PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency has secured nearly $100m in initial funding under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 Urban Solutions and Sustainability Domain from the National Research Foundation (NRF), Singapore. The funding will support research and development in municipal and industrial water solutions.

An initial allocation of $85m will be dedicated to the development of innovative municipal water solutions, building on the $74m received under RIE2025.

The continued investment will strengthen PUB’s research and development capabilities in areas such as water treatment, desalination and the management of contaminants of emerging concern, helping to enhance Singapore’s long-term water security and sustainability.

As part of this initiative, PUB will also develop an energy-positive used water treatment Integrated Validation Plant (IVP). Scheduled for development in 2027, the facility will support research into next-generation used water treatment technologies and provide research institutes and industry partners with opportunities to co-develop and validate solutions alongside PUB.

To support the development of industrial water solutions, a new focus area under RIE2030, PUB has secured an initial $12m in funding. The investment will support the development of innovative technologies aimed at improving water efficiency and increasing water recycling in two highly water-intensive sectors: semiconductor wafer fabrication and data centres.

PUB will work closely with universities, research institutes, trade associations, technology providers and industry end-users to develop and validate new technologies. By connecting solution providers and technical experts with potential adopters, PUB aims to accelerate the commercialisation and deployment of innovative solutions within both sectors.

To support this effort, two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be signed during the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2026 to establish Industrial Water Solutions Innovation Ecosystem Alliances for the semiconductor and data centre industries.

For the wafer fabrication sector, PUB will partner the Separation Technologies Applied Research and Translation (START) Centre, the Singapore Water Association (SWA) and the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA).

For the data centre sector, PUB will work with the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT), SWA and SGTech’s Data Centre Chapter.

During the initial phase of the programme, PUB and its trade association partners will identify priority challenges and sector-specific water issues requiring solutions.

At the same time, research partners will work with SWA to identify and recommend suitable technology pathways to address these challenges. Technologies demonstrating strong technical potential and commercial viability may undergo testing and validation at facilities operated by the START Centre, the STDCT and participating industry adopters.

PUB will oversee the management and evaluation of all Industrial Water Solutions projects, including programme funding and performance assessment.

Successful projects will form part of a portfolio of water recycling and cooling technologies for local deployment and commercialisation. These technologies may also be deployed internationally, reinforcing Singapore’s position as a global hydrohub for advanced water technologies while creating long-term economic and technological value.