Minister Alvin Tan announces S$4 million in HDB funding, new innovation facilities and industry initiatives at SWITCH Singapore.
Singapore announced five initiatives to support innovation in the built environment sector at SWITCH Singapore 2026, with Minister Alvin Tan outlining new funding, research facilities and industry partnerships to advance construction productivity, address ageing infrastructure and improve urban heat resilience. The announcements included an additional S$4 million for the Housing & Development Board’s (HDB) Cool Ideas Enterprise Call for Proposals, a new research and collaboration space, an embodied artificial intelligence initiative, the fifth CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge and a S$100 million commitment from Faraday Energy.
The additional S$4 million allocated to HDB’s latest Cool Ideas Enterprise Call for Proposals will bring the programme’s total funding to S$9 million. The latest call will focus on construction productivity, ageing infrastructure and urban heat resilience, supporting the development of solutions to address challenges in the built environment.
Another initiative is the BRIC Lab, a new co-working space at HDB’s Centre of Building Research in Woodlands. The facility will provide companies with a space to refine and test their solutions, supporting the development and evaluation of technologies for practical use.
Singapore also introduced a new Startup CoLab for Embodied Artificial Intelligence (EAI) in partnership with The GEAR by Kajima. The initiative will support the development of embodied AI applications, which connect artificial intelligence with physical systems and real-world environments.
The fifth edition of the CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge was also announced, continuing the initiative’s focus on sustainability-related innovation. The challenge provides another platform for developing technology solutions relevant to the built environment and sustainability.
Meanwhile, Faraday Energy committed S$100 million to support the deployment of technology solutions in Singapore and overseas. The commitment is intended to support the implementation of technologies beyond the development stage and facilitate their use in real-world settings.
Together, the five initiatives address different stages of innovation, from funding and testing to industry collaboration and deployment. The announcements at SWITCH Singapore 2026 highlighted efforts to provide companies with resources and opportunities to develop, evaluate and implement solutions for the built environment sector.
Source: Facebook/Alvin Tan 陈圣辉
