The challenge is part of a line-up of efforts to bolster Seletar Aerospace Park’s sustainability initiatives.

JTC and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) have jointly unveiled the Aerospace Open Innovation Challenge (AOIC) 2024 to foster collaboration in innovation between industry players and promising startups and SMEs within the aerospace industry.

As the first-ever aerospace-focused innovation challenge of this scale, AOIC marks a significant industry-wide effort in uniting prominent players, including those in Seletar Aerospace Park, to spearhead the transformation of the industry.

A total of seven global corporates – Airbus, Bell Textron, Collins Aerospace, GE Aerospace, Jet Aviation, Singapore Component Solutions, and ST Engineering – will launch 12 challenge statements in the areas of sustainability, productivity, and digitalisation to crowdsource ideas to address global aerospace challenges (see Annex A). Industry leaders have committed to setting aside more than S$500,000 to support the co-development and piloting of solutions, providing the expertise and resources to nurture promising SMEs and startups in the aerospace field.

Ms Lim Ai Ting, Director for Aerospace & Marine Cluster, JTC, said, “We are taking the first step to facilitate collaboration, bringing together industry players and technology solution providers for a collective push towards a greener aerospace industry. If proven viable, the solutions emerging from AOIC stand to benefit not only the participating corporations but also empower other companies facing similar sustainability challenges, catalysing the transformation of the industry. With industry giants leading by example, this concerted effort has the potential to propel Seletar Aerospace Park beyond its status as a regional hub for aviation and aerospace and position it as a leading force in driving sustainability across the industry.”

“Innovation can deliver outsized impact by accelerating sustainability and operational efficiency for the aerospace industry and adjacent sectors. By matching startups and SMEs with aerospace corporates through AOIC, EnterpriseSG aims to catalyse more of such novel solutions that address industry demands and pain points quickly. Startups and SMEs can leverage such win-win partnerships to build their track record and scale beyond our shores.” said Mr Tan Boon Kim, Executive Director, Innovation Eco-system Development, EnterpriseSG.

The inaugural AOIC was announced by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, during the Singapore Airshow 2024. It is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and key industry partner, the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) (AAIS).

JTC also announced plans for JTC aeroSpace Four (AS4), the first standard factory at Seletar Aerospace Park which will include green infrastructure solutions to support sustainability goals (see Annex B). These include EV charging infrastructure, and more green spaces within the development. To further enhance current solarisation efforts, JTC AS4 will also include solar-ready buildings and linkways, contributing to the total energy generated that could power JTC’s industrial developments and common areas at Seletar Aerospace Park.