Johnson & Johnson Innovation has announced a collaboration to launch the Singapore QuickFire Challenge –  teaming up with A*STAR’s ETPL, through its Diagnostics Development Hub, and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART).

The QuickFire Challenge focuses on finding solutions for the diagnosis and/or treatment of metabolic diseases, and invites entries from the likes of entrepreneurs, academics, and biotech researchers to offer ideas and technologies to help develop the treatment.

Launched at the 2017 Biopharma Asia Conference in Singapore, the challenge is overseen by JLABS while drawing on the capabilities of ETPL’s and SMART’s capabilities, according to Yahoo Finance. Winners will receive SGD100,000 to work on research with the aim to discover breakthrough solutions.

Drawing on the expertise of ETPL’s capabiltites as the commercialisation arm of A*STAR, a Singapore agency for science and research development, and SMART, which uses funding from the Singapore National Research Foundation to help scientists and engineers across various technologies, the challenge will be a co-branded program with JLABS. All three will form a Joint Collaboration Committee to manage the program.

Applications will from 22 March to 17 May 2017, when they will be reviewed by a Selection Committee made up of members from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, ETPL and SMART. Finalists will be announced on 28 June before mentoring sessions, live presentations before winners are announced between 19 and 21 September 2017.