Corporate Laboratories
Corporate Laboratories
NRF encourages public-private R&D partnerships between research performers and companies through the establishment of Corporate Laboratories (Corp Labs) in our universities or research institutes. Research performers are institutions who undertake publicly-funded R&D activities in Singapore.
Industry partners can tap scientific and technological capabilities built up in our universities and research institutes to develop new products and services, while universities and research institutes achieve impact by developing cutting edge solutions for problems faced by industry. Research areas are geared towards supporting business growth for companies, generating economic benefits for Singapore, and creating good jobs for Singaporeans.
Corp Labs enable faculty, researchers, PhD and Master’s students to work alongside companies on research that has direct relevance for the industry. Students gain industry experience, preparing them for employment in high value-add sectors.
Here is a list of Corp Labs across Singapore:
REC@NUS Corporate R&D Laboratory for Next Generation Photovoltaics (2022)
The project proposes to develop a Perovskite-on-Si tandem solar cell with an efficiency of 30% on an area of 244 cm2 with a stability of >90% under standard testing conditions. The technology is planned for subsequent IP commercialisation through the industry partner REC. Till date, the highest perovskite-on-Si tandem cell efficiency to date (~29.15%) was only achieved on a very small device area (1 cm2, i.e. ~200x smaller than commercial silicon solar cells).
NTU-Delta Corporate Laboratory - Phase 2 (2022)
The Phase 2 partnership between NTU and Delta seeks to develop (i) smart gripping and manipulation technology for material handling and (ii) sensing, situation awareness, and real-time decision-making technology for material transportation in a highly dynamic environment.
Cisco-NUS Accelerated Digital Economy Corporate Laboratory (2021)
The S$54 million Cisco-NUS Accelerated Digital Economy Corporate Laboratory aims to accelerate Singapore’s Digital Economy transformation by developing solutions to automate and scale business operations; developing intelligent infrastructure for healthcare; building and operationalising secure and resilient next-generation infrastructure for Internet of Things and enterprise environments, and harnessing technology to augment and drive productivity of a future-ready professional workforce.
The Corporate Laboratory will bring together talent from NUS and Cisco to boost Singapore’s digital economy in key technology areas, including areas like artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare, urban infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Applied Materials–ASTAR-IME (Institute of Microelectronics) Collaboration in Advanced Packaging Phase 3 in Singapore (2021)
The USD$210 million Applied Materials–Institute of Microelectronics Centre of Excellence in Advanced Packaging in Singapore aims to accelerate breakthroughs in materials, equipment and process technologies for hybrid bonding and other emerging, 3D chip integration technologies.
This builds on an existing research collaboration between the two organisations, and the expansion of the collaboration also aims to provide semiconductor and systems companies with a complete suite of tools and technologies for developing and prototyping hybrid bonding packaging designs.
SIA-NUS Digital Aviation Corporate Laboratory (2020)
The S$45 million SIA-NUS Digital Aviation Corporate Laboratory aims to develop cutting-edge solutions in traveller-centric digital services, revenue management, security and safety in air travel, and organisational effectiveness and workplace productivity.
SIA will leverage NUS’s deep tech and multi-disciplinary research expertise across artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, analytics, optimisation, sleep studies and industrial design to strengthen their position at the forefront of digital innovation in the airline industry while accelerating the digital transformation of Singapore’s aviation sector.
ST Microelectronics, ASTAR-IME (Institute of Microelectronics) and Ulvac Partnership for Lab-in-Fab Phase 1 (2020)
Lab-in-Fab is a collaboration between STMicroelectronics, ASTAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME), and ULVAC, a leading Japanese manufacturing-tool vendor. The aim is to jointly set up and operate an 8-inch (200mm) R&D line focused on piezoelectric microelectromechanical (Piezo MEMS) technology within STMicroelectronics’ existing manufacturing facility in Singapore.
This Lab-in-Fab R&D line brings together three partners with leading-edge and complementary competencies in Piezo materials, Piezo MEMS technologies, and wafer fab tools to boost innovation and accelerate development of new materials, process technologies, and ultimately, products for industry customers.
Continental-NTU Corporate Lab: “Future-Oriented Continental’s Urban Society (FOCUS) Lab” (2019)
Continental-NTU Corporate Lab is a S$50 million joint corporate laboratory between NTU and Continental that focuses on developing technologically advanced solutions in the areas such as autonomous robotics, navigation, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, smart materials, sensing, communication, and cloud technologies for future urban mobility applications. Over the duration of the Corporate Lab, there are 16 industry-focused projects to be carried out to impact across the cross-disciplinary areas of: Smart Mobility & Delivery; Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering; and Smart Materials and Communication Technologies.
Rolls-Royce@NTU Corporate Laboratory - Phase 2 (2019)
The Rolls-Royce@NTU Corporate Laboratory focuses on three areas of research: electrical power and control systems, manufacturing and repair technologies, and computational engineering. The industry research laboratory is located within the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus. Rolls-Royce co-funds the laboratory and provides industry mentorship to NTU researchers participating in the programme.
The Corp Lab has successfully completed its first five years of research partnership and has moved into its next phase with a joint investment of $88 million. Research outcomes from the first phase are now being used to help design and develop future power and propulsion systems and improve manufacturing operations in Singapore and in other global sites of Rolls-Royce.
In the second phase, the Corp Lab will work on 29 projects that make use of Industry 4.0 technologies – connecting computers, machines and engines, generating valuable data that will enhance design, manufacturing, maintenance, services, and operations.
Advanced ReRAM Technology for Embedded Systems (2018)
This collaboration between NTU and Globalfoundries seeks to establish a new class of mainstream non-volatile memory technology, ReRAM, that is used in on-chip microcontrollers or embedded systems. The ReRAM technology developed will be transferred to GlobalFoundries (GF) for further industry development into commercial prototypes of one-transistor-one-resistor array ReRAM chips, which will be used for ultra-low power and high endurance embedded system applications. The final product in this ICP, i.e. ReRAM chip, will be demonstrated as mainstream embedded memory in the next generation internet of things (IoTs), automobile and infotainment platforms of smart technology.
Applied Materials-NUS Advanced Materials Corporate Laboratory (2018)
The Applied Materials-NUS Advanced Materials Corporate Lab combines Applied Materials’ leading expertise in materials engineering and semiconductor technologies with NUS’ world-class and multi-disciplinary R&D capabilities that span applied chemistry, materials science and microelectronics process engineering. The collaboration will focus on R&D in advanced materials engineering with the intent to create innovations that can be quickly transferred into commercial applications.
HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Laboratory (2018)
The HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate Lab, which has commenced on 1 November 2018, is a collaboration between NRF, HP Inc. and NTU. The lab supports Singapore’s push toward industry transformation – in the areas of digital manufacturing and 3D printing technologies. Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering is one of four technology domains under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020 Plan, which is Singapore’s national strategy to develop a knowledge-based innovation-driven economy and society.
WIL@NUS Corporate Laboratory (2017)
WIL@NUS will develop strong capabilities to study the role of lipids and proteins in body weight maintenance and on human physiology, understand the interplay between diet and diabetes; develop foods that will promote the health of and prevent sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass due to ageing) in the elderly; as well as study the influence of gut microbiome on body composition. WIL@NUS will also design novel enzymatic pathways in microbial hosts to produce enzymes and biochemicals at industrially relevant and sustainable ways.
WIL@NUS will focus on two main clusters of research: Clinical evaluation of functional food ingredients and food products; and Bio-production of industrial enzymes and biochemicals.
Smart Manufacturing Joint Lab (2017)
In 2017, Rolls-Royce, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) and Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited (SAESL) established the Smart Manufacturing Joint Lab to push the boundaries of industrial, academic, and business partnership. The programme focuses on developing next-generation aerospace manufacturing, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities enabled by advanced processes, automation and digital technologies.
Singtel Cognitive and Artificial Intelligence Lab for Enterprises (SCALE@NTU) (2017)
The S$42.4 million Singtel Cognitive and Artificial Intelligence Lab for Enterprises (SCALE@NTU) aims to develop applications for use in the areas of public safety, smart urban solutions, transportation, healthcare and manufacturing. The partners, through their collective expertise and resources, aim to accelerate innovation in the fields of AI, advanced data analytics, robotics and smart computing.