Air Quality Monitoring and Control Funding Initiative [Closed for Applications]

Objective
Research Areas
Current Grant Calls
Past Grant Calls
General Enquiries

The importance of good air quality cannot be underestimated. While Singapore enjoys better air quality than many cities in Asia, comparable with that of cities in the United States and Europe, more could be done to make our air better and city more liveable. The Air Quality Monitoring and Control (AQMC) Funding Initiative (FI) supports basic and applied research in urban air quality. The objectives are to improve our understanding of Singapore’s ambient air pollutants and develop technological solutions to better monitor them. The outcomes of the AQMC FI will support air quality policy and regulatory formulation as well as NEA’s monitoring and control capabilities, with the goal of achieving the World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines (WHO AQGs) for all air pollutants in the long term. On top of the need to improve air quality for health and economic benefits, the AQMC FI also seeks to reduce the number of unpleasant odour incidents. The science-based evidence and solutions developed by the AQMC FI will allow Singapore to achieve sustainable growth and development while maintaining public health and improving our residents’ liveability.  

There are three three main research areas under the AQMC FI:  

a. Improving our identification, quantification and characterisation of ambient air pollutants and their sources: Study existing and emerging airborne pollutants (e.g. PM2.5, ozone, nano-sized aerosols) regarding their properties, formation in Singapore’s tropical environment, and responsible sources for targeted pollution control policies. 

b. Tackling odour pollution: Enhance detection and mapping of odorous chemical mixtures to industrial activities and processes; and characterise odour contributing components and develop methods to quantify and mitigate odour from waste management systems.

c. Enhancing technologies and tools for monitoring of ambient airborne pollutants and emissions: Develop and optimise technologies and tools catered for local environmental conditions for enhanced monitoring of ambient air quality and emissions (e.g. identify localised areas of pollutant accumulation via high-resolution air quality data from low-cost sensors and models).