Singapore, 21 October 2026 – National water agency PUB has been allocated a further $135 million in funding for coastal protection and flood resilience under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) plan. The funding will support the development of effective, sustainable and digitally enabled solutions to strengthen Singapore’s resilience against rising sea levels and more intense rainfall. This new Coastal and Flood Resilience (CFR) Funding Initiative builds on the $125 million awarded in 2023 to establish the Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme1 (CFRP), Singapore's first national research programme dedicated to strengthening coastal protection and inland flood management capabilities.
Three focus areas
2 As a low-lying island nation, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of sea-level rise and more intense rainfall. Future coastal protection infrastructure will need to work together with Singapore’s drainage and flood management measures to provide comprehensive protection against both coastal and inland flooding.
3 Building on research under the CFRP, the new RIE2030 funding will sharpen research in three key areas:
i. Improving construction efficiency and sustainability of coastal protection infrastructure: With major coastal protection works expected to commence progressively from the 2030s, research will explore new designs, materials and construction methods to reduce construction time and material while maintaining the robustness and reliability required of coastal protection infrastructure.
ii. Advancing research in tidal gates and pumping stations: Research will optimise the design and operation of these complex, space-intensive systems for Singapore’s intense rainfall conditions and dense urban environment, including how they can be integrated effectively with existing drainage infrastructure;
iii. Enhancing digital solutions for smarter, integrated monitoring, operations and maintenance of coastal and flood protection systems: As Singapore’s coastal and flood protection infrastructure grow in scale and complexity, research will explore digital solutions to provide timely insights into asset and environmental conditions, enable more coordinated operations, and support predictive maintenance.
4 Research grant calls under RIE20302 will commence from 2027, starting with Applied Research and Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore projects.
Eight new research projects undertaken by CFI Singapore
5 At the third CFI Singapore symposium held at the Singapore Institute of Technology, it was announced that eight new research projects have been awarded under existing RIE2025 funding. They constitute the final tranche of projects under RIE2025, bringing the total to 27, and will be undertaken by CFI Singapore to explore the adaptability, constructability and long-term performance of coastal protection measures. More details are available in the accompanying factsheet.
6 In addition, 14 Applied Research projects are currently underway, bringing together institutes of higher learning and industry partners to address practical case-specific challenges. Five Living Lab projects which demonstrate new technology are also test-bedding solutions along our coastlines for potential adoption.
7 To date, more than 280 researchers and students and over 36 industry collaborators have contributed to these research efforts. This ecosystem of expertise is expected to grow as our knowledge of coastal and flood protection deepens, and Singapore moves towards progressive implementation of solutions in the coming decades.
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Footnotes:
[1] The CFRP was funded under the RIE2025 plan. For more information, refer to PUB’s website here.
[2] Under the RIE2030 Coastal and Flood Resilience Funding Initiative, the three key components of the CFRP – Centre of Excellence (CFI Singapore), Applied Research and Living Lab – will be retained.
Media factsheet on eight new research projects to advance Singapore’s coastal and flood resilience
