SINGAPORE - New technologies bring about new opportunities and challenges for homeland security and as they evolve, so must the Home Team.

That is why the Home Team will work closely with start-ups at the forefront of the latest innovations and developments, said Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the launch of Hatch, a new innovation centre by the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX).

He said: “Technology is developing very quickly, exponentially. And HTX understands the need to work very closely with start-ups and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), because some of the best ideas and innovations are coming out from that space.”

He said HTX was formed only about three years ago but has already made the Home Team’s operations more tech-driven, with initiatives such as the automated border control system.

Operated by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the system will allow Singapore residents and departing visitors to clear immigration without their passports from early 2024.

There are also ongoing trials to automate in-car immigration clearance at the land checkpoints, Mr Shanmugam said.

To do more, he added, HTX will facilitate having start-ups at Hatch work directly with Home Team officers. “HTX will continue to try and be flexible to work with start-ups. It’s a very different culture compared to the usual approach of the civil service,” he said.

Hatch, located at LaunchPad @ one-north in Ayer Rajah, aims to attract and nurture start-ups via its accelerator programme and scout for more innovative technologies that may be used in public safety and security scenarios.

HTX will manage Hatch with Israel-based innovation firm SOSA and local technology company Knovel Engineering.

Hatch’s key programme, the Open Innovation Challenge, was launched in March, attracting applications from 60 start-ups worldwide. The start-ups were tasked with tackling challenges from the Home Team in the areas of front-line emergency and rescue, human performance, environmental monitoring, robotics and crime scene forensics.

Out of the 60, five were eventually selected for the programme.

Two of these start-ups were featured at Hatch’s opening ceremony on Tuesday.

The first was Vayyar, an Israeli firm that uses radar-based scanning technology to see through and into materials. A key capability of the technology is its ability to detect anomalies on people, even if these are non-metallic.

The second was Wonder Robotics, also an Israeli company, which specialises in drone take-off and landing technology. A demonstration showed how its technology will enable drones to land safely and avoid collisions with people or objects on the ground.

Hatch’s centre director Mok Shao Hong said that while Singapore has been doing well in the areas of safety and security, it cannot be complacent.

“We cannot just say we have made it, we are a safe and peaceful country and okay, let’s stick with it,” he said.

“We must always advance. We must always think ahead, look beyond the curve, and spot the opportunities and threats and act fast and decisively.”

He added that it was important to work with emerging technologies coming from innovation hubs and start-ups from around the world, not just Singapore.

Those selected from Hatch’s Open Innovation Challenge will receive US$50,000 (S$67,700) in funding and get to work directly with HTX’s scientists and engineers and end users from the Home Team.

The second run of the challenge will be in the second half of the year, with a new set of challenges set out by the Home Team.

Mr Mok said Hatch is open to working with companies that have technologies used in other sectors outside of homeland security. He said the idea was to take these technologies and see how they can be used to solve challenges faced by the Home Team.

He said: “The next few months, we’re looking for partners, and not necessarily just homeland security agencies but private sector, venture capitalists, or even accelerators and trade associations.

“To put it simply, we want to find amazing technology to solve problems.”