A SERIES of children's books, a television series broadcast on the Internet and a heritage walk which includes visits to local pubs in Boat Quay and Clarke Quay.

These are just some of the beneficiaries of the National Heritage Board's (NHB's) Heritage Industry Incentive Programme (Hi2P).

The programme will give out $8 million over the next five years to projects that promote Singapore's diverse cultural and ethnic heritage.

Details of the programme were announced on Monday at the National Museum by Senior Minister of State for Information, Communication and the Arts, Rear-Admiral Lui Tuck Yew, at The Business Of Heritage, Singapore's first heritage industry conference.

Under this programme, the NHB will pay half the cost of an approved project, up to a maximum grant of $100,000.

The grants are available to applicants so long as their projects are heritage-related.

The board, says NHB chief executive officer Michael Koh, is on the lookout for fresh ideas ranging from new heritage tours to products such as board games with a strong heritage theme.

He adds: 'The programme aims to be the tipping point for individuals and companies to embrace heritage as a business idea.'

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!