Objective
The TREASURES (Towards Resource Efficiency And Sustainability for URban EnvironmentS) Research Centre is launching a grant call to support R&D projects that address Singapore’s critical waste management challenges. This initiative aims to advance science and innovation in residue and toxic industrial waste management, enabling longer-term goals, including transforming Semakau Landfill to into a future-ready resource recovery hub that prioritises resource recovery and value creation over permanent disposal.
Research Areas
Proposals are invited under two focus areas:
- Landfill Transformation: Develop innovative solutions for material circularity and landfill redesign, prioritising repurposing and valorisation of incineration fly ash (IFA), non-incinerable waste (NIW), and mixed materials (MM), with applications in construction, coastal protection, land reclamation, and other value-added uses. Research on incineration bottom ash (IBA) is a lower priority.
- Toxic Industrial Waste (TIW) Solutions: Innovative treatment, recovery or process technologies to minimise TIW generation, enable resource recovery, and provide low-carbon alternatives to conventional treatment pathways, including advanced treatment/stabilisation and recovery of valuable metals, minerals, solvents and chemicals.
Please refer to https://www.ntu.edu.sg/treasures/callforproposals for the detailed scope and deliverables for each focus area. Instructions for the submission of proposals and the relevant templates can also be found at the same website.
Eligibility
The grant call is open to all Institutes of Higher Learning, research institutes, and companies. It will support projects that advance novel, practical, scalable solutions for residue and toxic industrial waste management, with research activities conducted in Singapore to build local capabilities and strengthen collaboration across academia, industry, and government agencies. Collaborative proposals involving multiple institutions and/or industry partners are encouraged where they strengthen the scientific excellence, translational potential or implementation pathway of the project.
Current Grant Call
This inaugural TREASURES grant call is open for applications from 17 June 2026 until 17 August 2026, 17:00 SGT.
Funding modalities include Seed, Catalyst, Partnership, and Core projects, with support levels tailored to project maturity and industry participation. Please refer to https://www.ntu.edu.sg/treasures/callforproposals for more information on the different funding modalities.
Proposal Evaluation and Confidentiality
Proposal evaluation and funding recommendations will be undertaken by NEA, in collaboration with other Singapore government agencies where relevant. Full proposals are shared only with NEA and relevant evaluating agencies on a need-to-know basis, and confidentiality and proprietary information will be protected throughout. For shortlisted proposals, a desensitised version may be required before sharing with scientific reviewers for assessment of technical and scientific merits. Standard conflict of interest declaration and recusal procedures will apply to all parties involved in the evaluation process.
General Enquiries
For general enquiries regarding the grant call and proposal submission, please contact treasures@nea.gov.sg.
For technical enquiries and potential collaboration opportunities related to the research focus areas, please contact the respective Focus Area Research Leads:
Please refer to this webpage “Whistleblowing for RIE Funding Initiatives” to report any incidents of potential abuse of grant, fraud or misconduct arising from NEA administered Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) Funding Initiatives, funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF).