Singapore─ETH Centre

The Singapore-ETH Centre was established in Singapore in 2010 by ETH Zurich – the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and the National Research Foundation, as part of NRF’s CREATE campus. Based in Singapore, the centre is the only research centre by ETH Zurich outside of Switzerland.

Set in Asia, in a rapidly urbanising region, the Singapore-ETH Centre aims to provide practical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges on urban sustainability, resilience and health through its programmes: Future Cities Lab Global (FCL Global), Future Resilient Systems (FRS), and Future Health Technologies (FHT).

The centre serves as an intellectual hub for research, bringing together principal investigators and researchers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. It actively collaborates with universities and research institutes, and engages with industry and government agencies to translate knowledge to practical solutions to real-world problems.

It also works with partner universities and government agencies to tackle challenges such as the urban heat island effects through the Cooling Singapore project, conservation of nature through the Natural Capital Singapore project, and mapping sub-surface utilities in Singapore through the Digital Underground project.

Future Cities Lab (FCL) Global

Combining science and design, the Future Cities Lab (FCL) Global develops new knowledge, technologies, and approaches for a sustainable urban future with an Asian perspective. It works towards a vision of sustainable cities and settlement systems through science, by design, in place, over time.  

FCL’S research focuses on forms of settlement systems that are important in Asia:

  • Compact cities: with very high population densities like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taipei.
  • Extended cities: with a mosaic of urban and rural land-use, and locally high densities; the dominant urban form in Asia, such as Bangkok, Jakarta, and Manila.
  • Responsive cities: wireless, sensor, and broadband-enabled technologies improve planning and management in cities like Singapore, Copenhagen, and Zurich.

Future Resilient Systems (FRS)

The FRS programme explores ways to make infrastructure systems more resilient, enabling them to absorb shock, recover, self-organise, learn, and eventually self-modify, much like a biological system. This paradigm change from system resistance to system resilience is a promising framework to cope with uncertain future shocks of unexpected magnitudes.

FRS contributes to a paradigm shift by

  • Improving our understanding of the interdependencies of critical infrastructure systems
  • Developing a simulation platform to assess the interaction of complex engineered systems
  • Providing tools and indicators to assess the resilience of energy systems
  • Improving our understanding of the role of human factors in system robustness and resilience

Future Health Technologies (FHT)

Established in 2020 as the third programme of the Singapore-ETH Centre, FHT develops a future-oriented mobile digital health concept which combines scientific and technological innovations with clinical, industry and other stakeholder needs. The programme tackles care for the increasing number of patients suffering from chronic diseases, particularly diabetes, obesity and stroke. Leveraging on scalable digital technologies, the team aims to transform the healthcare system towards a community-based and patient-centric model along the continuum of care.

The programme works closely with local agencies, industry and clinical partners to ensure that new tools are applicable to the individual and their social environment, healthcare professionals and healthcare providers, and can be integrated into Singapore’s healthcare delivery workflow. 

The programme combines technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and robotics to develop holistic mobile digital health solutions designed to carry clinical intelligence beyond the hospital. 

Its research focuses on moving towards future-oriented and sustainable healthcare models, and address health-related data challenges from a systemic perspective.

Singapore-ETH Centre fact sheet

Contact us

Email: info(at)sec.ethz.ch
LinkedIn 

Where to find us

Singapore-ETH Centre
1 CREATE Way,
CREATE Tower, #06-01
Singapore 138602

Visit our websites

Singapore-ETH Centre
Future Cities Lab Global 
Future Resilient Systems
Future Health Technologies

Publications

Future Cities Lab Global 
Future Resilient Systems
Future Health Technologies