SINGAPORE – October 29, 2026 -- Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the National University Hospital (NUH) have signed a Memorandum of Intent giving technology firms direct access to hospital-defined problems, in IMDA's first Open Innovation Platform (OIP) partnership with a public healthcare institution.
NUH will participate through its Kent Ridge Office of Innovation (KROI), established in April 2024. The deal connects the hospital's clinical and operational teams with the OIP network of about 21,000 innovators and solution providers, spanning startups, technology firms and research institutions. IMDA frames the tie-up as support for Singapore's National AI Strategy in key sectors such as healthcare.
First challenge targets AI detection of home fall hazards
The first healthcare-themed challenge seeks AI-enabled solutions to identify fall hazards in patients' homes earlier and at scale. Calls for Applications close in November 2026.
NUH will use the OIP network to identify, evaluate and pilot solutions for its priority challenges in a real-world hospital setting. Selection starts from needs identified by healthcare professionals rather than from the technology.
NUH commits to three challenge rounds a year
NUH plans to launch challenges on the OIP in March, July and October each year. Technology innovators can develop and pilot solutions against priority areas set by the hospital.
IMDA's OIP has run more than 450 innovation challenges since its 2018 launch and has supported over S$25 million in prize funding.
Alvin Kang, Director of Innovation at IMDA, said the aim is to "turn promising innovations into practical solutions that can improve healthcare delivery."
KROI builds on partnerships with NUS, Elsevier and an in-house innovation hub
KROI already collaborates with the National University of Singapore and academic publisher Elsevier. Earlier this year it launched the NUH Innovation Hub, which supports the development, evaluation and implementation of staff-led innovations. One of them is MedBot, NUH's AI-powered virtual pharmacy assistant.