SGInnovate has partnered with the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Scale360° initiative to accelerate the development of circular economy innovations in Southeast Asia.
Both organisations will leverage each other’s strengths to deliver measurable, scaled impact on circular economy innovation in the region.
SGInnovate will tap on the global Scale360° initiative and Forum stakeholder and knowledge networks to further expand its mission of advancing conversations and action around Deep Tech for social and economic good.
Access to Scale360° resources will enable SGInnovate to build greater awareness and drive the enablement of the circular economy through technology.
SGInnovate also seeks to spark opportunities, especially between startups and corporates, by drawing on tested methodologies developed for the Scale360° Circular Innovation Playbook.
Since this partnership marks the first expansion of the Scale360°initiative to Singapore and the region’s Deep Tech ecosystem, it will allow the WEF platform to tap on and connect with SGInnovate’s 68,000-strong Deep Tech community, comprising startups, academia, corporates, investors and more.
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WEF can also leverage SGInnovate’s engaged community for specific global insights to advance research and development while enhancing global collaboration on other circularity issues.
Over the course of the partnership, SGInnovate will be working with Scale360° to engage other stakeholders to deliver specific, targeted programmes that unlock circular innovation through education and engagement initiatives.
Those activities – which include panels, roundtables and Reverse Pitches – will go towards building regional circular economy communities, which will connect circular innovation leaders, government stakeholders, academia and corporations on critical climate issues.
“Deep Tech has an important role to play not just as a key engine of future economic growth, but also as an accelerant to helping us achieve our Green Plan 2030 targets. To this end, circular innovation and Deep Tech go hand-in-hand, and this partnership with the Scale360° is crucial to our overall mission to solve the world’s most challenging problems through emerging technologies,” says Dr Lim Jui, CEO of SGInnovate.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with the Scale360° team to create a platform that will enable stakeholders to exchange ideas and translate innovation and research into technology-driven solutions that will guide our economy’s transition towards circularity,” he adds.
Helen Burdett, Scale360°’s global lead, World Economic Forum, says: “With its structural connections to the public sector, private sector, and civil society interests, SGInnovate is positioned to apply the circular economy lens across industries and bring innovative technology solutions to circular challenges. We’re excited to see how Scale360°’s tools and methodologies will be put to use by SGInnovate’s Deep Tech community.”
Established in 2019, Scale360° is aimed at fast-tracking Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) impact in the circular economy by supporting bottom-up innovation and entrepreneurship.
The initiative leverages innovation ‘hubs’ to bring together leaders in science, policy and business to trigger circular change guided by the Circular Innovation Playbook, Scale360°’s unique and tested methodology.
By connecting circular innovation initiatives around the world, Scale360° seeks to encourage the exchange of learnings and showcase new circular solutions with support from Circular Innovation Playbook tools.
Beyond its impact on global consumption patterns, research suggests that the move towards a circular economy could generate $4.5 trillion in additional economic output by 2030.
Photo: Unsplash
