Paper packaging is a versatile material used for a wide range of products. Its widespread adoption is due to its renewable and relatively low-cost resource along with environmental benefits such as recyclability and biodegradability. While paper packaging offers several advantages, some drawbacks of the material include porosity and the lack of barrier properties against moisture, oil, and grease. To overcome these limitations, conventional coatings such as polyethylene (PE) or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been employed to impart the required barrier protection. However, during the paper recycling process, it is difficult to repulp the coated paper due to several factors and results in reduced recyclability of such packaging materials. The technology on offer is a water-based coating formulation that can be applied onto paper packaging surfaces to act as a barrier against grease, liquid water, and water vapour. The coating imparts barrier protection functionalities, improving the paper’s resistance to grease, liquid water, and water vapor significantly. Use of bio-sourced constituents in the coating also improves product sustainability. As the coating’s constituents are repulpable, recyclability of the paper packaging can be achieved. With increasing awareness of reducing packaging waste, the deployment of this technology will offer companies a recyclable paper packaging with notable barrier properties. The technology owner is seeking for R&D co-development, test bedding and IP out licensing opportunities of this technology with interested companies.

Conductive ink, a functional ink that can conduct electricity, has emerged as an innovative and promising approach to revolution the manufacturing processes of electronics industry. There has been a rising enthusiasm for novel technologies dedicated to producing conductive inks, drawing growing interest from both the academic and industrial sectors. Compared to conventional silicon-based electronic devices that are more expensive and difficult to produce, these conductive inks empower the creation of printed electronic devices, offering notable advantages such as high flexibility, customisability, and cost-effectiveness. The technology owner has developed a simple synthesis process to fabricate conductive ink that exhibits excellent electrical performance. The as-synthesised conductive ink has been formulated to achieve a remarkable low resistance value, ranging from 557.4 Ω to 0.80 kΩ. As resistance is the inverse of conductivity, the low resistance value endows such conductive ink with excellent electrical conductivity even on a non-conductive paper substrate. Beyond functionality, such conductive ink is non-toxic, waterproof, and inherently economical, making it a cost-effective and sustainable solution. The technology owner is seeking co-development, out-licensing and test-bedding opportunities with industrial partners to deploy such conductive ink in various applications, i.e., printed electronics, semiconductors, sensors, energy storage, STEM educational tools, etc.

There is a high demand for invitro diagnosis (IVD) test kits for various diseases in ASEAN and this technology is suited to provide product support to commercialise IVD test kits especially for public health problems faced in ASEAN. Produced under ISO13485 certified production, the IVD tests have high sensitivity and specificity, especially supporting the specific types of local ASEAN microorganisms detection. The technology services have supported the production of test kits for infectious disease for specific conditions such as Covid-19 and Leptospirosis.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that mainly affects individuals above the age of 65. However, most patients are diagnosed only when significant symptoms appear, by which time severe brain pathology and neuronal cell death have already occurred, resulting in significant brain atrophy. Consequently, the optimal treatment window is often missed, leading to a fatal outcome. The technology is a simple, non-invasive, and accurate diagnostic solution for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which can distinguish patients with AD from healthy people and evaluate disease status from a single drop of blood, with more than 96% accuracy. By combining proprietary machine learning algorithms for data analysis, this cutting-edge technology can be applied towards developing a clinical tool for population-scale screening, early diagnosis, staging and monitoring of the disease.

The skincare industry is seeing an upward exponential shift in consumer preferences for natural and sustainable products with stricter regulations on materials and components bans which has been shown to result in long-term harm to the well-being of users. The current skincare chemicals and materials in the market possess various health challenges such as skin irritation and allergy where skincare and cosmetic companies are increasingly sourcing for sustainable, renewable, and safe bio-based materials. This technology presents a scalable solution to produce a bioingredient, nanofibrillated cellulose to replace petroleum-based materials in skincare.  Cellulose is an abundant material in nature, this technology develops a process to extract nanofibrillated cellulose for various applications. Nanofibrillated cellulose is a renewable biopolymer with high flexibility in structure which enables it to exhibit increased mechanical strength, optical, thermal and fluidic properties compared to cellulose. The nanostructure and rich hydroxyl groups allows for modifications in hybridization to fabricate materials ranging from films, membranes, soft gels and creams at reduced size and porosity.  The product has been validated to have excellent water retention, is highly biocompatible and can be applied as a thickening agent, emulsifiers, humectants, texture, and viscosity modifiers. Functional and cytotoxicity tests are completed to ensure the safety of the material. The technology owner is seeking to work with OEMs of skincare and cosmetic products to advance their business where sample testing are available. 

Fragrance and deodorising sprays for home care, fabric care and pet care applications often suffer from inconsistent and shortlived performance. This Nano Delivery Technology encapsulates fragrances, essential oils and other odourous compounds into nano sized biodegradable capsules that can anchor themselves efficiently to fibres and hairs, while regulating the release of the encapsulated compounds over prolonged time periods. The encapsulation process takes place at room temperatures, using low energy methods, that preserves the integrity of the actives. The technology is designed as a ready-to-use adjuvant allowing manufacturers to nano encapsulate the actives independently and easily using their existing process and production equipments. 

This technology involves the development of a spray designed to enhance immunity and combat inflammation while effectively inhibiting respiratory viruses, including H1N1, RSV, and COVID-19, as demonstrated in pre-clinical testing. The product is a result of a comprehensive process, starting from the cultivation of specific target plants for extracting key compounds, leading to formulation development, and culminating in non-clinical and clinical studies. The primary problem addressed by this technology is the need for effective virus prevention and inflammation reduction, particularly among individuals interested in maintaining their health and preventing viral infections, such as reducing susceptibility to respiratory diseases. The target audience for this technology includes individuals who are interested in proactive health maintenance and seek to protect themselves from viral infections while mitigating inflammation-related health issues. This IP addresses a significant need in the marketplace by offering a proactive solution for individuals looking to bolster their immune systems and reduce the risk of viral infections, which has become especially pertinent in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the technology's focus on inflammation reduction aligns with the growing awareness of the importance of immune system support and overall health optimization, making it a relevant and valuable innovation for health-conscious consumers. The technology owner is seeking for licensing and R&D collaborations into other various applications.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection affects over 50% of the global population and is a major cause of gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. Current antibiotic regimens face challenges such as antibiotic resistance and adverse effects. Natural products provide a promising alternative, but their efficacy must be scientifically validated before clinical use. To address this need, we have developed an in vitro platform to evaluate anti-H. pylori properties of botanical extracts in a robust and reproducible manner. The model comprises two components: 1) Direct antimicrobial activity determined by minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations; 2) Anti-infective effects against live H. pylori infection of gastric epithelial cells. Using this platform, we have evaluated the anti-H. pylori properties of Boesenbergia rotunda (fingerroot) extracts. This provides evidence for the traditional use of fingerroot and validates it as an herbal medicine candidate. Our in vitro infection model allows rapid screening of natural product libraries to discover novel anti-H. pylori phytotherapies. It offers a standardized method as a part of a preclinical evaluation of safety and efficacy prior to human trials. This platform could be utilized by nutraceutical or pharmaceutical companies interested in scientifically developing new botanical therapies for H. pylori infection and gastritis. It addresses the need for evidence-based natural medicines to combat antibiotic resistance and improve treatment options against a global infection. Besides uncovering novel targets for traditional medicine, the technology owner is able to provide screening, extraction, compound analysis and validation tests for natural compounds at the facilities. 

Plastic recycling rates have remained low in Singapore, ranging between 4% and 6% from 2017 to 2022. To reduce waste generation and improve recycling rates of packaging waste, NEA has introduced various initiatives such as the National Recycling Programme (NRP), Packaging Partnership Programme, the Mandatory Packaging Reporting scheme, and the disposable carrier bag charge. To enhance Singapore’s plastics recycling efforts, NEA is pursuing chemical recycling solutions to close the plastic waste loop in Singapore. Beyond NEA’s existing and planned plastics recycling initiatives, there is a need to develop novel solutions to address the plastic sustainability challenges. These include extracting resources from other types of plastics present in mixed plastic waste, as well as developing sustainable plastic food packaging materials that utilise recycled plastic materials that are easy to recycle. NEA has launched a competitive grant call on “Beyond Incineration: Plastic Waste Recycling and Packaging Solutions” under the Closing the Resource Loop Funding Initiative Grant Submission Deadline: 31 Jan 2024, 11 am Singapore Time