Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on setting up regulatory sandboxes to encourage residents and commercial entities to experiment and develop innovative and environment-friendly solutions for HDB estates

May 9, 2022

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will set up regulatory sandboxes to encourage residents and commercial entities to experiment and develop innovative and environment-friendly solutions for HDB estates to reduce its carbon footprint and create a more sustainable environment.   

Answer:

1          MND is committed to the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and there are various programmes through which agencies seek innovative and sustainable solutions from residents, the research community, and commercial entities.

2          MND’s Cities of Tomorrow (CoT) Research & Development (R&D) Programme supports efforts to address urban sustainability challenges. Prototypes developed under the CoT R&D Programme can be test-bedded in our HDB estates, as well as in dedicated facilities such as BCA’s Skylab and HDB’s Centre of Building Research (CBR). In March 2022, MND announced that it would invest an additional $110 million to support more innovative efforts to transform the built environment and enhance urban sustainability.

3          The Cool Ideas Enterprise (CIE) programme was launched in 2018 by HDB in partnership with Enterprise Singapore. The initiative helps enterprises and aspiring entrepreneurs, including residents, to develop and refine innovative solutions to issues and challenges in HDB towns, including sustainability-related issues. Interested parties can submit proposals through the year, and successful applicants will receive funding support, mentorship, as well as access to test-bedding facilities and pilot implementation opportunities.

4          While HDB does not presently run regulatory sandboxes, individuals and enterprises can approach BCA to participate in the Built Environment Living Lab Framework (BE LLF). The BE LLF aims to facilitate the test-bedding of innovative proposals in living laboratories by linking companies with the right agency to testbed their proposal. Agencies will then provide support to companies to facilitate regulatory clearance if needed, and a regulatory sandbox can be introduced to test new technologies and solutions in a controlled environment.

5          Individuals and organisations can also submit their sustainability proposals to the SG Eco Fund administered by MSE. This initiative supports ground-up projects that involve the community and advance environmental sustainability. Since its launch, 105 individuals and organisations have been awarded $6.6 million in funding.