TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION PROGRAMME (TIP)

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The programme helps SMEs to develop technology innovation as a competitive strategy. TIP aims to help SMEs use science and technology as part of their process and product innovation.

This includes identifying the right technology platforms, finding experts to work on research and development projects and getting the information, advice and partners to make the best possible use of technology.

WHO CAN APPLY
SMEs which meet the following criteria can apply:

• At least 30% of your shareholding is local
• Company's fixed assets are below $15 million*
• The company has no more than 200 employees(for companies in the services sector)*
  
  * Computed on a group basis

  WHAT DOES THE PROGRAMME SUPPORT
  TIP offers assistance in 3 ways:
  
  1. Develop Technology Infrastructure to support SMEs
  (Centres of Innovation)
  
  Access ready resources at Centres of Innovation (COIs). These one-stop centres offer technology consultancy and advice to help SMEs identify practical, downstream technology platforms that can be quickly adopted. They can also help you to research and develop these technology platforms.

  To-date, five COIs have been set up. They are:
  
  - Food Innovation Resource Centre at Singapore Polytechnic
  - Marine and Offshore Technology Centre of Excellence at Ngee Ann Polytechnic
  - Environment and Water Technology Centre at Ngee Ann Polytechnic
  - Precision Engineering Centre of Innovation at SIMTech (A*STAR)
  - Centre of Innovation for Electronics at Nanyang Polytechnic
  
  2. Build up Technology Innovation Capabilities in SMEs
  
  Get expert help to grow your capabilities. You can apply for technical experts to be seconded to your company to build your in- house technology innovation capabilities. SPRING will support part of the cost incurred by your company on the salaries of these experts during the period of secondment/attachment up to 2 years.
  
  3. Catalyse Technology Innovation Projects
  Technology projects, such as the development of new, impactful products or processes are inherently risky.
  
  The programme supports technology innovation projects that help SMEs to:
  - develop new products, processes and business models.
  - improve existing products, processes and business models.
  
  The technology innovation project should lead to increase in revenue and increase in value- added.
  
  FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
  As TIP is part of the BUILD initiative, SPRING will support up to 70% of qualifying costs for all projects from now till 31 January 2010.

  The qualifying costs include manpower-related costs, professional services, prototyping-related services, technical support services, equipment, materials & consumables, and software costs and intellectual property rights.

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SME MANAGEMENT ACTION FOR RESULTS (SMART) INITIATIVE

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

The SMART initiative enables SMEs to develop and strengthen their management systems and processes in a systematic manner. This programme helps SMEs to develop a roadmap to build their business capabilities in areas of priority to the business. A qualified business excellence consultant will work with the management team for five man-days over two to three months.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Participants can receive up to 50% funding support for the actual qualifying cost for consultancy incurred by the company on the project during the qualifying period, subject to a total maximum grant of S$2,500.

WHO CAN APPLY
Local SMEs can apply if they meet these criteria:

• At least S$2 million in sales turnover
• At least 3 years of business operations

  IMPLEMENTATION OF IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
  On completion of the roadmap, participating SMEs can initiate improvements to address the gaps identified in their management systems and processes.

  These improvement projects may be implemented either under LETAS or other existing government schemes, depending on the company's capabilities, the areas of improvements and eligibility criteria of the schemes.

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  The Wood Doctor Story Floored by Luxury Wood
  
  The business of wood flooring isn't usually viewed as a glamorous one. Yet Singapore-grown Wood Doctor has the likes of top designer brands like Armani and Versace beating a path to its doors to build the floors of their glamorous boutiques. Not bad for a company started by a pair of army mates who discovered their dream atop a freezing mountain in Australia during a training stint.

  When Mr Zain and Mr Kevin Toh started the company in 2003, it had two staff and made just $1 million in its first year. Today, Wood Doctor is a $15 million-a-year business with some 120 employees.

  The secret of their success? Daring to stake a claim as the luxury brand in a market flooded with commodity wood flooring."We both had a dream for a wood flooring company that was better than the rest," said Mr Zain. "We wanted to offer uniqueness and quality. We didn't want to join the price war."
  
  The duo set to work building a prestige brand targeted at upmarket clients and top local architects. This clear focus on their market positioning won Wood Doctor the Singapore Promising Brand award in 2006 and 2007. By then, business was already on the up and up, as word of their services spread through the upper echelons of society.
  
  Keen to take their brand further to reach both business and consumer clients here and overseas, Wood Doctor decided to embark on a branding programme.
  
  "The brand exercise helped us identify multiple factors affecting our brand," explained Mr Zain. "It's not just about changing logos, advertising or printing nice marketing collateral. Branding encompasses much more. It is a constant communication with our staff and customers about the passion we have in the quality of our timber, our craftsmanship, and our service."
  
  To further entrench their top position in the market, the company set up the Wood Doctor Academy in 2007, a school offering courses to timber flooring craftsmen interested in building their knowledge and expertise on wood.
  
  Indeed, knowledge and expertise is what has kept them on top. Wood Doctor stocks more than 50 premium wood species, the largest collection in Asia, ranging from the rich cream Patagonian Amarelo to the dark lustrous Chinese Emperor wood. It also carries a Haute Couture Collection of luxurious flooring where every piece of wood is handcrafted so no two floors are alike. This uniqueness makes the collection the choice of floorings for multimillion-dollar homes, designer boutiques and upmarket hotels.
  
  "Before Wood Doctor, wood flooring was considered a sunset industry," mused Mr Zain. "It is a dirty business that few scions of wood business families want to take over."
  
  "But we saw a gap in the market, brought in new products and new technologies, and created a desire in the market for luxury flooring."
  
  Wood Doctor is today represented in nine countries across Asia, from neighbouring Kuala Lumpur to faraway Dubai.
  
  From the top of one mountain as young army buddies, to the top of their game as Wood Doctors, Mr Zain and Mr Toh have certainly come a long way.

BRANDPACT ABOUT THE PROGRAMME BrandPact is an initiative by SPRING and IE Singapore to create platforms for companies to equip themselves with vital branding know-how. You can gain awareness and understanding of branding as a strategy to become more competitive, and learn to put into practice plans to strengthen your brand. BrandPact supports both company-level branding capability development as well as industry-wide branding efforts. WHO CAN APPLY If you are ready and committed to embark on a branding project, funding support is available for eligible SMEs. All companies are encouraged to first undergo a diagnostic called SCOPE-IP offered by SPRING and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore as it helps you to evaluate your business and assess whether you are ready to embark on branding, such as whether there are issues you need to resolve and systems you need to put in place before you are able to build a successful brand. WHAT DOES THE PROGRAMME OFFER Branding Workshops Regular brand training workshops are conducted in partnership with business associations and brand experts to help you gain a better understanding of what branding is and how you can build a strong brand. Branding Resources If you are keen to use branding as a strategy for business competitiveness, you can use the online self-assessment tool to do a quick review of how you are doing, and what steps you may need to take to build a successful brand. You can also be inspired by the success of other companies that have shared their brand stories. Brand Clinics For companies that have questions on challenges they are facing in branding, make an appointment at our monthly one-to-one branding clinics for SMEs to seek free consultation from branding professionals. To find out more about BrandPact, visit www.spring.gov.sg/brand