National University of Singapore (NUS) Medicine has launched a new programme- Kickstart Initiative, that helps bring promising biomedical research projects to market. It provides a supportive biomedical eco-system for knowledge exchange between entrepreneurs, academia, and other stakeholders. Kickstart is a venture creation initiative supporting innovative research ideas along the commercialisation path to market. 

Under the programme, Principal Investigators (PIs) of shortlisted research projects will work closely with a commercial partner that acts as a collaborator and help drive the path towards bringing the innovation to market. In the second stage, a new company with both the PI and the commercial partner will invest minimally a matching amount and jointly act as the co-founder to accelerate the commercialisation journey.

The programme will focus on translating innovations in the fastest growing areas such as therapeutics, diagnostics, medical technology and devices, surgical robotics, as well as digital health.

Leading global investment solutions companies such as Milltrust International Group and Heritas Capital Management have been appointed as the primary commercial partners for Kickstart. They will play a key advisory role in managing the programme, including evaluating projects for their scientific value and potential commercial success, assessing projected investments, and reviewing, tracking and auditing the progress of selected projects.