In this session, we will be announcing Stream Global as our new incubator, and new partnerships with global industry players such as Akamai Technologies and Microsoft. There will also be a panel discussion on innovation and the process of invention with Prof John Seely Brown, Prof Jose Luis Encarnacao and Dr Kees Schouhamer Immink.

We hope to see you at this event, please register at http://www.ijam.sg/event

i.Match
i.Match, a match-making initiative led by Interactive Digital Media Research and Development Programme Office (IDMPO), to bridge Series-A funding gap between IDM companies and local investors, has completed its first cycle and is moving on to Cycle II.

Highlights of Cycle I include:
• 13 companies presented at the first i.Match Showcase event on 29 July
• 69 investors have joined the i.Match Investor Core Group to date
• ICG investors continue to follow-up with i.Match Cycle I companies for Series A investment

The i.Match Cycle II Showcase is tentatively scheduled for end October/early November. To participate in Cycle II and be part of the i.Match Programme, please visit imatch.sg to register.

Apple and IDMPO Call for Proposals
Education Technology Development (ETD) Program is a joint initiative by Interactive Digital Media, Program Office and Apple South Asia Pte Ltd. The objective of this program is to enhance learning and teaching experiences in the education industry. The program encourages local developers to develop innovative education related applications on Mac operating system and/or iPhone operating system.
The call for proposals for the ETD program will open on September 1, 2008, and all submissions must be made by September 26, 2008 at 12pm. IDM Program Office will review the proposals assisted by Apple South Asia Pte Ltd. The proposals shall be reviewed on the following criteria:
• innovation and effectiveness in education
• use of Mac OS and/or iPhone OS
• robustness and reliability
• scalability and extensibility
• availability of a public beta in the course of 6 months

You can attend Apple ETD Briefing on 1st September for more information.
Please visit the i.JAMMING Networking Session / Apple ETD Briefing registration page for details and registration.

Friendster and IDMPO Call for Proposals

IDMPO is working with Friendster to help local developers market, distribute and monetize their apps and services to Friendster. The Friendster Developer Platforms provide APIs to access Friendster data and seamless integration points within the Friendster web site to create compelling applications for Friendster’s over 75 million users.
As part of the programme, Friendster will offer,
• A developer support group and forum for general Q&A
• Featured placement on Friendster.com and Friendster’s monthly newsletter (to over 20 million subscribers)
• Integrated Sponsorships: Friendster works with developers and advertisers to build a compelling user and brand experience
• Help building Fan Profiles, so they can more effectively market their apps to the community

You can attend Apple ETD Briefing on 1st September for more information.
Please visit the i.JAMMING Networking Session registration page for details and registration.

Stream Global, the new i.Jam Incubator

IDMPO is pleased to announce Stream Global as our partner and incubator of IDMPO’s i.JAM (IDM Jumpstart and Mentor) Program.

Stream Global’s philosophy is to focus on early stage companies to help improve their strategies and business model for the long haul, to seize opportunities and increase revenue in the regional markets and to help them to determine the best method to raise funds and to achieve best value for their business.

“We are glad to work hand in hand with MDA to nurture and mentor the new startups,” said Bill Liu, Chairman of Stream Global Pte Ltd. “I am certain that our partners and associate will be able to add tremendous value to the new IDM startups”.

For more information on our i.Jam programme, please visit i.Jam Programme Overview.

“IRC” does not stand for “Internet Relay Chat”

More that 50 people from various local universities, polytechnics and other agencies turned up for the International Research Centre (IRC) Workshop on 25 Aug held in the Nanyang Technological University.

So what is an IRC? It is a research centre jointly set up by a top overseas Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) or Research Institute (RI) with local IHLs to conduct research in exciting areas of Interactive Digital Media (IDM).

We now have GAMBIT Lab formed with MIT (the US) on games; the China-Singapore Institute of Digital Media (CSIDM) with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (PRC) on language mediation; and the latest one announced on 25 Jul 08 — the Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments (CUTE) Centre, with Keio University (Japan) on lifestyle and pervasive media. There are several more interesting ones in the pipeline and the workshop was to help each IRC craft sharper and more compelling goals.

Besides that, there was a good discussion on how the IRCs and the local IHLs could share resources and work together for greater synergies. The conversations are ongoing. Suffice to say that they could be embodied by the lyrics of 3 songs: “I can see clearly now the rain is gone…”; “The more we get together, together, together…”; and “We’ve got the whole world in our hands…”

Visit the GAMBIT Website

We have completed i.MATCH Cycle I and are now beginning i.MATCH Cycle II. Highlights of Cycle I include:

• 20 companies attended the Business Skills Masterclass Workshop on 2-3 June
• 13 companies presented at the first i.MATCH Showcase event on 29 July
• 69 investors have joined the i.MATCH Investor Core Group to date.
• 56 people attended the Showcase Event, including 43 ICG members and 13 other guests
• 19 private meetings were held between investors and companies at the Showcase Event
• ICG investors continue to follow-up with i.MATCH Cycle I companies for Series A investment

The workshop is a free, two-day intensive session to help companies further develop their business plans and investor presentations. All companies that attend the workshop will be considered for presentation at the iMATCH Cycle II Showcase (tentatively scheduled for end October/early November).

For more information, please visit the i.Match website.

RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for Education and Information, Communications and the Arts, announced the initiative at the i.JAM Networking Session. The initiative is meant to help raise the investment needed by IDM companies to further commercialise and develop their products and their companies.

This is done by putting selected companies through an intensive programme consisting of business planning and presentation classes, business plan improvement meetings, and personal coaching sessions.

These companies will then pitch their products to venture capitalists and other investors who might be interested in their products. On top of the private investments, the companies also qualify for R&D grants from IMDMPO or co-investment by SPRING SEEDS Capital of Spring Singapore.

So far, the initiative has signed up 40 potential investors, including big names like SPH, ST Electronics, Mediacorp Technologies, IDG Ventures Vietnam, and Stream Global.

This initiative is part of IDMPO’s ongoing effort to create an interlocking ecosystem between the four key groups in IDM R&D, which are institutes of higher learning, industry players, start-ups and individuals, and schools, to create innovation and capacity in the IDM industry.

Source: Business Times Online

Other i.MATCH related news

MDA launches iMATCH to bridge funding gap for IDM startups (Channel News Asia)
IDM start-ups to get boost from i.MATCH initiative (Business Times)
MATCH to boost local IDM companies’ search for funding (Berita Harian)
IDM start-ups to get boost from i.MATCH initiative (Business Times Online)
MDA help for digital media startups (The New Paper)
MDA sets digital fund, new niche TV (The Hollywood Reporter)
Singapore govt to support interactive digital media startups (IndiaTelevision.com)

• iMATCH
• Upcoming international events
• BCA
• iDIOTS- NUS Industrial Design Graduation Show 2008
• NRF Research Fellowship

iJAM networking session announcing the launch of iMATCH

An initiative by Interactive Digital Media R&D Programme Office (IDMPO) and SPRING Singapore, the i.MATCH programme aims to provide a conducive platform for both investors and companies ready for further investments to meet and explore. Details will be announced on 30th July 2008 during our i.JAM networking event.

RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister Of State For Education And Information, Communications And The Arts will be the guest of honour.

Also the highlights for the afternoon are various industry announcements as global platform players such as HP and Apple will be announcing a collaborative effort to potentially help provide opportunities for IDM companies reach out to global audiences.

Attendees can also engage in a discussion with our panel comprising of representatives from various corporate industry players or investing firms. Among the panel would be Ms. Lauren Liang from GE Commercial Finance, Mr. Pierre Hennes from Upstream Global and Mr. Eric Chan from ST Electronics. They will be discussing a topic close to eery start up’s heart- “What do investors look for?”.

Two new call for proposals will also be announced at the event. Do join us for an exciting afternoon!

Venue: Swissôtel Merchant Court Ballroom
Date & time: 30th July 2008 1500-2000hrs

For more information, please visit http://www.idm.sg/?page_id=76

Upcoming international events

This year is going to be an exciting year as ISEA, the International Symposium on Electronic Art and the inaugural ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics will be coming to Singapore.

ISEA will be happening from 25th July to 3rd August 2008 while SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 will take place from 10th to 13th December 2008. Highly acclaimed artists, researchers and industry players will be attending the events. Do visit our events page on http://www.idm.sg/events/ for updates on more events.

For more information, please visit the 2 events, please visit http://www.isea2008singapore.org/ and http://www.siggraph.org/asia2008/.

Broadcast Asia 2008

Broadcast Asia 2008 was held on the 17th to 20th June 2008 at Singapore Expo Hall 8. It was a good chance for exhibiting companies from all over the world, including Singapore, to showcase their innovations and technology to invited trade guests and visitors.

The Broadcast Asia 2008 International Conference was also held in conjunction with Broadcast Asia, along with various other conferences spread out over the 4-day event.

13 companies marveled visitors with their projects at the IDM showcase within the Singapore Pavilion. Seven core exhibitors put up an integrated showcase, with MXR Corporation, Interactive Multimedia Lab (IML) of National University of Singapore, QMax Communications, G Element, ServTouch Eti, PGK Media. Oghma Pte Ltd and XiD Technologies collaborating with each other and leveraging on their existing technologies. Other companies and start ups such as Widgeo.us, Zepth, Versonic, Motion Elements, Visual Factory and Crystal Computer Graphics showcased their individual projects.

iDIOTS- NUS Industrial Design Graduation Show 2008

The National University of Singapore Industrial Design Graduation Show was held on 30 May to 1 June 2008. The event was organized at The Central, with RADM (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for Education and Information, Communications and The Arts as the guest of honour.

One can imagine how lives could be transformed when the numerous projects turn from prototypes to common daily life tools. The projects showcased were classic examples of technological innovation, human interface and ambience integration.

Chen Meihua’s project, memo, is sparked off partly due to her personal interests in people and relationships. This project had also provided her an opportunity to develop a product that is centered on the latent desire of users to build richer memories with family and friends. For her project, she designed a device capable of dual view, to simultaneously catch the subject and the background. She hoped to bridge the gap between the traditional notion of cameras and how cameras were being perceived.

Echopod by Joanne Lin is an audio device which will bring groups of people closer to nature and nature guides. Based on bone conduction and Bluetooth technology, the earpieces work to facilitate and enhance the whole experience of nature tours.

Projects serve to provide students with a broad range of design exercises to learn about scale, human interface, technological innovations, ambience, culture and identity, environmental concerns and sustainability. It adopts a holistic approach in design education that is both humanistic as well as market orientated.
id’s in the idea. Run over to http://www.nusindustrialdesign.com/ to catch come id.

Invitation to NRF Research Fellowship

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.
The NRF Research Fellowship (RF) Scheme is a globally competitive programme to attract, recruit and root young scientists and researchers to conduct independent research in Singapore. It will provide attractive funding to brilliant, young scientists to carry out independent, cutting edge research in Singapore. Appointees could be offered concurrent faculty positions at local universities.

Application is to be submitted online at the following web-link before 30 September 2008:

https://rita.nrf.gov.sg/AboutUs/NRF_Initiatives/NRF_RF_2008/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).

Apply now if you have a PhD degree from a reputable university and work at the forefront of research in your field.

iMATCH helps raise investment needed to give IDM companies the extra push to further commercialise their products and grow their companies. This is done by first exposing selected companies to a rigorous programme consisting of an intensive business plan and investor presentation master class, one-on-one business plan improvement meetings and personal coaching sessions. The selected companies will then be given the chance to pitch their projects to venture capitalists (VC) and other potential investors. On top of private investment, these companies will also quality for R&D grants from IDMPO or co-investment in their projects by SPRING SEEDS Capital of SPRING Singapore.

Designed to uncover the best of local IDM companies and to introduce them to local VCs and other equity investors, the initiative has brought on board 40 potential investors. They include major corporate investors such as Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), ST Electronics and Mediacorp Technologies as well as venture capitalists headquartered in Asia, Europe and North America such as IDG Ventures Vietnam, Stream Global and Vickers Financial Group. Two key investment communities in Singapore – the Business Angels Network South East Asia (BANSEA) and Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SCVA) are also behind this initiative.

Mr Michael Yap, Executive Director, IDMPO said: “In 2007, we supported many innovative IDM start-ups and companies, some are coming of age and seeking investment for further growth. i.MATCH builds upon the work done by stimulating entry of more private investment and capital into the sector and helps to facilitate the investment process.”.

Mr Png Cheong Boon, Chairman, SPRING SEEDS Capital said “As more IDM start-ups seek to grow and establish themselves in this arena, access to capital is critical. We hope to support them through our co-investment and connections.”

One of the corporate investors of this initiative, Ms Janice Wu, Senior Vice President (Corporate Development), Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) said:” We applaud IDMPO’s initiative to link innovators to industry players. SPH is excited to be part of this initiative to grow and develop the IDM industry in Singapore. SPH has launched many interactive digital media products and monitors IDM developments very closely. Ideas that would allow us to meet the changing needs of our existing customers and reach new audiences would be most welcome.”

Agreeing with the approach of this initiative is also Mr Reza Behnam, IDG Ventures Vietnam. Mr Behnam said: “This is a great initiative to support and encourage early to mid stage start-ups. It gives the entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their companies to many investors in one setting. This initiative reduces the time, resources, and stress-level associated with fund-raising and allows the entrepreneurs to get feedback from the investment community in an expedited and efficient manner.”

To further create a self-sustaining ecosystem in the IDM sector, IDMPO is working to attract the support of global enterprises to buttress the development of new services and to promote them widely. To date, Apple, Hewlett Packard and Friendster have agreed to support our local IDM companies by offering their worldwide distribution platforms. In addition, they will also commit resources in the areas of development and marketing for new projects being developed on their platforms. The support lending from world class enterprises is a boost to our IDM sector.

Ms Tan Yen Yen, Vice President & Managing Director, HP Singapore, said: “HP is excited to partner IDMPO in this initiative to nurture the local IDM sector. Not only will we be able to build up a strong network of IDM partners here, we will also be able to explore commercialising some of the mScape content developed.” HP will offer its mScape software to local IDM companies to build mediascapes using Web, mobile and Flash mobile content and applications. Mediascapes are mobile, location-based experiences that incorporate digital media with the sights, sounds and textures of the world around the user.

The i.MATCH initiative is IDMPO’s ongoing effort to interlock the four key groups of stakeholders in IDM R&D namely Institutes of Higher Learning, industry players, start-ups and individuals and schools, to create innovation and capacity in IDM.

Companies interested to be part of i.MATCH can contact Chua_Wee_Nian@mda.gov.sg. More information can be found on www.idm.sg.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Jasmine Wong
Assistant Manager, Communications
Media Development Authority of Singapore
Tel: +65 6837 9364
Fax: +65 6336 4142
Email: jasmine_wong@mda.gov.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.

SPRING Singapore
SPRING Singapore is the enterprise development agency for growing innovative companies and fostering a competitive SME sector. We work with partners to help enterprises in financing, capabilities and management development, technology and innovation, and access to markets. As the national standards and accreditation body, SPRING also develops and promotes internationally-recognised standards and quality assurance to enhance competitiveness and facilitate trade.

Please visit www.spring.gov.sg for more information and news about SPRING Singapore.