# Funds Awarded for 5 Projects Supported Under the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge Second Call for Proposals

- **Source:** Ministry of National Development
- **Published:** 2016-05-16T02:45:00.000Z
- **Author:** Ministry of National Development
- **Original:** https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/funds-awarded-for-5-projects-supported-under-the-land-and-liveability-national-innovation-challenge-second-call-for-proposals
- **Topics:** New Launches, Government & Policy, Investment & Capital Markets

## Featured rationale

Successful technologies could lower construction costs and improve residential liveability, potentially expanding development options in Singapore's congested urban areas and supporting more efficient land use.

## AI summary

MND and NRF awarded five research projects S$14 million to pursue underground-development cost reductions of 50% and improvements in residential temperature and noise levels.

## Original article

The Ministry of National Development (MND) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore have awarded 5 research projects a total of S$14 million in funding under the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2 NIC) Second Call for Proposals (See Annex A for project details). 

The L2 NIC Second Call for Proposals was launched in July 2015 during the Urban Sustainability R&D Congress to challenge the research community to come up with innovative solutions to (a) improve the cost effectiveness of underground developments by 50%, as well as (b) improve human comfort and well-being by reducing ambient temperature by 4oC and ambient noise by 10dBA in residential areas. The call was open to Principal Investigators (PI) from all Singapore-based institutions of higher learning (IHLs), private companies, non-profit laboratories and public sector agencies. 

26 White Papers were received at the close of the Call for Proposals in August 2015. All submitted proposals underwent a rigorous evaluation process by international and local technical experts and government agencies. 

The awarded projects presented opportunities to use technology to improve the living environment for Singaporeans, as well as push the frontier of possibilities for future development of living spaces. For instance, a project by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will look into developing cool surface materials which can help to reduce the ambient temperature of surroundings when used on buildings or road surfaces. 

Another project by the National University of Singapore (NUS) will develop a prototype equipment to help reduce the cost of underground space construction by enabling direct injection of cement into soft ground around corners and obstacles. This is useful for ground strengthening, which is an important yet expensive part of construction in congested underground spaces which exist in dense urban environments like Singapore, and developed cities around Asia. 

Professor Yong Kwet Yew, L2 NIC Scientific Lead, said: “The L2 NIC Second Call for Proposals was a targeted call to solicit proposals that address the strategic challenges we face in space creation and liveability. The selected projects are innovative and of high research quality. I am happy to see the research institutes, government agencies and private sector companies work together to develop highly applicable technological solutions to meet our challenges.” 

About the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge (L2 NIC) 

Led by MND and NRF, the L2 NIC is a multi-agency effort launched in 2013. The programme seeks to leverage on research and development (R&D) to develop innovative technological solutions to expand and optimise Singapore’s space capacity for our long-term development needs, while supporting a highly-liveable environment for our people. Including the 5 new projects awarded under the Second Call for Proposals, L2 NIC has awarded 25 projects since inception, covering key topics such as underground construction, floating structures, ageing-in-place, noise mitigation, environmental modelling and greenery. This includes a multidisciplinary ‘Future of Cities’ foresight study by the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), which examines possible longer-term challenges facing Singapore from the angles of technology, economy, transport and urban environment. (More details of previous projects can be found here). 

Under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020 Plan announced in January 2016, the research work of L2 NIC is integral to the development of the Urban Solutions and Sustainability (USS) technology domain. L2 NIC will continue to partner with research institutes, private sector companies and government agencies to fund more research projects that will play a key role to innovatively create living spaces while achieving a highly-liveable and resilient city of the future for Singaporeans.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 土地与宜居性国家创新挑战第二轮征集获批五个项目资助

国家发展部（MND）与新加坡国家研究基金会（NRF）已根据土地与宜居性国家创新挑战（L2 NIC）第二轮征集方案，向5个研究项目共拨出1,400万新元资助（项目详情见附件A）。

L2 NIC第二轮征集方案于2015年7月在城市可持续性研发大会期间推出，旨在挑战研究界提出创新方案，以（a）将地下开发的成本效益提升50%，以及（b）通过将住宅区环境温度降低4oC、环境噪音降低10dBA，改善人体舒适度与福祉。该征集面向所有新加坡高等学府（IHLs）、私人公司、非营利实验室及公共机构的首席研究员（PI）开放。

征集于2015年8月截止时共收到26份白皮书。所有提交方案均经国际与本地技术专家及政府机构严格评估。

获批项目为运用科技改善新加坡人居住环境、拓展未来生活空间开发可能性提供了机遇。例如，南洋理工大学（NTU）的一个项目将研究开发凉爽表面材料，用于建筑物或道路表面时可帮助降低周围环境温度。

另一个由新加坡国立大学（NUS）开展的项目将开发原型设备，通过在软土中绕过拐角与障碍物直接注入水泥，协助降低地下空间建造成本。这对地基加固十分有用，而地基加固是新加坡等密集城市环境及亚洲其他发达城市中拥挤地下空间施工中重要但昂贵的一环。

L2 NIC科学牵头人杨厥犹教授表示：“L2 NIC第二轮征集是有针对性的征集，旨在征求应对我们在空间创造与宜居性方面所面临战略挑战的方案。获选项目具有创新性，且研究质量高。我很高兴看到研究机构、政府机构和私营公司共同合作，开发高度适用的技术解决方案，以应对我们的挑战。”

关于土地与宜居性国家创新挑战（L2 NIC）

L2 NIC由国家发展部与国家研究基金会牵头，是2013年启动的跨机构计划。该计划旨在借助研究与开发（R&D），发展创新技术解决方案，拓展并优化新加坡的空间容量，以满足我国长期发展需要，同时为我们的人民营造高度宜居的环境。连同第二轮征集获批的5个新项目，L2 NIC自启动以来已资助25个项目，涵盖地下建造、浮式结构、就地安老、减噪、环境建模与绿化等关键课题。其中包括新加坡科技设计大学（SUTD）李光耀创新城市中心开展的跨学科“城市未来”前瞻研究，从技术、经济、交通与城市环境等角度审视新加坡可能面临的较长期挑战。（过往项目详情可在此查阅）。

根据2016年1月公布的研究、创新与企业（RIE）2020计划，L2 NIC的研究工作是城市解决方案与可持续性（USS）技术领域发展的重要组成部分。L2 NIC将继续与研究机构、私营公司及政府机构合作，资助更多研究项目，这些项目将在创新创造生活空间、并为新加坡人打造高度宜居且具韧性的未来城市方面发挥关键作用。