A $500,000 fund will be set up to turn innovative ideas into real solutions to improve HDB living. Each feasible proposal will be awarded up to $10,000.

Those who receive the funding will have to match dollar for dollar the government grant, Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan said on Saturday morning. This is to ensure they are committed.

Mr Khaw who was speaking at the launch of this year's cool ideas for better HDB living exhibition at Toa Payoh, said the public has come up with many good ideas over the years.

The new fund to be built up over three years will help commercialise some of these inventions to benefit more Singaporeans.

More than 220 ideas have been received since the launch of the Cool Ideas for Better HDB Living initiative in July 2011.

They include solutions to reduce the number of bicycle thefts and ideas for community greening.