Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have been awarded a research grant of S$22 million under Singapore's national Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 masterplan to conduct cutting-edge research on greener polymers. Known as the Singapore Platform for Bio-derived Specialty Polymers Research, INnovation and Translation (SG Bio-SPRINT) research programme, the five-year initiative will be led by researchers from the Department of Chemistry at the NUS Faculty of Science, in collaboration with researchers from A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the College of Design and Engineering at NUS.
The programme is designed to build an integrated R&D platform for sustainable specialty polymers, using lignocellulosic biomass, which refers to renewable plant dry matter typically produced as a waste by-product from agriculture and forestry, as an alternative raw material to petrochemicals. Southeast Asia produces an estimated 500 million tonnes of agricultural and forestry residues annually which could be a reliable and sustainable source of lignocellulosic biomass. The programme will focus on developing drop-in monomers for specialty polymers used in adhesives, specialty coatings and electronics.
The Energy and Chemicals sector is a critical part of Singapore's economy, contributing 18.5 per cent of total manufacturing output. As the sector responds to the global sustainability transition, companies are increasingly exploring more sustainable product pathways while remaining competitive. SG Bio-SPRINT aims to expand the range of carbon sources available to Singapore's specialty chemicals sector by helping shift production away from fossil-based inputs and toward more sustainable pathways. In doing so, the programme supports industry's transition toward a circular bioeconomy while meeting growing market demand for greener products.
At the same time, specialty chemicals, including specialty polymers, remain a key growth area, with multinational companies continuing to invest in research, development, and production in Singapore. SG Bio-SPRINT will strengthen this momentum by providing targeted scientific support that complements industry R&D and unlocks new opportunities in sustainable materials.
"The NUS Department of Chemistry is proud to lead this programme, which brings together complementary expertise from NUS and A*STAR to develop high-performance, sustainable polymers from biomass feedstocks while assessing their commercial potential. The team offers deep experience and a strong track record in catalysis, green chemistry, polymer science, and materials engineering. Through three synergistic workgroups, we look forward to harnessing the team's collective strengths and discoveries to help advance the circular bioeconomy.," said Professor Lu Yixin, Lead Principal Investigator from the NUS Department of Chemistry.
"Ultimately, we hope that SG Bio-SPRINT will reinforce Singapore's position as a regional hub for specialty polymers R&D and production while contributing meaningfully to the country's broader net-zero ambitions," added Professor Koh Ming Joo, co-Lead Principal Investigator from the NUS Department of Chemistry.
Addressing current industry challenges
Although bio-based alternatives are attracting growing interest, major gaps remain before they can be widely adopted in specialty polymer production. One challenge is that methods to convert lignocellulosic biomass into useful products are not fully developed, which limits the range of monomers and polymers that can be produced. Cost-effectiveness and scalability are also challenges, especially when moving from laboratory synthesis to commercial production.
SG Bio-SPRINT is designed to tackle these issues directly. The project focuses on creating industry-relevant drop-in monomers, which are molecules that share identical chemical structures as their fossil-fuel derived equivalents, that can be integrated into existing polymer production lines, rather than relying only on entirely new biomass-derived products. This approach should make adoption easier for manufacturers and help align chemistry design, performance requirements and supply chains.
The programme also responds to a broader global shift. Across government, research, and industry, there is growing urgency around defossilisation in the chemicals sector. While many current efforts focus on biofuels or commodity chemicals, SG Bio-SPRINT targets a more demanding area: specialty polymer applications, where materials must be carefully designed for performance and commercial use.
Developing new sustainable and high-performance polymers
SG Bio-SPRINT is structured around three closely connected workgroups comprising researchers from NUS and A*STAR.
Workgroup 1: Developing biomass-to-monomer pathways
The first workgroup will focus on converting lignocellulosic biomass into promising drop-in monomer candidates. This includes developing chemical routes, improving catalyst performance, and identifying pathways that can produce useful building blocks for specialty polymers.
Its goal is to create monomers that can be used in existing production systems, helping industry adopt greener feedstocks without needing completely new manufacturing infrastructure.
Workgroup 2: Validating performance for real applications
The second workgroup will test whether the new bio-based monomers can perform as well as conventional fossil-based materials. The team will examine purity, reactivity, and post-polymerisation properties, and compare them against industry incumbents.
The validation will focus on three application areas: adhesives, specialty coatings, and electronics. These are high-value sectors where performance is critical, so the workgroup's findings will help determine whether the new materials are ready for real-world use.
Workgroup 3: Digital, economic, and sustainability support
The third workgroup will use artificial intelligence, molecular modelling, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle assessment to support the rest of the programme. Its role is to evaluate technical feasibility, cost, and sustainability together, helping the team prioritise the most promising routes.
This workgroup will also build a unified data framework that connects current research literature, experimental results and modelling insights. By doing so, the workgroup will help the project make better decisions earlier and accelerate the path from discovery to deployment.
Next steps
SG Bio-SPRINT's immediate research goals include developing candidate monomers, validating them in application-relevant settings and building a data framework to identify potential polymers to focus on. The programme will also work closely with industry and innovation partners to support translation, intellectual property and future collaboration. Through the programme, the team aims to build foundational expertise and boost confidence in expanding sustainable chemical transition research to cover more applications in the chemical sector.
