-
A new fund to support research
cardiology, maternal and child health, diabetes, oncology, infectious diseases - Up to S$5 million a year set to be distributed to a range of medical research projects
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – September 28, 2023 – The Tanoto Foundation today announced the launch of a new medical research fund that will provide up to S$5 million per year to support research into a range of diseases prevalent in Singapore, in the areas of cardiology, maternal and child health, diabetes, oncology and infectious diseases.
The Fund will prioritize research projects in the areas of cardiology and maternal and child health during its first year of operation. Projects will be selected based on a number of specific criteria and will be reviewed and evaluated by an external advisory committee comprised of clinical experts and healthcare professionals.
The clinical areas were selected based on their impact on local populations in Singapore and the wider region. For example: approximately one in three deaths in Singapore is due to heart disease or stroke and it is estimated that the number of people living with cancer will continue to rise. while improving maternal and newborn health remains a key public policy objective in Singapore and other countries in the region.
Belinda Tanoto, Board Member of the Tanoto Foundation, said: “We created this Fund to consolidate our support for medical research. The Fund will focus on these five clinical areas, which affect the lives of thousands of people. people in Singapore and Asia.
“Our aim is to support research projects that are first-in-the-field and game-changing, potentially addressing health challenges related to common diseases in Singapore and the region, and to cultivate local research talent. research initiatives here in Singapore and neighboring countries,” said Ms Tanoto.
The criteria that will be used to evaluate proposals submitted to the Fund are as follows:
- Potential impact: potential to improve health outcomes, clinical practices and technical capabilities leading to clinical application and innovation.
- Robustness of the approach: relevance and robustness of the strategy, methodology and analyzes to achieve project objectives and impact results.
- Background of the study team: the excellence and achievements of the study team and the talent development potential/plan.
- Strength of collaboration: the collaborative effort of multidisciplinary teams, ideally involving cross-collaboration between Singapore’s healthcare clusters.
The new fund, which is the first of its kind to be established by a private philanthropic organization in Singapore, will build on the Tanoto Foundation’s existing support for medical research in Singapore. Since 2009, the Foundation has donated more than S$20 million to support various medical research and healthcare programs in Singapore.
The Foundation has partnered with SingHealth Duke-NUS University Medical Center to establish chairs and research initiatives in the areas of diabetes, medical oncology and cardiovascular medicine. Additionally, last year, as part of national efforts to combat diabetes, the Tanoto Foundation partnered with the National Healthcare Group to establish a diabetes reversal program in Singapore.
The Fund is also designed to encourage collaboration between medical institutions and leverage Singapore’s position as a regional medical research hub.
“The Fund is not only focused on providing monetary support, but also on encouraging collaboration between people, ideas and networks. We also want to strengthen Singapore’s medical research ecosystem by promoting research excellence and better healthcare here and in the wider region. In recent years, Singapore has been able to attract world-renowned scientists and healthcare talent and is in a unique position to serve as a medical research hub for Asia,” said Ms Tanoto.
Hashtag: #TanotoFoundation
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
