Next week (29 January to 2 February 2018) 14 UK-based businesses will travel to Singapore on an Innovate UK mission in urban infrastructure systems.

The mission will help to identify innovation opportunities for the 2 countries to work together on urban challenges and build partnerships between participating organisations.

UK businesses will:

• meet peers, stakeholders, challenge-owners, and potential partners in the Singaporean urban living sector
• better understand the challenges and opportunities in the market
• explore possibilities for commercial and collaborative research and development
• start to build consortiums that will help them and other UK businesses to more easily access these opportunities

The organisations

Some of the UK’s most promising urban living SMEs will attend:

• CSCM, which provides project management and delivery services to partners, associates and third party suppliers engaged in country, city or urban missions. This includes hardware, connectivity, data management and data analytics
• Relational Urbanism, an office of architects, landscape architects and engineers that specialises in the design and delivery of urban projects. Its projects range from large-scale, public open spaces to master-plans and buildings
• Immense Simulations, an applied ‘software as a service’ company that offers advanced mobility solutions for urban areas. This includes a simulation platform for connected and automated vehicle systems that should optimise fleet management
• The Behaviouralist, a research-driven consultancy, which provides data analysis and product development in the areas of behavioural science, economics and data science. One product under development is to help commuters make smarter, healthier and more environmentally-friendly travel decisions
• Design for Social Change, a London-based company that specialises in real-time, collaborative systems that combine human and machine intelligence to solve urban problems and improve life in cities for everyone
• DOVU, which has pioneered a cryptocurrency you can earn by changing the way you travel, for example, by using connected cars, public transport or autonomous vehicles
• Top Screen Media, which produces digital hardware and software to facilitate communication through connected and touch screen solutions in public areas such as shopping centres, transport and retail hubs. It can adapt messaging depending on gender, age or circumstance
• Velocity RDT focuses on technology-driven solutions for people, built environments and cities. Its products can support increased sustainability, security and value, and help companies to track, manage and use existing assets and resources
• isardSAT performs studies for scientific applications with data from Earth observation instruments. It offers services based on that data that support climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Key Telematics, a company whose asset monitoring and tracking platform provides regular information on the performance and location of an asset or infrastructure service. Its customers operate in fleet and logistics, aviation, marine, earth moving, passenger transport, rail, agriculture, emergency services and oil and gas
• Nicander offers a web service and mobile application that integrates the management of incidents, events, assets, technology faults, data analysis and prediction, resources and personnel, information exchange and reporting across urban infrastructure systems
• AKB-Environmental, working in partnership with Stockbridge Technology Centre and Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research, provides research, design, training and consultancy services on growing and storing food to cities and countries
• RHE Global, whose products include an app for citizens to report noise issues, and a cloud platform that provides information and resources on environmental health, trading standards and licensing to local and central government authorities
• Virtual Power Solutions, which provides real-time data, monitoring and control of energy use to consumers, network operators and utilities

Why Singapore

As a leading smart city and a springboard into the ASEAN region, Singapore offers a huge market for UK businesses working in urban living.

Significant investment is being made in this sector. In 2016 the Singapore government announced an 18% increase in research funding, totalling £9 billion over 5 years. Urban solutions and sustainability and the digital economy are among the priority themes to receive investment.

The country is also one of the largest venture capital markets in Asia and has a strong eco-system for supporting start-ups.

Innovate UK’s missions

This is the third ‘urban bridges’ mission that Innovate UK has run to Singapore.

Across the 3 visits we will have hosted more than 40 SMEs and helped them to start doing business with the country.

We will continue to work with Singaporean government and peer organisations to explore and exploit opportunities for UK businesses.

More elderly and disabled residents will be able to make adaptations to their homes so they can live independently and safely thanks to an extra £42 million of government funding confirmed by Housing and Homelessness Minister Heather Wheeler today (24 January 2018).

The funding for local housing authorities can be used to make a range of adaptations to a disabled or elderly person’s home. Some of these changes are low cost but can make a big difference to the person’s quality of life such as grab rails which can be installed for as little as £30 but can prevent a serious fall. Other changes include:

• ramps and stair lifts to ensure they can access all parts of their homes safely
• widening of doors to help those who are wheelchair bound to move freely around their home
• level access showers and raised toilets so that people can continue to live independently and with dignity in their home
• accessible gardens so they can continue to enjoy the simple pleasures of their garden
• home extensions which can include the construction of downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms to ensure that disabled or elderly people do not have to risk moving between floors

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Heather Wheeler said:

The government is committed to helping older and disabled people live independently and safely and this extra funding will ensure more people are getting the help they need.

Even a small adaptation to a home can make a big difference and help ensure people can stay in their home and do not have to struggle with the stairs or in simply taking a bath or shower.

The £42 million boost in funding was announced as part of the Autumn Budget and will be additional funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The £42 million will be in addition to the £431 million the government has already pledged to the DFG for the 2017 to 2018 financial year.

The councils who have been allocated the largest share of the extra funding are:

• Birmingham (£1,007,785)
• Manchester (£675,147)
• Leeds (£649,541)
• Liverpool (£590,796)
• Cornwall (£527,533)

The DFG is a capital grant paid from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to local authorities in England to adapt older and disabled people’s homes to help them to live independently and safely. Adaptations can include ramps, stair lifts and suitable heating systems.

Eligibility is subject to a means test. There is an upper limit of £30,000 per eligible applicant although children aged 17 years and under are not means tested. The average grant is around £6,500.

Picture courtesy of Peoplecreations.