The Liveability Challenge 2026 pledges over SG$4 million in catalytic funding for deep-tech startups

The Liveability Challenge (TLC) announced an injection of over SG$4 million in catalytic funding and support to fast-track cutting-edge sustainable innovations from the lab to market, its biggest pledge yet in the program’s nine-year history.

This includes SG$2 million in catalytic grants from Temasek Foundation, SG$2 million worth of development support from Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and grant support from Enterprise Singapore, as announced during the launch of the ninth edition of TLC at Google Singapore today.

Presented by Temasek Foundation and organized by Eco-Business, TLC was established in 2018 and has grown to become a global crowdsourcing platform for sustainability solutions.

With eight successful editions concluded, the annual crowdsourcing platform has attracted thousands of applications globally, short-listed and incubated 54 finalists and deployed almost SG$14 million in catalytic funding to help these startups scale and commercialize.

“This catalytic boost of more than SG$4 million represents our commitment to turning bold ideas into real-world impact for the environment. Through The Liveability Challenge, Temasek Foundation is providing catalytic funding to empower innovators to push boundaries, tackle pressing challenges and create lasting benefits for the planet and future generations,” said Heng Li Lang, head of Climate and Liveability at Temasek Foundation.

“We are also delighted to welcome A*STAR on board as a new partner, whose development support and resources will further strengthen the innovators’ journey from lab to market,” she added.

The 2026 edition will seek out innovative, groundbreaking solutions addressing urban challenges across two themes — Decarbonization and Cool Earth.

A*STAR joins as the co-presenter of the Decarbonization theme, lending its scientific know-how, industry partnerships and national test-bedding facilities to help finalists pilot and scale their innovations locally and globally.

Committing up to SG$2 million annually for the next three years, A*STAR will significantly contribute to TLC’s mission of accelerating technology development and commercialization pathways.

“Climate change affects all of us, impacting our health, work and how we live. As part of A*STAR’s efforts to decarbonize Jurong Island and play an active role in enabling Singapore’s goal to achieve net zero by 2050, we are delighted to partner Temasek Foundation in The Liveability Challenge. We look forward to partnering with start-ups from all over the world to co-develop innovative solutions to accelerate solutions for decarbonization, and achieve these important goals together,” said Irene Cheong, assistant chief executive (Innovation & Enterprise) at A*STAR.

Each TLC edition culminates in a Grand Finale during Ecosperity Week in Singapore, showcasing the finalists’ deep-tech solutions. Two steering committees on the two themes will select the finalists to pitch their solutions to judges and investors at The Liveability Challenge Grand Finale during Ecosperity Week 2026 on May 18 to 21 next year.

The Decarbonization theme revolves around disruptive deep-tech solutions that provide scalable and impactful solutions to reduce carbon emissions across diverse industries, including waste-to-resource, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

To support the Decarbonization theme, A*STAR is opening its doors to finalists, granting them access to cutting-edge scientific expertise at the A*STAR Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (A*STAR ISCE²), as well as national test-bedding facilities such as the Low Carbon Technology Translational Testbed (LCT³) on Jurong Island.

These facilities will enable technologies to be trialed in real-world industrial conditions in Singapore, a critical step that de-risks commercial adoption and ready solutions for international deployment.

Meanwhile, the Cool Earth theme is about Innovative solutions that enhance mitigation, resilience and adaptation to extreme weather events (especially heat) for a more liveable planet, including large-scale cooling benefits and adaptive solutions that strengthen resilience across diverse industries.

The launch event also featured a high-level panel on “Catalytic capital: Accelerating climate innovation” with thought leaders from A*STAR, Google, Breakthrough Energy and Antares Ventures sharing strategies to unleash the next wave of climate tech solutions.

Under the theme “Solutions that scale. Impact that lasts,” TLC 2026 opened the call for submissions and will close on Feb. 9, 2026.