NHIC aims to expand its impact on healthcare innovation, with a focus on systems-level projects
SINGAPORE – The National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC), established in 2014, celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 14, 2024, with a dinner at the Fairmont Singapore. Over the past decade, the NHIC has supported more than 100 projects, helping to commercialise medical innovations within Singapore’s public healthcare sector. With a portfolio valued at $273 million, NHIC has successfully formed 25 start-ups, launched 16 products across 34 markets, and raised nearly $90 million in private investments.
One notable innovation supported by NHIC is Selena+, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled system developed by local start-up EyRIS. Selena+ is used in all diabetic eye screenings at Singapore’s polyclinics and has expanded to national screening programmes in countries such as Brunei and Oman. The AI system provides faster analysis of eye scans, detecting diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration in minutes.
Another success highlighted during the anniversary event was FxMammo, an AI-powered software designed to improve breast cancer detection. The software has been shown to reduce false positives by 20% in initial screenings and up to 75% in follow-up screenings, while also decreasing false negatives by over 38%. Currently under trial at several hospitals, including Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Cancer Centre Singapore, FxMammo is poised for broader commercialisation after raising $2.7 million.
Looking to the future, NHIC plans to focus on supporting systems-level innovations that can make a more significant impact on broader clinical practices and policies. NHIC chairman Professor Benjamin Ong explained that these innovations would address larger issues in the healthcare ecosystem, with a particular focus on enhancing efficiency, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability. The centre has introduced a pilot programme offering grants of up to $1 million for public healthcare projects aimed at making medical innovations more commercially viable.
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Health, emphasised the growing demand for healthcare solutions due to Singapore’s ageing population and rising healthcare needs. He highlighted NHIC’s role as a crucial enabler of healthcare innovation, providing funding, guidance, and connections to industry partners to accelerate the translation of clinical innovations into impactful solutions.
As it enters its second decade, NHIC is poised to continue its mission of transforming healthcare through innovation, with a renewed commitment to supporting systems-level changes in healthcare delivery.
