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S$15m iPACT scheme seeks to help tech start-ups tap MNC expertise

SINGAPORE — Local technology firms will soon be able to get support from multinational companies in developing products and even have the opportunity to tap their networks.

SINGAPORE — Local technology firms will soon be able to get support from multinational companies in developing products and even have the opportunity to tap their networks.

Over the next three years, S$15 million will be made available for a new scheme called iPACT (Partnership for Capability Transformation for the Infocomm Sector), an offshoot of the PACT programme that was introduced in 2010 to incentivise large enterprises to work with local businesses in sectors including manufacturing and construction.

The programme is part of a series of initiatives and partnerships launched yesterday at the Infocomm Media Business Exchange by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) to train talent for the technology industry as efforts to transform the Republic into a Smart Nation are stepped up.

Said IDA executive deputy chairman Steve Leonard about those efforts and the role iPACT would play: “There are going to be a couple of key areas. How are we going to use analytics thoughtfully and intelligently? How do we think about security because, as we move information, we also have to ensure it’s secure? How do we think about communication networks, because we are doing some very innovative things and trying to move data?

“So, small companies that have some ideas, but may not be able to have enough resources on their own ... would be a perfect partner with a larger firm to help us explore some key areas as we work to be a Smart Nation.”

Four large enterprises will be participating in the iPACT scheme— software company Microsoft, telco StarHub, gaming peripherals firm Razer and mobile-phone company Motorola.

Each of them will have to work with at least three local technology companies for up to two years with each.

The investment, which is coming from the National Productivity Fund, will go into areas such as talent and product development, as well as creating proof of concepts.

The IDA aims to involve more than 90 local technology companies over the three years and also hopes to get more large firms into the scheme.

Microsoft said the initiative and the vision of a Smart Nation are in line with its efforts.

“We recently launched our Microsoft CityNext initiative, which aims to empower governments, businesses and citizens to create sustainable, prosperous and economically competitive cities. This is aligned with the Singapore Government’s vision to build a Smart Nation by using technology to enhance transport, eldercare and other public services,” said Ms Jessica Tan, Microsoft’s managing director of Singapore.

Other efforts announced yesterday by the IDA include a pilot with e-learning provider Coursera to provide online courses.

The first is a 10-module online course in data sciences and analytics training, a field where Singapore is facing a talent crunch. It is hoped that 200 Singaporeans will receive training in this area.

The IDA is also establishing a two-year collaboration with the Institution of Engineers Singapore, which will bring together engineers from various disciplines to use technology to build innovative hardware and software solutions.

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