The Hatch: A Year of Innovation

During its inaugural year, Hatch has successfully advanced public safety and security through open innovation. The Hatch, created by Singapore's Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), and supported by Knovel Engineering and SOSA, has brought together local and global players, fueled an innovation ecosystem in Singapore, and accelerated cutting-edge technologies. 

Since its inception, there have been 20 curated challenge statements with more than 170 applications from start-ups globally, out of which, 11 start-ups were selected to develop proof-of-concepts with the end users from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singapore. 

Challenges Addressed:

The challenge was to lead in advanced technologies to address Singapore’s public safety and security challenges. While the city-state boasted thousands of start-ups in various industries, the critical domain of public safety and security remained underserved. 

Simultaneously, the overarching goals included driving innovation in the region and cultivating a thriving local innovation ecosystem. This encompassed building a robust innovation environment by fostering collaborative activities among local stakeholders, empowering local organizations to embrace cutting-edge innovations, and attracting world-leading tech companies to the region, ultimately fostering a vibrant innovation landscape.

These challenges and goals set the stage for the establishment of Hatch, a unique innovation center. 

Solutions:

Hatch examines, validates, and accelerates innovative public safety and security technologies from global start-ups, across industries and sectors.  

As part of its activities, Hatch & Match curates global start-up technologies that could lead to public safety and security innovations, and Dimension X accelerates global start-ups to create and validate innovative public safety and security solutions. 

A key component of both initiatives is encouraging collaborations between startups and end users, including HTX, local HLS organizations such as the Singapore Police Force, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Prison Service, Central Narcotics Bureau, and others.

Fast-Tracking Successes: 

To efficiently establish a robust foundation for the new innovation center, leveraging SOSA's proven experience in accelerating innovation, the following processes were undertaken:

- SOSA ran the initial cohorts of the acceleration programs locally, laying a solid foundation.

- A diverse team, combining global expertise with local insights from Singapore, was strategically assembled by HTX,  Knovel Engineering and SOSA.

- This dedicated team underwent comprehensive training by SOSA, ensuring a seamless transfer of knowledge and methodologies

Hatch was launched successfully on May 30, 2023, by Minister K. Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Singapore. 

Since its inception, there were 2 calls of application for its acceleration programs. There were more than 170 applications that came from around the globe, including Singapore, the UK, France, Israel, Belgium, and more... 

Hatch, as an innovation hub for public safety and security successfully brought together the local and global ecosystem, fostering collaboration among startups, government agencies, corporates, and investors

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Plans For The Future:

A year after Hatch's inaugural Demo Day on January 24th, Hatch is ready to continue delivering tangible results through technological innovation in public safety and security. A thriving center, it has positively impacted the local ecosystem and eventually bridges local and global talent pools. SOSA envisions a network of hubs across a wide range of industries, building on Hatch's success and promoting innovation and networks globally in the public safety & security market. 

Parties Involved:

Hatch is run by the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), Knovel Engineering and SOSA.

- The SOSA HLS team develops and implements open innovation programs, accelerators, and innovation hubs for defense agencies and homeland security agencies. They curate dual-use technologies that bridge the gap between HLS, defense agencies, and innovative civilian technology. Powered by SOSA's global network of tech innovation hubs, the HLS & Defense Innovation Hub serves as a direct link for security and defense industry leaders to access disruptive technologies globally.

- HTX is the world’s first Science and Technology agency that integrates a diverse range of scientific and engineering capabilities to innovate and deliver transformative and operationally- ready solutions for homeland security. As a statutory board of Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and integral to the Home Team, HTX works at the forefront of science and technology to empower Singapore’s frontline safety and security. Their shared mission is to amplify, augment and accelerate the Home Team’s advantage and secure Singapore as the safest place on planet earth.

- Knovel Engineering is a company that provides engineers with access to vast collection of data and technical references to solve complex technical problems. They offer interactive tools to accelerate research and development, and help apply knowledge to provide sustainable solutions. 

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