using an affordable haptic device. PGK Media’s AdMe service will also allow users to interact and send video clips and other media-rich content to more than 40 live-sized mobile billboards located across Singapore

The relevance of virtual media-rich environments will be brought into a variety of consumer services. For example, taxi commuters can expect shorter queue times at taxi stands as new services such as Stratech System’s Dynamic Vehicle Allocation will detect commuter queue lengths and convert such data into media rich-visual applications for commuters’ mobile phones. The software will also allow the capturing and sending of video images from taxi stands to taxi operators’ call centres so that taxis can be better deployed to meet commuters’ demand.

The 15 projects awarded under the call were selected after rigorous evaluation by a 16-agency evaluation panel. Collectively, they offer unprecedented opportunities for innovation through a combination of both physical and virtual world offerings, and create an environment for building yet unknown services that tap on the promise of digital ubiquity. The resulting applications; rooted in the usefulness of real-world, real-time information, will also create opportunities for limitless new experiences for the public.

Last month, the IDMPO announced the funding of 13 Co-Space™ projects submitted by local academic institutions. With the contributions from both the industry and academic field, Singapore is well positioned as a player in the next generation Internet, where the web will become even more pervasive, immersive, and integrated into our daily lives.

Moving forward, IDMPO will be working on a National Innovations Commons framework whereby technologies developed will be shared across the sector to foster an environment for collaboration. IDMPO will also be engaging closely with public and private sector organisations to push the envelope of innovation through co-creation.

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Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society
The Move to Fusionopolis
$18m boost for IDM projects
International Experts Impressed with IDM Efforts
KooBits and PGK Media Wins the InfoComm Singapore Awards 2008
Developments of GAMBIT

Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society

The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS) was established in April 2007 to study the far-reaching social, ethical, legal and regulatory implications of a rapidly growing Interactive Digital Media (IDM) sector and to make recommendations to the Government on how these issues should be managed while keeping pace with the development of IDM in Singapore.

For the first AIMS report, AIMS has decided to deal with four time-sensitive issues: e-engagement (or how the Government can use new media to better interact with the public), the regulation of online political content, the protection of minors, and intermediary immunity for online defamation.

Read on
AIMS consultation paper – Engaging new media, challenging old assumptions
Visit the website at www.aims.org.sg

The Move to Fusionopolis

IDMPO, hosted by MDA, has moved to its new home at Fusionopolis this month. With room to grow in the new and spacious building, the IDMPO can expand its operations to play its catalytic role in developing the interactive digital media sector here.

We are also excited about the Singapore Media Fusion (SMF) Centre, which will occupy Level 11 in one of the towers, Symbiosis. The centre will provide a physical environment that brings together the key players in the IDM sector through multitude of collaborative activities. It also will also showcase capabilities of local interactive digital media technologies. Fusionopolis is going to be the central place for digital media, with enough critical mass to generate innovation as a result of its focus on R&D.

$18m boost for IDM projects

13 projects from local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) will be given a total of $18 million to do R&D in interactive digital media (IDM). It marks the second round of grants handed out by IDMPO to IHLs. Fourteen projects were selected in the first round last year, and about $22 million was given out.

A panel of international scholars and industry experts was invited to pick the winners out of 85 applicants.

‘It was very difficult to reject projects because they were so good,’ said one of the panelists, Dr
Jose Encarnacao, a computer science expert from Germany. ‘We could have easily accepted twice as many,’ he said.

The funding, which typically goes towards projects with potential for commercial spin-offs, has been a boon for some local researchers. Last year, National University of Singapore researcher Chua Tat Seng received funding for a project that aimed to make video and picture searches more accurate and efficient. The technology has since been picked up by Comcast Corporation, the United States’ largest cable TV provider and one of its largest Internet providers.

International Experts Impressed with IDM Efforts

Overall, the panel concluded that the progress made in the last year was very substantial and exciting. The IRP were impressed by the companies and startups they saw, such as Koobits, Morange, Garena, Fresbo and thought that they had potential to become global players. The Chairman/IRP Dr John Seely Brown said, “I am stunned by your young entrepreneurs. I felt that I could have the exact same conversations in Silicon Valley. I am amazed that Singapore could make that transition within the last two years.”

More related news
18M Boost for IDM Projects

KooBits and PGK Media Wins the InfoComm Singapore Awards 2008

KooBits, an innovative ICT authoring platform developed by Personal e-Motion Pte Ltd, and PGK Media was awarded with the Infocomm Singapore Awards 2008 at the awards ceremony held on Friday night at the National Library penthouse in Singapore.

Personal e-Motion emerged as winner in the competitive e-Education category, earning the credit and recognition for its effort in developing an innovative authoring platform for students and teachers to easily create interactive animated e-books and other multimedia content.

PGK Media emerged as winner in the competitive Research & Development category, earning the credit and recognition for its effort in developing various innovative and world-first products and applications.

Both winners are companies funded by IDM R&D Programme Office (IDMPO)

“We would like to thanks the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation for the accreditation and the Media Development Authority of Singapore and Interactive Digital Media Project Office for their extensive support which was pivotal in bringing to reality many cutting edge projects.” said Mr Giulio Dorrucci, Chairman & CEO of PGK Media.

Mr Stanley Han, General Manager and Co-Founder of Personal e-Motion also thanked the Media Development Authority of Singapore and Interactive Digital Media Project Office, “for their extensive support which was pivotal in bringing to reality many cutting edge projects.”

Personal e-Motion, PGK Media, together with other SITF awarded companies and institutes, will represent Singapore in the international Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards which will be held in Jakarta in November 2008, and bring recognition to Singapore as one of the leading provider for interactive digital media, ICT tools and platform.

Developments of GAMBIT

The Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Games Lab, one of our Institutes of Higher Learning, produced its second batch of students from the recent 2008 Summer Internship Programme. 45 students from the local Institutes of Higher Learning interned at MIT for 9 weeks to produce a total of seven games. Practical hands-on experience learnt throughout the course of the internship helped nurture creative thinking among Singaporean youths and build talent capacity for the local gaming industry.

Students who participated in GAMBIT showcased their projects in a media briefing held on 9 Sept and the Games Convention Asia 2008.

Read more about Singapore’s Strengths in Games

Today, the world of new media is in a state of unprecedented flux.

Created first by the gentle wave of digitisation, which helped us record, store, and then retrieve information, the tide of networking and convergence soon gave consumers the powers of choice, and now, it’s almost as if we are in a whirling swell of information overload; confronted with a barrage of senseless tweets, friendfeeds and blogerati. Information accessibility has exploded onto our screens, pdas and mobile phones, creating a whirlpool of oftentimes nuisance information plaguing us at every move.

Our vision for Co-Space is that one day, seamless interoperability of technologies, gadgets, and devices will enable the creation of new physical experiences and capabilities which are augmented, not cluttered by the pervasive availability of real-time context relevant information.

The pieces are already in place and today, we see more and more evidence of the digital environment being enriched with the realism of artificial intelligence, semantic arbitration and real-time input. There is also a palpable shift towards the real-time capture and processing of real-world information, as motion detectors, traffic cameras, and automatic dehumidifiers control our environments, dictating our every response to the environment.

As content gives way to context, so too must technologies keep up with the times.

We need to re-think the fundamentals of our technologies, and its end goal. Breakthroughs are needed, in order to help navigate the endless stream of contextually irrelevant content.

The IDM PO welcomes breakthrough ideas in the area of Co-Space and we look forward to hearing from you.

The drive to incorporate artificial intelligence like this into websites, among other things, got a major boost from the Government yesterday.

The Media Development Authority announced that 13 projects from local universities will be given a total of $18 million to develop what officials call interactive digital media (IDM). It marks the second round of grants handed out by a Government-run group created to promote research in IDM. Fourteen projects were selected in the first round last year, and about $22 million was given out.

Source: The Straits Times. Download full article

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