Ideate, test, implement: How unique industry-campus scheme can help firms create green solutions

Every day, smart sensors in German multinational Sick’s commercial building monitor recycling bins, occupancy rates, indoor air quality and control lighting in meeting rooms remotely.

The smart system, which helps building operations run more sustainably and efficiently, was not created in a tech giant’s lab. It was developed by staff and student engineers at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), who saw how Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and artificial intelligence could transform the way people manage buildings.

“This journey began in 2022 when an engineering team explored the potential of long-range, low-power IoT sensors when placed on campus,” says Mr Russell Chan, principal and chief executive officer of NYP. “IoT simply means the sensors can ‘speak’ to each other and can be connected to a cloud or server. We set the sensors on footfall in restrooms, bin levels, ammonia levels and set an artificial intelligence to map out optimum cleaning schedules – rather than relying on a set timetable of cleaners.”

It transformed building management practices – and impressed several visiting industry partners, including Sick, enough that they also wanted the solution in their premises – albeit with the sensors measuring other things.

This is one of the key success stories that inspired the NYP Living Lab. Mr Chan adds, “We know the model can work. We try out solutions on campus, then extend them to the wider community.”

With its Living Lab, NYP is inviting companies to work with NYP staff and students to develop and test new ideas on campus. The institution is ringfencing $10 million over five years to see how to bring these co-developed sustainability solutions to life.

Each project will be a joint effort between industry partners, NYP staff and students, with ideas or problem statements coming from any combination of these groups. NYP’s campus serves as the testbed to road-test sustainability impact and gauge consumer acceptance.

“The goal is to quickly generate ideas, test them on campus and then implement them in commercial and real-world settings to create impactful change”, says Mr Chan.

With six schools and three continuing education and training (CET) institutes covering a wide range of expertise, NYP is also able and committed to bringing in experienced and best-suited staff and students for the Living Lab projects.

In turn, these projects offer valuable hands-on experience to students, allowing them to apply sustainable principles in real-world scenarios and deepen their understanding of sustainability concepts being taught at NYP.

NYP says companies have already expressed interest in joining the NYP Living Lab initiative. One such company is Fisheroo, an alternative protein firm exploring new ways of producing lab-grown meat and seafood on a larger scale.

A masterplan for sustainability

The NYP Living Lab is a key part of the polytechnic’s Sustainability Masterplan. The Masterplan aims to bridge education and research with real-world applications, actively involving industry and the community to drive positive change beyond NYP.

Mr Chan explains: “We see ourselves as catalysts and changemakers for a better tomorrow. That means extending our hand in partnerships beyond the campus – whether it’s working with businesses embarking on their sustainability journeys, firms seeking technology or consultancy to improve processes and policies, neighbourhoods aiming to reduce their collective footprints, or start-ups looking to test their solutions. Together, we can make a difference.”

NYP also kicked off NYP X, a series of ready-to-go sustainability activities that students, staff and alumni can replicate in communities across Singapore.

The first NYP X event, Eco Fest,

was launched on Nov 3 in Teck Ghee

, which is in NYP’s immediate neighbourhood. Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the event held at Teck Ghee Community Club, which marks the beginning of a series of efforts between NYP and the precinct.

As part of Eco Fest, NYP’s students and alumni will regularly visit homes in the estate to promote sustainable living habits over the next six months. They will also organise freecycle markets to give second-hand items a new lease of life, conduct e-waste collection drives and run the

Repair Kopitiam programme

, where residents can bring broken appliances to its handy volunteers instead of being discarded.

Mr Chan says: “Sustainability at NYP is an enterprise-wide effort. It’s not just about recycling, waste reduction, and energy or water conservation.

“It is integrating sustainability in everything we do: from our academic offerings, our curriculum, the research we conduct, the way we operate our campus, the student experiences, investments we make and even the food we serve. Only then can impactful change be created and felt, on campus and beyond.”

Anyone – organisations and individuals alike – can get involved with NYP in making a difference. To learn more about the

NYP Living Lab

,

NYP X

and its overall Sustainability Masterplan, visit

NYP’s Sustainability website

or e-mail enquiries to

asi@nyp.edu.sg

.

You can also stop by the NYP Open House from Jan 9 to 11, 2025 to explore how NYP weaves sustainability into its curriculum and how students are empowered to become sustainability champions for a better future.