Minister Chan Chun Sing at SME Day 2019
Mr Tong Kien Seng- founder of Pestech- demonstrates to Minister Chan the RodentEye system- which was developed with the help of an A*STAR researcher. RodentEye enables users to monitor rodent activity more effectively and efficiently in real-time.

A*STAR and Enterprise Singapore co-organised the SME Day 2019 which took place at Resorts World Sentosa. The event was held to showcase technology-related initiatives and solutions from public and private sectors for SMEs to develop and adopt.

The aim of the event was to inspire local SMEs to re-think the relevance of their existing business models; re-tool with the right technologies to remain competitive; and collectively re-define the value proposition of their industry sectors- by adopting an innovation mindset.

Minister for Trade and Industry- Mr Chan Chun Sing- graced the event. In his speech- Minister Chan emphasised the importance of SMEs working closely with government agencies to build their R&D capabilities- with Trade Associations and Chambers doing their part to encourage a culture of innovation.

He also noted that there were multiple schemes that SMEs can tap on. These schemes include Tech Depot- which has made more than 200 types of Ready-To-Go solutions available for adoption- and Operation and Technology Roadmapping- which has helped more than 480 companies develop long-term technology roadmaps aligned to their business goals.

Minister Chan also gave out the T-Up Excellence awards- which recognise the R&D contributions of researchers to local SMEs- and toured the exhibition floor. During the tour- he viewed various collaborations between local companies and A*STAR’s research institutes. Examples include the Smart Wearables and Printed Electronics Technology consortium- which has already rolled out a smart t-shirt and a heated vested; and the RodentEye smart rodent monitoring system- which uses sensors and heat-mapping to monitor rodent activity more efficiently and effectively in real-time.

Missed SME Day 2019? You can catch some of the panel discussions through these audio recordings below.

Discussion Topic 1

What more can we do to encourage companies to embark on product development?

Speakers: Dwayne Wang- A*STAR Senior Industry Development Officer; Joseph Ng- Skyfy CEO; Dr Oh Ser Wah- Whiz pace Founder & CEO; Eric Teo- IMDA Deputy Director (Innovation); Mark Yong- Garuda Robotics CEO & Co-Founder; Chang Chang Kuo- A*STAR Accelerate Senior Vice President

Discussion Topic 2

How can companies ensure that they are set up for success in technology innovation and adoption?

Speakers: Mark Yong- Garuda Robotics CEO & Co-Founder; Chang Chang Kuo- A*STAR Accelerate Senior Vice President; Dwayne Wang- A*STAR Senior Industry Development Officer

Discussion Topic 3

Technology and customer needs change quickly. By the time we develop and commercialise a new product- it could be outdated. How should SMEs react to such a fast-paced environment?

Speakers: Mark Yong- Garuda Robotics CEO & Co-Founder; Chang Chang Kuo- A*STAR Accelerate Senior Vice President; Eric Teo- IMDA Deputy Director (Innovation)

Discussion Topic 4

How can SMEs manage cost concerns- especially in an area like additive manufacturing?

Speakers: Mr Wu Yong Lin- Managing Director- Forefront Additive Manufacturing; Dr. Ing. Antonio Feraco- TÜV SÜD Vice President of Digital Service and Managing Consultant in Industrie 4.0; Mr Ronald Leng- A*STAR- SIMTech- Senior Research Engineer