2025 Year in Review: Developments in Singapore’s MedTech Landscape

The MedTech landscape in Singapore is ever evolving. Government policies are constantly reviewed and refreshed, boosting sentiments and investments, which support the entire industry from the initial research and development stage, to final commercialisation stages. We bring you a summary of the updates to the Singapore MedTech scene in 2025.

Ideas to products

First announced in March 2024, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) launched the MedTech Catapult in early 2025, which is a S$38 million (US$29.3 million) initiative designed to help MedTech companies transform ideas into market-ready products. The programme offers infrastructure (wet labs, dry labs), in-house product engineering resources, and connects innovators with contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) to support design, validation, testing and manufacturing[1]. 

With this initiative, Singapore is building capacity to produce "home-grown" MedTech devices, rather than only serving as a manufacturing base for foreign firms. 

On 10 June 2025, a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ClavystBio (a life-sciences investor/venture builder) and A*STAR to nurture MedTech ventures in Singapore. The partnership brings together MedTech Catapult, A*STAR’s Diagnostics Development Hub (DxD Hub), and ClavystBio’s investment muscle, and aims to help MedTech start-ups scale and commercialise globally[2]. 

Regulatory policies

In October 2025, the national regulator Health Sciences Authority (HSA) signed a partnership with Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF)’s Medical Technology Industry Group to provide integrated regulatory support for MedTech companies. This collaboration gives companies early-stage access to regulatory advice, thus shifting the process from reactive compliance to proactive regulatory planning[3]. 

The HSA has reliance programmes with Australia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, which can result in faster regulatory approvals. In August 2025, HSA added a mutual reliance pilot with the Medical Device Authority (MDA) of Malaysia. This pilot programme runs from 1 September 2025 to 28 February 2026, and is aimed at achieving faster registration processes for Class B, C and D medical devices.

The shorter review times and clearer regulatory pathways aim to make it much easier for innovators to bring new MedTech ideas to market, which is an important factor for start-ups and SMEs.

IP filings

Not restricted to MedTech inventions, innovators may be pleased to know that the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) launched a new acceleration programme in May 2025, to enable applicants to receive Office Actions in a shorter timeframe[4]. 

SG Patents Fast, when requested, allows applicants to file a request to receive a first Office action within four months or eight months, whichever is selected. The corresponding SG Trade Marks Fast allows applicants to receive a first Examination Report (or notice that the application has been published for opposition purposes, as applicable) within three to six weeks from the date of the application.

However, in Circular No. 1/2026 dated 4 January 2026, IPOS announced that the acceptance of new acceleration requests will be suspended with immediate effect until further notice[5]. That said, the programme is expected to resume in the near future.

A patent grant in Singapore can thereafter be used as a springboard to request accelerated prosecution in other jurisdictions via various international and regional acceleration programmes with other patent offices, such as global and bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programmes, ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC), patent cooperation with Cambodia and Laos, and Collaborative Search and Examination (CS&E) with Vietnam. 

For a fast-moving sector like MedTech where devices evolve rapidly, and time-to-market matters, the enhanced regulatory initiatives and acceleration of IP grants will indeed prove to be very beneficial to innovators.