Innovation to Develop (I2D)
Developing early-stage innovations and POCs towards clinical and/or market readiness
Aim
Support the development of a clinically significant and/or commercially viable healthcare innovation.
The grant application must clearly illustrate the scientific merit, competitive advantage and technical feasibility of the project.
Demonstrate potential for translation to a point where the technology would be attractive to an industry partner or follow-on funder.
Eligibility
Principal Investigator must hold primary appointment in a public healthcare institution and be salaried by the institution in Singapore.
Project teams must have strong clinical representation.
Collaborations with industry are encouraged if they strengthen the proposal. All applications are considered based on merit and eligibility is not limited to NMRC-funded research.
Funding quantum and duration
NHIC's funding quantum capped at S$400,000 (inclusive of max. 30% indirect costs) will be awarded to the host institution on a reimbursement basis for expenses incurred by project teams towards the development of proposed technology.
The funding support is up to 18 months.
Funding criteria
Funding is considered if the application satisfies the following criteria:
Well defined unmet healthcare need
Proven scientific merit with proof-of-concept data
Detailed development plan highlighting future project work, milestones, endpoints and regulatory strategy
Clear understanding of current clinical workflow and potential for eventual clinical adoption
Potential for healthcare impact that results in new or change in clinical practice/guidelines and healthcare policy
Clear and achievable commercial plan outlining the proposed route to market, competing technologies and potential industry partners
Terms and Conditions
Please see Research Grant Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) governing NHIC grants.
Grant Schedule
NHIC conducts two grant calls per year. Please refer to the table below for the application submission dates.
2027 Grant Call Schedule
Grant Call | Submission Deadline |
January | Friday, 15 January 2027, 5pm |
July | Friday, 16 July 2027, 5pm |
Important: Applicants are advised to check with their respective institutions for internal submission deadlines, which may differ from the dates above.
All application forms MUST be endorsed and submitted electronically by the designated Research/Innovation Offices from the respective Healthcare Cluster (as listed in the table below) to the NHIC Grant Secretariat at grant@nhic.cris.sg.
Designated Research/Innovation Offices
Healthcare Cluster | Designated Research/Innovation Office |
NHG Health | NHG Health Group Research and Innovation |
National University Health System (NUHS) | NUHS Research Office |
Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) | SingHealth Office of Intellectual Property (SHIP) |
Application process and evaluation

Documents required: Both PowerPoint template and Word document template.
Applicants must ensure the latest version of the application document templates are used. Download the latest version here. (opens in new tab)
For further queries on NHIC I2D grant, please contact NHIC I2D Grant Secretariat at grant@nhic.cris.sg.
List of Awarded Projects
For the list of awarded Innovation to Develop (I2D) projects, please click here (opens in new tab).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Please refer to our list of FAQs for more information here (opens in new tab).
