Republished from Indvstrvs: Original article here
Temasek’s Liveability Challenge Seeks Deep Tech Solutions
Temasek Foundation launches its Liveability Challenge this month, offering more than SGD 1 million of funding and resources to tackle the triple threat facing Asian cities of the future.
This annual competition is a global call for game-changing solutions to grow food, package products, and reduce carbon emissions in cities located in the world’s tropical belt. The best proposals stand a chance of securing the grand prize of up to SGD 1 million in funding to further develop proposed solutions through incubator programmes and mentorship opportunities. The grand prize winner may launch a pilot project in Singapore.
Selected finalists will get a chance to pitch their projects to a panel of Asia’s most sought-after venture capitalists and investors during Ecosperity Week on 8 July 2020 at The Liveability Challenge Grand Finale.
Now in its third year running, this edition of the Challenge is inviting project proposals in the areas of Urban Food Production, Circular Packaging andDecarbonisation, where the critical need for innovation reflects the size of the business opportunity available. Proposals are welcome from 14 January to 17April 2020 and can be submitted at The Liveability Challenge
Temasek Foundation Ecosperity Chief Executive Lim Hock Chuan says the chosen themes support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2 (ZeroHunger), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 12 (ResponsibleConsumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action).
Last year’s winner was Sophie’s Kitchen. It developed a plant-based protein made with micro algae that is fermented using byproducts from food manufacturing. The protein can be harvested within just three days. Compared to beef, which requires 141 hectares of land to produce a ton of protein, Sophie’sKitchen only requires 0.02 hectares. It also uses much less water, while producing a far smaller carbon footprint. According to Sophie’s Kitchen CEOEugene Wang, the protein can be used as a food ingredient in increasingly popular plant-based foods and in supplements, and the scaling of this solution is expected to have a far-reaching impact to improve nutrition around the world in both urban and rural environments.
According to Eco-Business Deputy Managing Director Junice Yeo, theLiveability Challenge has grown to become a highlight for Asia’s sustainability community and is now fast expanding to folks in the science and technology space.
“As businesses and governments continue to work on societal solutions around climate change, we welcome participation from potential partners, especially from the food, packaging and energy sectors to join us in supporting this year’s challenge,” says Yeo.
Through The Liveability Challenge and other channels, Lim says Temasek Foundation seeks to bring together an ecosystem of innovators, funders, investors, platform providers and professionals, and excite them to source, catalyse and advance impactful solutions towards eventual successful commercialisation, as a first step to making a positive difference to the everyday lives of city dwellers in Singapore and beyond.
