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Source: www.mda.gov.sg |
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Singapore on track to build a
vibrant Interactive Digital Media Research and Development
Eco-system |
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The multi-agency Interactive Digital Media
Research and Development (IDM R&D) Programme Office hosted by the Media
Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has put in place the foundation
pieces to build an eco-system in the Interactive Digital Media (IDM)
sector by strengthening the interlocking efforts of four key groups of
stakeholders over the past year - individuals, industry, schools and
research institutions. |
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In 2007, the IDM R&D Programme Office funded
94 projects started by the four groups. Collectively, they are expected
to deliver some 100 new innovative patents and products and will help
nurture about 900 researchers and engineers. |
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These research projects focus on three broad
areas: Animation, Games & Effects; Intermediary services which refers to
technical capabilities in the organisation, distribution and security of
digital media; and On-the-Move Technologies which identify new ways of
reaching and interacting with mobile-connected people who are always on
the move. |
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Commenting on the progress made, Mr Chan
Yeng Kit, Co-Chairman of the IDM R&D Programme Office EXCO and Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry for Information, Communications and the Arts
(MICA) said: “We are pleased with the progress made. Although the
research projects will take a few years to complete, we are already
beginning to see some promising results. More importantly, interest in
IDM is growing not just within industry, but also among budding young
entrepreneurs and users. We expect to provide support to thousands of
individuals to acquire hands-on experience in start-ups.” |
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To encourage individuals and young start-ups
to experiment with innovative applications and services, IDM R&D
Programme Office has formed a network of nine business mentors including
NUS Enterprises, NTU Ventures, FrontEdge Capital, Expara and Thymos
Capital to create support structures for the start-ups, such as regular
pitching sessions and finding industry partners. Together, they will
help nurture some 400 start-ups over the next few years. |
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For example, Thymos Capital has
established a regular ‘meet the entrepreneurs’ session and has
successfully matched its start-ups such as Versonic and Sharedcopy
with angel investors and companies. Mr James Seng of Thymos
Capital commented: "The i.JAM initiative has given Thymos Capital
the opportunity to work with some of the finest young
entrepreneurs in Singapore working on the exploitation of IDM
technologies. We are most heartened to witness a surge of IDM
start-ups.” |
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One of such start-ups is First Meta, a
6-month-old start-up focusing on financial services that spans
between virtual and physical worlds mentored by Expara. Within a
short time frame, First Meta was shortlisted for the Red Herring 200
Global 2007 awards that recognise the most promising private
technology ventures in the world. |
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The IDM R&D Programme Office has also
actively marshalled local flagship media and technology companies,
small-medium enterprises and major international companies to
engage in IDM R&D. MXR Corporation which specialises in MiXed
Reality, a cutting-edge technology that merges physical and
virtual worlds to allow users interact with 3-D objects has been
awarded patents for their interface technology in both the US and
Singapore. |
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Dr. Steven Zhou Zhi Ying, Director,
MXR Corporation Pte Ltd said: “The IDM R&D Programme Office’s
focus on creating synergies that generates from collaborations
among the companies has benefited MXR Corporation. Not only do we
receive funding to cover part of our R&D cost, we also have the
chance to work with other parties closely such as the Singapore
Science Centre and the BEST local schools.” |
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Some companies have also successfully
tapped into the overseas market, with their IDM R&D initiatives.
Ufinity Interactive Media, a joint venture between Singapore’s
Ufinity Pte Ltd and Qianfan Interactive Media, a spin-off company
from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) that develops next
generation interactive online service to predict users' interests
and serve up relevant and timely information has won an award from
Suzhou Industrial Park as one of the 12 most promising enterprises
for Innovations in Interactive Media. |
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Singapore has also attracted
International companies such as EON Reality to set up media R&D
activities. U.S.-based EON Reality, the world’s leading
interactive 3D software provider, recently opened its regional
headquarters with the launch of EONExperience Lab, a research and
development center with a slew of most advanced 3-dimensional and
holographic display environment. The state-of-the-art
visualization facility will be housed in the Fusionopolis
facility. |
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In addition, the IDM R&D Programme
Office is making progress in building a global network of
Institutes of Higher Learnings (IHLs) and research institutes by
strengthening the local ones and attracting the best from around
the world to establish Singapore as a centre for IDM research and
innovation. Leading the way is the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT game lab
established by MDA and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). Thirty-one Singapore students who interned at MIT during
the summer in 2006 have developed six games with their MIT
counterparts and these games have been gaining interest at
international exhibitions such as Games Convention Asia. |
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One of the games, Backflow, is a
finalist for Best Game and Innovation in Mobile Game Design at the
upcoming Independent Games Festival Mobile Competition. |
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Zulkifi Bin Mohamed Salleh from
Temasek Polytechnic, one of the students behind the game said:
“The experience in GAMBIT game lab has broadened my insight of the
global game industry, and gave me the opportunity to work with
people from different culture.” Meanwhile, a Singapore-based
GAMBIT game lab is targeted to be set up by the first quarter of
2008. |
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Adding boost to the network of
research institutes is the Singapore-based, China-Singapore
Institute of Digital Media – a collaboration with the Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Automation (CASIA) - which is
expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2008. It will
focus on language mediation technologies, positioning Singapore as
a hub for large-scale immersive and interactive language learning,
particularly in Mandarin. This is CASIA’ first overseas R&D
institute. |
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The National University of Singapore (NUS)
has also put forth an initiative to establish an IDM Institute
with eight laboratories. “The IDM R&D Programme has provided
excellent opportunities for academics and researchers in NUS to
look into new and exciting IDM areas, particularly in bringing
together research at the intersection of technology and other
non-technical domains like art, architecture, medicine and others,
as well as to attract top talent and nurture a new generation of
multi-disciplinary R&D manpower,” said Prof Lawrence Wong Acting
Director, Interactive & Digital Media Institute, NUS. |
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IDM too played a key role in enhancing
learning and education. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has
established a R&D programme to fund both research-based and
development-based projects on IDM in education that serves to
build the capacity of schools to harness IDM for teaching and
learning. |
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Said Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Co-Chairman of
the IDMPO Exco and Permanent Secretary of MOE: “The desired
outcomes of the R&D programme on IDM in education are to
experiment with and test-bed IDM-based teaching approaches, tools
and media which can be widely adopted by schools. By learning with
and through IDM, our young will be comfortable working in an IDM-pervasive
environment. The FutureSchools@Singapore programme enables us to
try out different approaches in the integration of IDM in
education using a whole-school approach.” |
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On future directions, Mr Michael Yap,
Executive Director of the IDM R&D Programme Office and Deputy
Chief Executive Officer of MDA, said: “We will continue to develop
the ecosystem and look at how to better interlock the various
pieces to make R&D the bedrock and source of innovation for the
IDM industry. We will work with other government agencies and
stakeholders to build the IDM industry into a transformative force
that enables new competitive advantages for the country.” |
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Source: www.mda.gov.sg
News Release 23 Jan 2008 |
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