A*STAR Horizontal Technology Coordinating Offices

With the rising world population and increasingly scarce resources, there is an increase in the demand for food worldwide. This has been exacerbated by issues such as a rising middle class and the threat of climate change. Governments and organisations around the world are faced with challenges in securing healthy, safe and resilient food systems. Considering our space and resource constraints, Singapore is even more vulnerable to external developments in the global food supply chain.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Analytics and Informatics are recognised globally as highly disruptive technologies with potential to bring about transformation and benefits to human societies and national economies. In Singapore, we view these capabilities as enablers to support our ambition to be the world’s first smart nation.

Medtech is an important growth sector for Singapore, against the global backdrop of an ageing population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and rising health-care costs. Asia, with its growing economy and population, represents a major untapped market for Medtech companies. Rapid advances in medical knowledge and technologies also open up huge opportunities for future innovations that transform healthcare.

When the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, it caused major disruptions to every corner of society and the economy. This new coronavirus has since infected and killed millions around the world. The Infectious Diseases (ID) HTCO was established to combat diseases such as COVID-19 by leveraging relevant research across the local R&D ecosystem.

Robotics and automation technologies are set to transform various economic sectors as well as how we work and live. Globally, the market for robotics is expected to grow rapidly to US$275B by 2025 comprising of service and industrial robotics . Beyond industrial robotics in manufacturing, robotics will also see increasing deployment in more nascent applications like healthcare and the built environment. In Singapore, the development of smart robotics technologies, systems and solutions through R&D help improve the quality of lives, increase productivity of workers and maintain Singapore’s competitiveness.

The Social Sciences and Technology Horizontal Technology Coordinating Office (SST HTCO) seeks to develop A*STAR’s social and behavioural science capabilities, through an integration of social-behavioural approaches with technological innovations, to contribute to national priorities of strategic importance. Social and behavioural science is an area of growing interest and relevance in Singapore and around the world.

How will climate change affect our lives? What if we run out of natural resources? What is the effect of pollution on us and our families? Singapore is a small country with limited natural resources — what can we do to mitigate such challenges? The Urban & Green Technology Horizontal Technology Coordinating Office (UGT HTCO) at A*STAR was established to provide technology consultancy and smart, sustainable solutions to public sector agencies and local enterprises.