Smart Nation Snippets: 5 Must-Read Stories in April 2018

In this monthly series, TechNews seeks out the most important and interesting Smart Nation stories to bring to you, the reader. This month, learn about grants and platforms for a collaborative approach to Smart Nation innovation, digital legal help solutions for the needy, and what businesses leaders need to do to get digitally ready.

A self-aware Smart Nation recognises that it can’t achieve its aims unilaterally. In Singapore, grants and platforms enable companies, research institutions and government agencies to work together, sharing challenges and technologies to speed up and scale innovative solutions. The country is indeed adding to its array of citizen services, with a new online legal help centre that augments the support needy litigants receive.

At the same time, corporate leaders in Singapore and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific still lag behind in digital readiness, says a new report from human resources firm Korn Ferry. To adapt to a digital future, business leaders must display traits such as curiosity and risk-taking to a greater degree, the report found. Read about these issues and more in this month’s Smart Nation Snippets.

How Singapore is solving public sector challenges with innovative solutions from research institutes and the private sector

How can governments tap into the wealth of innovative technologies being developed at academic institutions and private companies? This piece from OpenGov Asia walks readers through Singapore’s various grants and platforms—such as GovTech’s InnoLeap programme—that help companies, research organisations and government agencies collaborate on technological innovation to address public sector challenges. These include themed workshops, sessions for companies to present their technologies, and a crowdsourcing portal, among others.

Smart technologies to enhance Singapore’s living environment

Digital technologies can drive the development of sustainable, liveable towns that improve residents’ quality of life. This Business Times article outlines the smart technologies that Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) is adopting to improve the planning, management and development of public housing.

New e-tool to help litigants-in-person prepare court documents

Litigants who are cannot afford professional legal services can now turn to the Automated Court Documents Assembly (ACDA), a new online service which offers guidance for preparing certain legal documents. The service, launched this month, is part of an online help centre set up by Singapore’s Community Justice Centre, an independent charity that offers support to needy litigants.

Are Asia-Pacific leaders still lagging in digital readiness?

Singapore may be at the forefront of digital innovation, but its business leaders—along with others across the Asia Pacific—still lag behind, according to a new Korn Ferry report highlighted in human resources industry publication HRMAsia. To succeed in the digital realm, CEOs and other leaders must be more comfortable with ambiguity and display more curiosity, confidence and adaptability, the report said.

How does a city become ‘smart’? Lessons from Tel Aviv

As smart as a city is, there are always lessons to be learned from counterparts around the world. This World Economic Forum article outlines how Israel’s Tel Aviv turned itself into a smart city that is adept at engaging and including citizens, with digital efforts that emphasise transparency, trust, and local government led by residents.