There will be a Public Briefing to provide more information about the programme:

When: Monday 23rd April 2012
Time: 11am
Where: IDA, 10 Pasir Panjang Road, #10-01 Mapletree Business City, Singapore 117438

If you’re keen on participating in the Public Briefing, please email us at ida_startup@ida.gov.sg with the following information: Name, Designation, Company, Email

Trips to Indonesia:

Participating companies will need to commit to making two trips to Indonesia, in these following phases:

Phase 1 (Scheduled for 4th – 15th June 2012)
- Companies will be matched and assigned to in-market mentors and consultants that will aid in crafting an appropriate go-to-market strategy for Indonesia and arrange meetings with potential customers, investors and partners.
- Companies will undergo workshops to be equipped on the basics of market entry, legal, finance & tax, fine-tuning of biz model for the market, market dynamics of various IT verticals etc.
- Companies will attend prominent conferences / attend networking events.

Phase 2 (Tentatively scheduled for 21st – 31st August 2012)
- Companies would return back to Indonesia after spending abt 2 months in Singapore to refine their product, business model, and pitch, for further customer engagement.
- Follow-up meetings with potential customers, investors and partners.
- Possibly attend other networking events

Cost:
- IDA will cover the fees charged by the accelerator/mentors/consultants for organising such a programme
- Companies need to cover their own return airfare, accommodation, cost of living, and additional entry fees for optional events, etc.

Eligibility and Screening:
- Open to companies incorporated & physically present in Singapore
- Company’s group annual sales turnover is not more than $100 million or group employment size is not more than 200 workers
- Preferred product verticals: Games, Mobile, E-commerce / payment, Web & Social Media
- Companies should have a working Product, and have the necessary resources (finance & manpower) for international expansion
- Screening will also be conducted by the Indonesian accelerator/incubator – to choose companies that they can best help

Movie night at Hackerspace, a co-working space for tech geeks.

Several co-working spaces like Hackerspace, Smartspace, FounderHQ and Kennel have emerged in Singapore over the past few years, in a nod to the country’s increasingly entrepreneurial and nomadic workforce.

The Singapore government has now also recognized the changing behavior of its workers. In a groundbreaking new intiative, it is issuing out grants to develop the next generation of shared work spaces and home offices.

Dedicated home offices would allow employees with families to better juggle their work and home commitments. For those who find working from home impossible, “Smart Work Centres” would be set up around the island to give employees a shared office nearby.

The government eventually hopes to persuade employers to buy-in to the concept, letting them work outside while reporting to the office occasionally.

Employers can benefit from this initative. According to the press release, “flexible work arrangements can contribute to better staff attraction and retention as well as improved productivity and enhanced access to a larger manpower pool that includes economically inactive persons.”

Based on the documents provided by IDA, it does not appear that the government is explicitly promoting the development of co-working spaces, which have a different nature from shared offices due to their open and collaborative arrangement, allowing workers from different backgrounds to mingle and share ideas.

But the flexibility is there, it seems, for applicants to submit proposals to build bona fide co-working spaces.

This “Call-for-Collaboration”, as they call it, is a part of the Next Generation Services Innovation Programme, which aims to “support the development of next generation broadband services and applications”. These new work spaces will presumably involve the use of Singapore’s Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network.

The Call-for-Collaboration will consist of two tracks. Parties can submit proposals to either develop home-based work offices or smart work centers.

For the smart work centers track, a consortium may consist of: A smart work centre operator, which will act as the lead, an ICT company, a user organisation (the employer), and providers of additional professional services.

For home offices, the requirements are similar, except that a smart work centre operator isn’t needed.

Existing co-working spaces and shared office operators can use this initiative as an opportunity to provide their expertise and expand their business. All they need is to rope in a few of registered startups and form a consortium.

In the near term, this program could eventually benefit entrepreneurs seeking affordable work spaces, as they would have more options to choose from.

At this point though, it’s unclear how much funding will be awarded to successful applicants. For those who are interested, you can attend a public briefing on 10th April 2012. More details on the event, as well as the scheme in general, can be found on the IDA website.

Photo: Elfgoh

Some of the past winners include Brandtology, HungryGoWhere, and Muvee.

Organized by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Singapore  infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), these awards aim to recognize the spirit of innovation through the development or adoption of infocomm products, services or solutions in Singapore.

Here are the categories: The Most Innovative Use of Infocomm Technology award for the public and private sector, including SMEs and startups. Nominees will be evaluated based on their effective use of  technology to enhance productivity or competitiveness.

There’s also the Most Innovative Infocomm Product/Service award category, which rewards companies in Singapore that are pushing the boundaries of technology to develop innovative infocomm products and services that benefit their customers. Entries are judged based on the product’s innovativeness and use of emerging or advanced technology.

Winners of the awards will be honored at a gala dinner in October 2012. Nominations close on 30th June 2012. To highlight a company for selection, head to the NIA website.

Event Details

When: Tuesday, 6th March 2012
Time: 2pm-4pm
Where: The Franklin, Singapore Science Park 1, #02-12/25, Singapore 118223 (Map)
RSVP by sending an email to enquiry@iaxil.net.

Live blog:

Event Details

When: Monday, 13th February 2012
Time: 830am-1230pm
Where: Mapletree Business City, Mezzanine Floor, Seminar Room, 20 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore 117439 (Map)
For more infomation, send an email to ida_ind_dev@ida.gov.sg.

Buildings that are connected to the network includes: Suntec Office Towers, HarbourFront Centre, Shaw House and Shaw Centre. The announcement was made by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) in a press release issued last week.

This initiative could eventually be a boon to tech startups, serving as a catalyst for research and development as well as innovation in the interactive digital media and creative industries.

To help occupants and the public identify which commercial buildings are connected to the Next Gen NBN, IDA will roll out the Fibre Ready! Mark for non-residential buildings.

Said IDA’s CEO Ronnie Tay: “Today, we have 12 service providers offering more than 40 fibre connection packages to cater for both residential and enterprise needs. However, not all enterprises are aware if their premises are fibre ready. With the Fibre Ready! Mark for buildings which have been connected to the Next Gen NBN, enterprises located in those buildings can be kept informed and therefore prepare their premises to be powered by Next Gen NBN.”

Residents too have been signing up for the program. IDA hopes that by mid-2012, 95 percent of homes and offices would be connected to the network.

Has your company been help or hindered in some way by the Next Gen NBN? Share your story with us!

All participants need to do is upload a one minute video on YouTube that “showcases the importance of technology” in their lives.

They should then submit a form to tell IDA about the video. 70 percent of the score will be determined by the judges, while the remaining 30 percent will depend on audience votes.

Only full-time students in Singapore may apply. The contest is open to Singapore citizens, Permanent Residents, or foreigners who are attending a school in the country for at least six months with a valid Student Visa.

The deadline for submission is 16th January, 2012. The second place winner will get a Sony camcorder and S$1,000 cash prize, while the third place participant will walk away with an Apple iPad and S$500 cash.

Event Details

When: Thursday, 10th November 2011
Time: 10am-2pm
Where: Blk 71, 71 Ayer Rajah Crescent #02-18, Singapore (Map)
RSVP by sending an email with details of Company Name, Contact, Email, Business Activity (product/service) – summarized in a paragraph, Remarks/Specify interest in meeting with any company (if applicable), to harville_tan@ida.gov.sg.

It comes in the form of tax deductions of up to 400 percent on up to S$400,000 (US$316,000) of qualifying expenditure incurred per year on each of six qualifying activities, which are:

• Acquisition or leasing of automation equipment;
• Training of employees;
• Acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights;
• Registration of patents, trademarks, designs and plant varieties;
• Research and development activities; and
• Investment in approved design projects.

Cloud computing was only recently included under the Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme, which aims to help businesses improve productivity through automation. All businesses that have incurred expenditure in the six areas can apply for tax deductions.

Certainly, this is also good news for cloud computing service providers, as companies would now be incentivized to adopt their services.