Guest-of-honour Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat presented prizes to the winning teams of Engineering Innovation Challenge (EIC) 2023. The National Engineers Day (NED) 2023 culminated at the EIC 2023 Prize Presentation Ceremony today where winning student teams were recognised for displaying exceptional creativity and perseverance in designing solutions under the theme “Engineering for Resilient City Living”.

Organised by the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES), the ceremony held at Tay Eng Soon Convention Centre, ITE College Central was graced by Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Mr. Heng Swee Keat as the guest-of-honour. DPM Heng presented awards to the student teams who emerged as winners after rigorous rounds of judging. They stood out from a record 137 local and international participating teams at EIC 2023, for demonstrating ideas or making innovative improvements to contribute to resilient city living in areas such as health innovation, clean water supply, food security and sustainable supply chain.

The four champion teams are:

● Category 1 (Secondary Schools): Team S-9 from Yuvabharathi International School with their project titled “Sustinere Energy”

● Category 2 (Junior Colleges): Team J-17 from Hwa Chong Institution with their project titled “Development of Biodegradable Pharmaceutical Packaging with Starch-Based Plastic”

● Category 3 (Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education): Team I-16 from ITE College West with their project titled “Wearable Climate Control Technology”

● Category 4 (Local and Overseas Universities): Team U-9 from Monash University with their project titled “Flood-Proof Roads”

Please refer to the Annex for the champion teams’ project descriptions. Organised annually by IES, EIC puts students on an insightful learning journey to discover the spirit of innovation, build new technical skills in prototyping and product development, and develop presentation and collaboration skills under the mentorship of practising engineers.

This year, EIC continued to be the highlight of NED focused on ‘Shaping a Circular Economy through Engineering’ to promote awareness and action in harnessing engineering to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature. DPM Heng also held a Fireside Chat on “Skill Sets for the Circular Economy: Opportunities for Youths in Engineering” with students after the Prize Presentation Ceremony to discuss the impact of Singapore’s transition to a circular economy on youths.

Launch of IES Student Chapter with ITE & Signing of IES-IHL MoUs DPM Heng Swee Keat also witnessed the launch of the IES Student Chapter with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), as the 12th Student Chapter partner of IES. The new Chapter will provide ITE engineering students with a platform to join IES in promoting engineering and networking together with student chapters in other institutions of higher learning (IHLs) and the engineering community.

Through this chapter, these students will also be given priority to participate in engineering-related talks, workshops and industry visits organised by IES in Singapore and for the region. Another highlight of the event was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IES and 11 IHLs, aimed at strengthening collaborations to nurture future-ready engineering professionals to lead Singapore’s future growth. “Engineering is more than a field of study; it is a gateway for our younger generation to make a positive impact on our economy, our society and our lives.

By deepening our partnership with ITE and the IHLs, IES aims to empower students with greater knowledge, skills and resources to unleash their engineering talent to solve increasingly complex challenges for Singapore and the world," said Syafiq Shahul, NED 2023 Chairman.

Please click here for the event press kit.

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Notes to Media:
i. Annex Engineering Innovation Challenge 2023 champion teams’ project descriptions

ii. Chinese Glossary Terms in English Terms in Chinese
The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) 新加坡工程师学会
Institute of Technical Education (ITE) 工艺教育学院
National Engineers Day 全国工程师日
Engineering Innovation Challenge 工程创新挑战

About The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) was formally established in July 1966 as the national society of engineers in Singapore. IES is the premier engineering institution in Singapore and is called upon by the Government to provide feedback on professional engineering matters.

IES is well represented among the faculty members of the major engineering institutions of higher learning in Singapore. Through close collaboration with the local universities and polytechnics, IES organises courses, seminars and talks for engineers and IES members to advance the continuous development of engineers. The Institution maintains close links with professional organisations of engineers regionally and throughout the world. These include organisations in Australia, China, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Institution also represents Singapore in the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO) and the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (FEIAP) in promoting goodwill and fellowship among all engineers in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region.

Through its Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB), IES obtained full signatory status in the Washington Accord (WA) in June 2006. The entry grants IES the authority to represent Singapore, the first country within the ASEAN region which has obtained full signatory status in the WA, to vet education systems under the WA mutual recognition framework. www.ies.org.sg

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Annex - Engineering Innovation Challenge 2023 champion teams’ project descriptions

Category 1 - Secondary Schools
Champion Team: S-9
School: Yuvabharathi International School Project
title: Sustinere Energy Singapore’s electricity is non-renewable and imported. Singapore relies on a mix of different fuels for its electricity. Burning fossil fuels, which are imported from neighbouring countries, contributes about 90% of Singapore’s electricity. Singapore generates renewable electricity using solar panels. The current capacity is about 515.9 MW. The government has set a target of increasing the capacity by 2030, which is 3% of Singapore’s total electricity demand. This energy is dependent on the sun, and it is intermittent. The demand will rise in the future, and production won’t keep up. This is why we aim to look for new ways of renewable energy storage. Our goal is to make a prototype that focuses on a continuous, renewable source of energy which is made by the storage of air in its compressed form generated from intermittent renewable (Solar Energy) electricity in Singapore. Stored air will be used to generate continuous electricity.

Category 2 - Junior Colleges
Champion Team: J-17
School: Hwa Chong Institution
Project title: Development of Biodegradable Pharmaceutical Packaging with Starch-Based Plastic

The pharmaceutical packaging industry is unsustainable. Blister packs, a common container for medicine, cannot be recycled easily, leading to large amounts of waste. Therefore, there is a need to develop a sustainable blister pack with minimal effect on the ecosystem. Emerging research has shown how starch-based bioplastics might be suitable for the manufacturing of such packs, as it is biodegradable, easily manufactured, and can be synthesized from food waste, making its production renewable. Therefore, we propose the synthesis of sustainable blister packaging made of starch-based bioplastics, and hypothesise that its properties make it a better alternative for blister packaging in the pharmaceutical industry, potentially creating a more eco-friendly medical scene in Singapore.

Category 3 (Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education)
Champion Team: I-16
School: ITE College West
Project title: Wearable Climate Control Technology

Global warming has caused changes to the Earth’s climate due to human emissions of heat- trapping greenhouse gases. City dwellers are much more affected by global warming as the urban city inherently creates more heat. A vicious cycle is created when human increases the usage of air conditioning to combat the heat, which leads to increases in energy usage and exacerbates the climate issue. We are aiming to engineering a solution for people to be resilient against increasing urban heat in city living by making a wearable climate control technology.

Category 4 (Local and Overseas Universities)

Champion Team: U-9

School: Monash University

Project title: Flood-Proof Roads

Frequent floods resulting from unpredictable weather and urbanization pose significant risks to both people and infrastructure. To mitigate the impact of floods the concept of flood-proof roads was explored. The proposed system will utilise multiple interconnected pontoon units beneath permeable road surfaces. During normal, non-flooding conditions, commuters can utilize these roads just like any other. However, as the water level rises, each unit will employ natural buoyancy forces supplemented by a motorised deployment system to create a safe commuting surface above flood waters. The permeable road surface helps maintain road traction as it prevents water accumulation on the floating road surface. The design will be optimized to minimize modifications required for existing road structures, ensuring seamless installation and maintenance. To demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness, a small-scale prototype will be designed utilising a variety of materials and incorporating a proximity sensor as a water level detection system.