(Singapore, 19.05.2025)Innovation in Singapore took a bold, inclusive turn this week as the Singapore Deep-Tech Alliance (SDTA) officially launched its Youth Chapter at the Sustainable Innovation Asia 2025 (SIA2025) forum. The launch, hailed as a landmark initiative in conjunction with the nation’s SG60 celebrations, marks the first time SDTA’s annual flagship event has dedicated an entire programme segment to youth innovation.
Positioned as a ground-up movement, the SDTA Youth Chapter aims to empower students across Institutes of Higher Learning — from ITE to polytechnics and universities — to shape Singapore’s future through innovation. Backed by Enterprise Singapore’s SWITCH platform, Go Green SG, and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s SG Youth Plan, the initiative reflects a growing urgency to democratise innovation and prepare the next generation to lead.
“Innovation has been too exclusive for too long. We need to open the gates — not lower the bar, but change where the starting line begins,” said Clara Chen, Founding Partner of SDTA.
At the heart of this movement is BINNY, a student-led prototype by Team MFL from ITE College Central. The bunny-shaped vending machine accepts recyclable materials in exchange for snacks and is designed to teach environmental habits to kindergarteners. Built in just one week under the SG Eco Loop pilot programme — with support from the Eco Fund (Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment) and the Oscar Fund (Temasek Foundation) — the BINNY project was developed by five Higher Nitec students with no prior sustainability or tech training.
Led by 17-year-old Nur Nelly Naomi, Team MFL impressed attendees by clinching the People’s Choice Award at SIA2025. From concept design by Myra Elfira to research, marketing, and pitch delivery by Chloe Chan, Euxavier Low, and Jevis Teo, the team’s project embodied what Chen calls “grassroots innovation with public impact.”
“What they created was joyful, thoughtful and real. It’s not science fiction. It’s what happens when you give students the space and trust to create,” said Chen.
More than just a programme, the SDTA Youth Chapter represents a strategic contribution to SG60, framed by three pillars — Innovation, Inclusion, and Inspiration. It also responds to a demographic imperative: with one in four Singaporeans projected to be over 65 by 2030, sustained innovation must increasingly be driven by the young.
SIA2025 welcomed over 200 attendees, including representatives from Enterprise Singapore, MCCY, Temasek Foundation, Lenovo Singapore, and SCAPE. While the morning showcased startup demos from SDTA’s deep-tech venture cohort, the afternoon turned its focus to youth. A fireside chat hosted by Nigel Lee, General Manager of Lenovo Singapore, engaged students on how corporations can nurture youth-led sustainability.
“We’re not here to sell a dream,” said Chen. “We’re here to hand over the tools and turn problem owners into problem solvers.”
