Speech by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Mr Alvin Tan at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) 2026

Introduction

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the second day of SWITCH. It’s wonderful to be back. I’ve worked a lot with our startup community over the years in my former role, and this morning I have some exciting news to share.

But let’s begin this morning with a question: What is something every one of us needs, but we sometimes take for granted?

A home.

When we read about housing challenges, many different cities come to mind: New York, Paris, London. They usually grab the headlines.  

And in March, The Economist published an interesting article titled "The world's most unaffordable housing is not where you think". Now, this article is interesting because it highlighted how access to good-quality housing remains a major challenge in many Asian cities as well.

In Singapore, we have built a working public housing system. But this did not happen by chance, and we cannot take it for granted.

We must continue building enough homes for Singaporeans - quality homes that are safe, affordable, and accessible.  But this is no small task.

Last year, total construction contracts awarded in Singapore exceeded $50 billion, a 13.5 per cent increase from the year before. Much of this momentum was driven by public housing.

Between 2025 and 2027, we will launch some 55,000 new BTO flats, and we will launch more if demand remains strong. With a strong pipeline of projects ahead, we expect construction demand to remain robust.

So the question now is: how do we build more homes, faster, with less manpower, while maintaining quality and safety? How do we maintain our buildings as they age? And how do we keep our homes cooler as temperatures rise?

This is where technology and innovation come in.

And let me illustrate this with something a little more familiar and upbeat.

Last Saturday, we had a Halloween celebration in my constituency. Many children came dressed as Spider-Man.  One of them dressed in the Iron Spider suit.   

If you haven’t seen the Iron Spider suit, it’s very interesting. The Iron Spider suit is actually built by Iron Man, Tony Stark. It has four mechanical arms from the back that help Spider Man lift heavy objects, reach difficult places, and help to stabilise him.

Now there are three things we can learn from Spider Man and his suit.

First, technology should help us solve real problems. Just as Spider-Man's mechanical arms give him additional capabilities, robotics and automation can help our construction workers build more safely and more productively.

Second, we must turn good ideas into reality. Tony Stark didn't just dream up the Iron Spider suit. He had to build it. Our innovators too need opportunities to develop, test and deploy their technologies.

Third, no superhero works alone. Even Spider-Man needs his fellow Avengers. In the same way, our startups and enterprises need partners, customers and capital to grow and take their innovations overseas.

These are the three areas I want to focus on this morning. Solving real problems. Turning ideas into reality. And helping our enterprises scale beyond Singapore.

First: Solve Real Problems

Let me start with the problems we want to solve.

Anyone who has experienced water seepage at home knows how frustrating it can be. Finding the source can be difficult and sometimes involves hacking walls or floors.

A Singapore-based enterprise called WaveScan has developed microwave scanning technology to detect concealed building defects non-intrusively, through HDB's Cool Ideas Enterprise (CIE) programme, and that’s supported by Enterprise Singapore.

Between 2024 and 2025, HDB tested this WaveScan technology in more than 60 flats with water seepage issues and found it useful in tracing where the water seepage came from. Where applicable, HDB has scaled up and deployed this technology for complex water seepage cases across HDB estates.

This is a good example of how innovation can solve real problems, improve how we maintain our ageing infrastructure, and create opportunities for our enterprises.

If we can develop and test these ideas here in Singapore, there is also a possibility that we can bring them to overseas markets because the challenges faced by other cities are similar.

Second: Turn Ideas into Reality

Just as Tony Stark had to develop Spider-Man's Iron Spider suit, our innovators need the right support to turn their ideas into practical solutions.

In this regard, the Government can step in and help. Enterprise Singapore and HDB have been working very closely with industry partners to connect technology providers with potential adopters, to help them develop solutions that meet real industry needs.

One example is the Intelligent Lifting Frame, developed through a collaboration between HDB and the National University of Singapore (NUS). It enables heavy precast components to be lifted and positioned more safely and efficiently, thereby reducing the need for many workers to manually guide the loads.

This lifting frame was first supported under the Cities of Tomorrow (CoT) R&D programme, which focuses on early-stage research and development. HDB's Cool Ideas Enterprise (CIE) programme then helped to further develop, test-bed and commercialise it.

Under this programme, Genios, an NUS spin-off, commercialised the technology and trialled it at an HDB construction site in partnership with Teambuild, a local contractor.

This is a very practical example of how we want to help our enterprises – by taking their promising ideas, develop them into practical solutions, and then deploying them into actual projects.

HDB's Latest Cool Ideas Enterprise Call for Proposals

Today, I am pleased to launch HDB's latest CIE Call for Proposals, backed by a fresh S$4 million funding injection from Enterprise Singapore. This brings CIE's total funding commitment to S$9 million. It illustrates that we are not stopping there, and Government is willing to put in that capital to help fund these cool ideas.

The Call focuses on three themes: Construction Productivity, Ageing Infrastructure and Urban Heat Resilience.

What are we looking for? We are looking for innovative solutions such as smarter construction methods through robotics and automation, technologies to strengthen the resilience of ageing infrastructure, and solutions to make our homes cooler and more comfortable as temperatures rise.

Beyond CIE, the Cities of Tomorrow R&D programme also has an ongoing Grant Call, seeking solutions to address our future urban challenges.

And to help promising innovations reach industry partners, HDB and Enterprise Singapore are organising the inaugural Demo Day at SWITCH this year.

We are showcasing a range of technologies, including solutions that have been successfully developed and tested through CIE. Please visit our Built Environment Zone, see these solutions for yourselves, and explore opportunities to work together.

Launch of BRIC Lab

Beyond funding and industry connections, companies also need facilities to develop and test their solutions. Like Tony Stark’s futuristic lab.

Many of you may not know, but HDB has its own in-house master laboratory at Woodlands, the Centre of Building Research (CBR), which has spearheaded research and development for public housing. One example is 3D concrete printing, which HDB deployed at its construction sites.

Today, HDB is launching the Building Research, Innovation and Collaboration Lab, or BRIC Lab, a new co-working space at CBR to help more companies refine and test their solutions for practical deployment.

Through BRIC Lab, innovators can access CBR's facilities and testing capabilities, while working alongside HDB's engineers, researchers and industry partners. This is important because it will help companies bring their solutions closer to actual deployment.

HDB has our own Tony Stark - Dr Johnny Wong, HDB's Deputy CEO (Building). He will share more about these initiatives in his keynote presentation shortly.

Third: Scale Beyond Singapore

Now to my third point, which is scaling beyond Singapore. Even Spider-Man needs his fellow Avengers.

Our startups cannot grow on their own either. They need industry partners, access to new markets and financing.

We want our enterprises to grow, find new customers, enter new markets and bring their solutions overseas. This is where partnerships with industry are especially important.

Enterprise Singapore works closely with strategic industry partners to help our companies reach local and international markets. Let me share a few examples.

Startup CoLab Embodied AI with The GEAR by Kajima

Spider-Man's Iron Spider suit is interesting is not just because of its mechanical arms, but the idea of combining intelligent technology with physical machinery.

This is also where the next frontier of construction technology is heading. Embodied AI.

Embodied AI means bringing AI into physical systems, such as construction machinery, so that machines can take on more complex tasks.

Today, I am excited to announce that Enterprise Singapore and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will partner The GEAR by Kajima to establish Startup CoLab EAI, a first-of-its-kind construction-focused startup accelerator for embodied AI.

Startup CoLab EAI will help startups build new capabilities and attract complementary global tech partners to Singapore. It will provide a structured pathway for startups to develop their technologies, validate them at real-world project sites and deploy them at scale.

CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge, Fifth Edition

Large industry players also play an important role by giving enterprises and startups access to a global network of projects and potential customers.

This year, CapitaLand is launching the fifth edition of its CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge. This challenge is supported by Enterprise Singapore and BCA, and it offers innovators access to funding and CapitaLand's portfolio of properties across more than 40 countries, where they can pilot, validate and scale sustainability solutions.

Their past winners include Magorium, which recycled 6,000 kilograms of plastic waste through its eco-asphalt solutions, and L-Qube, which achieved energy savings of up to 72 per cent with its solar hybrid air-conditioning solution.

The last edition drew entries from more than 900 global startups. This year's challenge includes a new thematic area on climate-resilient and net zero design.

Faraday Energy's S$100 Million Commitment

Finally, helping companies scale is not just about technology or access to markets. It is also about financing.

One promising approach is infrastructure-as-a-service. Under this model, a third party finances and owns equipment, while customers pay to use it. This reduces upfront costs for adopters, makes it easier for smaller technology providers to deploy their solutions, and frees up resources for companies to invest in growth and innovation.

Today, I am happy to announce that Faraday Energy, a locally headquartered infrastructure-as-a-service provider, has committed S$100 million to support the deployment of solutions in Singapore and overseas, including in buildings and data centres.

Enterprise Singapore will connect promising local companies with Faraday to help them tap this pool of capital and bring more solutions to market.

Conclusion

I started this morning by talking about something every one of us needs. A home. And how our built environment creates opportunities for us to be creative and innovative.

We also focused on three very clear missions – how to solve real problems, how to turn innovative ideas into reality, and how to help enterprises scale beyond Singapore.

We also learnt from Spider-Man and how his fellow Avengers can help him achieve his missions.

Now we may not have superhero suits yet, but we have talented engineers, researchers, startups and industry partners who are developing technologies to help us build better homes and better cities.

Our job is to help them solve real problems, turn their ideas into reality, and take their innovations to the world. To quote Spiderman, he always says, “With great power comes great responsibility”. I leave us with the quote “With great ideas come great opportunities”. So let’s use our iron claws to seize these opportunities.

Thank you very much, and I wish you a wonderful SWITCH.