IGNITE Innovation Symposium 2026 Award Winners

Minister for Defence Award (MDA) 

The Minister for Defence Award (MDA) is the pinnacle award that recognises MINDEF/SAF units or departments for their outstanding achievements in the areas of Innovation, Organisational Performance Excellence, Staff Well-being, and Future Workplace Experience. 

This year, there are four MDA winners, seven commendations, and one continuous effort. The four MDA 2026 winners are: 

3 Div from the Singapore Army and 1 MS from the RSAF are awarded the MDA (Combat Category) at the Division and Squadron Level respectively. MES from the Singapore Army and APGC from the RSAF are awarded the MDA (Non-Combat Category) at the Formation and Command Level respectively. 

1. 3rd Singapore Division (3 Div), Singapore Army, MDA Winner – Combat Category (Division/ Command/ Formation Level) 

   • 3 Div has fostered a strong culture of innovation through both ground-up initiatives and leadership support, empowering its soldiers to challenge existing methods and develop practical solutions that enhance operational effectiveness, efficiency and safety. For National Day Parade 2025, 3 Div developed the Spectator Seating Gallery Defects Inspection System, which used machine vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate post-show inspections. This reduced the manpower required from eight personnel to one, and inspection effort from 64 to two man-hours per cycle. This culture of innovation also extends deeply within its sub-units. For instance, 30 Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers (30 SCE) developed a Programmable Inclinometer with an audio and visual warning system for heavy plant equipment, providing real-time tilt monitoring and immediate alerts that enabled faster corrective action and enhanced operational safety. 

2. Maintenance & Engineering Support Formation (MES), Singapore Army, MDA Winner, Non-Combat Category (Division/ Command/ Formation Level) 

   • MES empowers its personnel to transform ground-up ideas into practical engineering solutions that strengthen maintenance support, boost productivity, and deliver significant cost and man-hour savings. One example is MES’s investment in Additive Manufacturing (AM). To address spare parts obsolescence, MES partnered with ST Engineering to establish the Army-ST Engineering Remanufacturing (ASTER) Centre. This was followed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ST Engineering and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) to strengthen long-term AM capabilities. During Exercise Wallaby 2025, MES also deployed its Mobile AM Lab, enabling critical spare parts to be produced in the field while saving man-hours. Maintenance bases have also been equipped with 3D-printing capabilities to support rapid prototyping and on-site fabrication, including 3D-printed anemometer spares that reduce lead time by 97% from 90 days to two days.  

3. Air Power Generation Command (APGC), Republic of Singapore Air Force, MDA, Winner, Non-Combat Category (Division/ Command/ Formation Level) 

   • APGC has exemplified excellence through exceptional systematic innovation culture, demonstrating willingness to challenge conventional approaches. The comprehensive 360-degree strategy and extensive partnerships including Institutes of Higher Learning collaborations have enhanced operational capabilities through intentional capability development and dedicated resources. A notable achievement is the systematic approach from Smart Airbase vision to operational reality, demonstrating exceptional leadership emphasis on innovation. 

4. 1 Medical Squadron (1 MS), Republic of Singapore Air Force, MDA, Winner, Combat Category (Unit/ Squadron/ Group Level) 

   • 1 MS has demonstrated organisational excellence through a pervasive culture of innovation underpinned by strong command emphasis. Adopting the mantis shrimp as its innovation mascot with the motto “Punching Above Our Weight”, the squadron anchors its innovation philosophy on four pillars: (1) creating an environment for innovation to thrive, (2) equipping personnel to innovate, (3) collaborating widely, and (4) fostering an innovate-anywhere mindset. Notable NSF-led innovation projects include: (1) Operational Resuscitation & Battlefield In-flight Tool Kit (ORBIT), which enhanced operational effectiveness and improved casualty outcomes through embedded checklists, clinical charting with automatic timestamps, and PDF summaries for casualty handover; (2) Structured Critical Airway Management (SCRAM) bags, which improved the organisation and securing of medical equipment onboard aircraft while reducing intervention time, cognitive load, and foreign object debris (FOD) or things falling out of aircraft (TFOA) risks; and (3) SAR HEME Integrated Equipment Logistics Database (S.H.I.E.L.D), which consolidated existing logistics trackers into a single M365-hosted system to streamline search and rescue (SAR) and Heliborne Medical Evacuation (HEME) equipment tracking, improving visibility, accountability, and logistics resiliency for training and operations. 

MINDEF Exemplary Innovation Award (MEIA) 

Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Exemplary Innovation Award, the MINDEF Exemplary Innovation Award recognises individuals who have injected innovation into their work, made a real difference to improve physical and virtual workplace environments, and advocated the spirit of innovation in their teams and in MINDEF/SAF. This year, 39 outstanding individuals and teams received this award while another 26 were commended. Notable projects included: 

1. Smart In-Camp Training (SICT) Application, Personnel Command (PERSCOM) and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). 

   • NS Commanders previously lacked a consolidated information dashboard, sub-optimising their ability to perform their duties, while administrative functions remained time-consuming due to manual and hard-copy processes. 

   • In response, Army (PERSCOM) and DSTA collaborated to develop Smart ICT (SICT), a one-stop application that provides NSmen and NS Commanders with more efficient administration and engaging ICT experiences. The solution has achieved an estimated 65,176 man-days saved annually and a cost avoidance of approximately $8.3M. 

2. LTC Daniel Hu, Commanding Officer, RSS Persistence, Republic of Singapore Navy. 

   •  LTC Daniel Hu fostered a culture of ground-up innovation aboard RSS Persistence by demonstrating that meaningful innovation begins with solving everyday problems. Recognising everyday commuting challenges, he developed a transport coordination bot using readily available platforms such as such as Telegram and Google Apps Script. The solution demonstrated that meaningful innovation does not always require complex technology but can start with practical ideas that improve daily work. Inspired by his initiative, the crew began developing their own digital solutions to address operational challenges. This momentum led to the formation of a shipboard innovation team, which continues to develop tools that enhance operational efficiency, strengthen safety practices and reduce administrative workload. 

MINDEF Dare to Do Award (MDTD) 

Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Dare to Do Award, the MDTD recognises teams/individuals for their spirit in risk-taking and perseverance such as in identifying new opportunities to do things better, having the courage to attempt new ways of doing things, and persevering even when they faced difficulties. This year, 41 outstanding individuals and teams received this award and another 21 were commended. Notable projects include: 

1. Modification of Window Helicopter Emergency Egress Lighting System (HEELS) Control Unit (CU) to Replace Cargo Door HEELS CU on S-70B, Republic of Singapore Air Force. 

   • The S-70B helicopter relies on two Helicopter Emergency Egress Lighting System (HEELS) Control Units for emergency lighting. When the Cargo Door HEELS Control Unit became unavailable due to supplier issues, the aircraft faced an Aircraft on Ground (AoG) situation, putting operational readiness and sailing requirements at risk. 

   • Rather than waiting for the OEM to source a new supplier, the Naval Helicopter engineers from 816 SQN took the initiative to modify existing HEELS components and fabricate a splitter to replace the unavailable unit. This resourceful engineering solution averted costly downtime and achieved 93.8% in cost savings. 

2. Nav Sphere, Republic of Singapore Navy. 

   • Currently, keeping Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) charts up to date requires watch-keepers to manually check the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's (MPA) website for Port Marine Notices (PMN)/Port Marine Circulars (PMC) on a weekly basis. Missing any checks could render the charts outdated and pose safety risks. 

   • To address this, the team ‘Eyes of the Mavericks’ from the Maritime Security and Response Flotilla (MSRF) developed an application called Nav Sphere, which eliminated this single point of failure by automatically monitoring MPA releases and alerting users when a new PMN/PMC is issued. While the user retains human judgement over the safety-critical chart update on ECDIS, the application confirms and logs the action, transforming a tedious manual process into a closed-loop, automated one. 

More Resources

Innovation and People are Key to Building MINDEF/SAF’s Resilience and Future Readiness

Speech by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing at IGNITE Innovation Symposium on 16 July 2026 at CMPB