SINGAPORE: Singapore's interactive digital media industry has been given a shot in the arm with the announcement that the sector's R&D Programme Office will fund four interlinked initiatives.

The initiatives were announced by Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.

He said the initiatives aim to create a high-growth and self-sustaining eco-system which will propel Singapore into the forefront of research and development in interactive digital media.

The interactive digital media industry had been identified as a key growth sector for Singapore's economy in the years ahead by the high-powered Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council during its inaugural meeting last year, which was chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Giving details of the initiatives, Dr Balakrishnan said that firstly, the government will support intensive R&D at institutes of higher learning and research institutes and bring the best global interactive digital media R&D institutions to Singapore.

Secondly, the government will incentivise companies to push the boundaries of the industry's R&D through investment in infrastructure and innovative services.

To achieve this, the government will boost resources for locally-based researchers through a Public Sector R&D funding initiative.

It will also launch an online jamming platform, called i.JAM, to enable people with ideas to contribute their suggestions.

Industry partners and research institutes, incubators and international experts will then be invited to help mentor the ideas so that they can be developed further and seeded as innovative projects and applications.

i.JAM will be piloted on a small scale later this month.

Thirdly, Singapore aims to put itself at the forefront of R&D in interactive and digital media by establishing itself as a preferred port-of-call for partners in innovation-test bedding.

Fourthly, Singapore aims to encourage significant investments by companies in the media industry to anchor demand for interactive digital media.

"We will support local and foreign multinational companies, in order to stimulate a plethora of applications, services and products for these common, open access platforms," said Dr Balakrishnan, who is also the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.

"An example of this is the possibility of "On the Move" service and technology. Imagine walking into a restaurant and being greeted by an intelligent avatar that is able to process your food preferences and recommend dishes that you can enjoy.

"When seated, imagine a selection of ambience simulation which allows you to eat fish and chips with the sharks or even enjoy chilli crabs in Alaska.

"The possibilities of such service and technology are endless, and they will radically change the way in which we interact with each other. It will also change the way in which companies target their consumers and bring an entirely different twist to the concept of dining out."

Dr Balakrishnan noted that the interactive and digital media sector is large, with many sub-sectors and different stakeholders.

So far, more than 30 stakeholders and partners from the sector have indicated their support and commitment to the R&D initiative.