SAP Next Business and Technology will spearhead latest technology and co-innovation with customers in social business networks and real-time intelligent economy
SINGAPORE — SAP (NYSE:SAP) today announced the official opening of the SAP Next Business and Technology Research Centre in Singapore, the largest research location and headquarters in Asia Pacific. Situated in the National Research Foundation’s CREATE campus, the centre is a collaboration between Singapore’s Economic Development Board, the Singapore National Research Foundation and SAP.
The centre joins a family of SAP’s research locations worldwide, with multi-million dollar investments over the next three years, to further broaden efforts by SAP to work with government, industry partners and academia to accelerate the innovation and delivery of new solutions designed to address the challenges facing markets and societies around the world. It will focus on research in social business networks and collaboration, real-time intelligence and analytics, with a myriad of applications across different industries, including transportation, logistics, urban management and smart cities, machine-to-machine sensor-enabled objects, and retail. Future areas of advanced development could potentially be around financial and medical industries.
Incorporated in the centre is a Co-Innovation Living Lab, which provides a real-world, hands-on collaboration platform to drive co-innovation with customers, partners, and developers around research and development of new products and services. The centre will also be the second location in Asia Pacific to house the SAP Global Business Incubator, creating opportunities globally for entrepreneurs to participate and collaborate in the creation of new businesses.
“Asia Pacific is experiencing a rapid growth in urbanization and has an exploding middle class with increasing consumption power. There is also an increasing demand on infrastructure, logistics, and environment with the rise of mega-cities in this region. By being in the heart of Asia Pacific with our new research centre, this reinforces SAP’s commitment in the region to continue our growth investments and drive the innovation agenda to address the pressing economic, social, and environmental challenges here. Singapore is also strategic hub and springboard for business owners and entrepreneurs, and our Global Business Incubator team will be able to leverage the vibrant scene here,” said Jason Yotopoulos, Global Head of SAP Next Business and Technology.
The new SAP Next Business and Technology Research Centre is home to a diverse, cross-discipline team of researchers and business developers with expertise from biomedical fields to computer science. To meet the anticipated demand from the region, the size of the research team will triple by 2014, making up 15% of the global research team. The centre will also be leveraging the local talent pool through a PhD and student internship program with Singapore universities. The centre’s location at CREATE Campus will also facilitate interaction and collaboration with other research groups targeting urban solutions such as the Singapore-ETH Centre – Future Cities Laboratory. SAP Next Business and Technology and CREATE have established an active collaborative relationship with prestigious local and international universities such as National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), MIT, ETH Zurich and Cambridge.
Mr. Jayson Goh, Executive Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said: “SAP’s decision to locate their regional research headquarters here reinforces Singapore’s role as a home for innovation for companies. The research centre, which is located in the Campus of Research Excellence and Technology Enterprise (CREATE), focuses on Real-Time Intelligence and Analytics and will contribute to Singapore’s vision to be a leader in applied data analytics. We believe Singapore possesses the necessary research capabilities, collaboration partners, talent and sophisticated end-users for companies like SAP to innovate for both their Asian and global clients.”
Driving Co-Innovation with Asia Organizations
With its customers’ success as an overarching goal, SAP has committed to co-innovation by harnessing the value of its ecosystem. From an urgent business need for a solution, or an opportunity for first-mover advantage, or simply the need for specific application be built, SAP’s co-innovation efforts can quickly move from idea, to solution, to tangible customer results.
Patrick Chong, CEO, Luxasia Group, one of SAP’s customers, said, “We are collaborating with SAP Next Business and Technology to create a new level of customer experience that we believe will become the future of the beauty industry. In a rapidly changing retail environment, we want to delight customers by offering premium quality products and services that differentiate us from the customers. Most of all, we aim to bring value to every business partner by innovating with new tools and concepts, alleviating the overall shopping experience in the region.”
Dr Ting See Ho, Managing Director of YFind Technologies, which is working in collaboration with SAP Next Business and Technology, said, “Businesses and governments who want to create Location-Intelligent Smart Cities will find themselves faced with a massive undertaking. It’s a deeply compelling vision, and one that requires the right technology and partners to deliver. We are partnering with innovative companies like SAP who see the tremendous potential for Indoor Positioning Technology, and who can help customers execute flawlessly.”
About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 197,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
About SAP Next Business and Technology
SAP Next Business and Technology is the global research and innovation unit of SAP formerly known as SAP Research. The group anticipates and explores emerging IT trends and transfers innovations into market-ready prototypes, product enhancements, and new solutions. The research conducted and the incubation of business opportunities benefits and inspires enterprises and end users and opens the world up to new possibilities thanks to innovations in IT. Activities span from co-innovation with customers to collaborative research with industry and academia. With locations close to markets and talents on all five continents, the unit is a powerful driver of innovation for SAP and its ecosystem.
Learn more at www.sap.com/corporate-en/innovation/research/index.epx
About Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) is the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre. EDB dreams, designs and delivers solutions that create value for investors and companies in Singapore. Our mission is to create for Singapore, sustainable economic growth with vibrant business and good job opportunities. EDB’s ‘Host to Home’ strategy articulates how we are positioning Singapore for the future. It is about extending Singapore’s value proposition to businesses not just to help them improve their bottom line, but also to help them grow their top line through establishing and deepening strategic activities in Singapore to drive their business, innovation and talent objectives in Asia and globally. For more information, visit www.edb.gov.sg.
About The National Research Foundation (NRF)
The National Research Foundation (NRF), set up on 1 January 2006, is a department within the Prime Minister’s Office. The NRF co-ordinates national efforts in research and development (R&D) by developing policies, plans and strategies for research, innovation and enterprise. It funds strategic initiatives and builds up R&D capabilities and capacities by nurturing and attracting talent, and supporting international collaborations. In addition to co-ordinating the research agenda of different agencies to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy, it also provides secretariat support to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Prime Minister. The NRF aims to transform Singapore into a vibrant R&D hub that contributes towards a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy; and make Singapore a talent magnet for scientific and innovation excellence. For more information, please visit www.nrf.gov.sg.
About the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)
A top-notch international research campus and innovation hub, CREATE hosts the National Research Foundation’s Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)–an environmentally sustainable and energy efficient international research campus and innovation hub. CREATE houses interdisciplinary research centres from top universities and corporate laboratories, such as the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), the SAP Singapore Research Centre, as well as technology incubators and startups. Through their co-location, CREATE catalyses world-class research and the commercialisation of research outcomes. With the best minds from all over the world gathered here, CREATE contributes towards making Singapore an innovation-driven knowledge-based economy. Towering foliage pillars, verdant sky gardens, wall-covered solar panels, light-glazed windows combined with rainwater storage and re-use of treated grey water makes the laboratory facilities a showcase of environmental sustainability in the tropics. Located within the tropical garden setting of the new National University of Singapore University Town (UTown), CREATE is sited close to prominent research facilities such as the Biopolis, Fusionopolis and the Science Parks.
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Shafaat Hussain
Fleishman-Hillard Singapore
Shafaat.hussain@fleishman.com
Jeanette Tan
Global Communications
SAP Asia Pacific Japan
Jeanette.tan@sap.com
Jennifer Alejandro
Global Communications
SAP Asia Pacific Japan
Jennifer.alejandro@sap.com
