Bridging the Danish-Singaporean Water Sectors

DWTH logoDanish Water Technology House (DWTH) and the Danish Industry Foundation (DIF) visited Singapore’s national water agency, PUB on 21 October 2014) to discover opportunities and discuss future collaboration. The visit follows-the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Singaporean Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and the Danish Minister for the Environment, Mrs Kirsten Brosbøl at the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) in June this year. See link.

H.E. Berit Basse,  Danish Ambassador to Singapore, joined the visit.

“For us the signing of the MoU came at a perfect time. We were looking to create a close link between the Danish-Singaporean water sectors and establish collaborations in the fields of research, technology and innovations,” explains the Regional Director for DWTH in Singapore, Ms Pedersen. She continues: “we already have strong ties with PUB,Singapore’s national water agency, and we believe working together will accelerate the development of cutting-edge water technologies for making new, globally competitive and sustainable products and solutions.”

DWTH is a member-based organization of Danish water enterprises based in Singapore that serves as a center of information, marketing and sales of Danish water technology & know-how for Southeast Asia.

 

Paramount support from DIF

This October, DWTH secured a major capital injection from DIF, an organization supporting sustainable, forward-thinking projects that benefit the Danish business community.

“We got involved early in the process and like the idea of stronger ties between Singapore and Denmark. We hope that the collaboration that will occur in and around the Danish Water Technology House will create benefits for businesses as well as the public. However, our ambitions reach further. We hope, that experiences from this project can be transferred to other sectors too and this is where our focus will be in the long run”, says Mr Mads Lebech, CEO of The Danish Industry Foundation.

“With the support from DIF, we are now able to speed up our activities in Singapore, building a strong link between Singapore and Denmark. Denmark and Singapore share many common values and goals, and both countries are known for their outstanding knowledge and know-how in the field of water technologies”, Ms Pedersen explains.

 

Strong ties to PUB

This September, Mr Maurice Neo, PUB’s Director for Industry Development, visited DWTH in Denmark to learn more about Danish water technologies.

“Denmark is at the forefront of technologies for groundwater modelling, resource-efficient operation of water treatment plants, and climate adaption. These are areas that Singapore is looking into, and we are happy to explore further collaborations with our Danish counterparts,” said Mr Neo. ]

“We are glad to see that DWTH recognizes the opportunities that Singapore can offer to solution providers as a leading global hydrohub, and we welcome more Danish water players to join the vibrant water ecosystem to strengthen the partnership with Singapore and the region.”

 

Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) led to increased opportunities for Danish companies

Mycometer, a Danish company headed by co-founder Dr. Miller, participated for the first time at this year’s SIWW, which saw over 20,000 participants from 133 countries and regions, and achieved a record high of $14.5billion in business announcements.  The event was attended by over 800 participating companies which showcased a host of innovative technologies and solutions.

“It was on DWTH’s recommendation that we participated in the event and we certainly haven’t regretted that decision. We came back with many new leads and it made us realize just how huge the potential is for our products in Asia. As a result, we have speeded up our sales efforts in Asia, working closely with DWTH in Singapore. For sure, we will be participating in SIWW 2016, Dr. Miller said.”

He continues: “Following PUB’s visit to Mycometer in Denmark, we have been in close contact and PUB is looking into testing our products. If our success in Asia grows, we would consider establishing a production unit in Singapore. We see Singapore as the perfect place for expanding our operations because of how easy it is to do business here – it is simply astonishing to experience how smoothly everything runs.”

The Danish Ambassador to Singapore H.E. Berit Basse states:

“The Agreement signed between Denmark and Singapore is also intended to strengthen the possibilities for Danish companies to work hand in hand with Singapore’s advanced water technology sector. Singaporean and Danish water technology companies and institutions have a strong track record of developing innovative solutions and technologies to the benefit of consumers and not least the environment.

“I believe there is a huge unexploited potential in Southeast Asia for Danish water technology companies, as the demand for clean water will only increase with the continuously growing economies and middle classes in South East Asia. Therefore, I am delighted to see that private Danish water companies and institutions work closely together to penetrate the markets in Singapore and in the South-East Asia region.”

See also: http://scandasia.com/danish-watertech-center-opens-in-singapore/

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About Danish Water Technology House (DWTH)
DWTH is a member-based representative organization of Danish water enterprises located in Singapore. DWTH serves as a center of information, marketing and sales of Danish water technology & know-how for Southeast Asia. DWTH aims to build a close link between Singapore and Denmark by focusing on:
–          Identifying opportunities of product co-development between Danish and Singaporean water enterprises
–          Establishing technology partnerships between Danish and Singaporean water enterprises, and to jointly explore project opportunities in the growing Southeast Asian market

DWTH is operated by the Freshwater Centre in Denmark.

 

About The Danish Industry Foundation (DIF)
The Danish Industry Foundation is a philanthropic foundation, which purpose is to support and enhance the competitiveness of the Danish industry. The Foundation is involved in 80 projects – some of them have strong connections to Asia. The Foundation’s equity is approximately 700 million US$.

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

View all posts by Gregers Møller

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