Driving coastal and flood resilience with science and technology
The Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore, hosted at the College of Design and Engineering at NUS, held its second Annual Symposium on 18 and 19 September 2025 at the University Cultural Centre.
Themed Rising Stronger: Advancing Coastal and Flood Resilience through Science and Technology, this year’s symposium gathered more than 290 participants, including experts, industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers in coastal protection and flood resilience.
The event was graced by Ms Goh Hanyan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, who also announced the award of Applied Research projects under national water agency PUB’s Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme (CFRP).
Highlighting the significance of coastal protection, Ms Goh said, “As a low-lying, densely built island nation with limited land surrounded entirely by sea, coastal protection is not just important - it is existential. Without coastal protection, rising sea levels may encroach on our land, and every square metre of Singapore’s precious land matters. Coastal protection matters because it protects our lives, livelihoods and vital assets.”
She also spoke about Singapore’s research and development (R&D) in strengthening its capabilities in coastal protection.
“Collectively, our R&D investments will strengthen Singapore’s technical capabilities in coastal protection, developing homegrown expertise within our industry and research community. This enables us to develop more innovative and cost-effective solutions that address our distinct coastal challenges and serve our long-term resilience needs,” added Ms Goh.
First Applied Research grant call for coastal protection
The Applied Research grant call is part of PUB’s efforts to foster research collaboration with industry partners and encourage cross-sector knowledge transfer in coastal protection and flood management. 47 proposals were received for the grant call, with two-thirds involving collaboration between Institutes of Higher Learning and industry players.
The awarded projects cover five key focus areas, aimed at addressing knowledge gaps in coastal protection and flood management in Singapore’s context. These solutions include developing coastal protection measures that utilise recycled waste, and new monitoring technologies for coastal protection structures.
Seven NUS-led projects have been awarded under the first Applied Research grant call, which supports 14 projects in total with funding worth $22 million.
The research projects involving principal investigators from NUS are:
Associate Professor Pang Sze Dai, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) at NUS, will lead a research project that investigates bio-based fibre reinforced polymer as a superior alternative to conventional protective methods, offering extended lifespan, enhanced corrosion resistance in marine environments, and versatile applications from tidal gates to smaller components, while focusing on underwater joint protection and maintenance solutions.
Dr Du Hongjian, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in CDE at NUS, will advance research on valorisation of recycled concrete fines from local construction and demolition waste as a cement alternative for coastal infrastructure, incorporating optimised carbonation processes to enhance both carbon capture efficiency and material properties.
Dr Zhang Shanli, from the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS), will lead the development of an Artificial Intelligence-powered satellite monitoring system for coastal infrastructure assessment and predictive maintenance through remote sensing technology.
Assistant Professor Geng Guoqing, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in CDE at NUS, will lead a project in collaboration with BeeX – an NUS deep tech spin-off with proven expertise in autonomous underwater inspection capabilities – and Delta Marine Consultants to integrate autonomous robotics with underwater non-destructive testing techniques. This approach will enable more accurate and efficient inspections of underwater structures, strengthening the protection of Singapore’s coastal infrastructure.
Dr Olivia Jensen, from the Lloyd's Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, will be developing a framework for adaptive coastal protection planning by incorporating social costs, cost benefit analysis, and a multicriteria optimisation tool focused on resilience.
Dr Lim Kian Yew, from TCOMS, has proposed an adaptive nature-based infrastructure system using submerged soil bunds and biogenic shell-filled grids to provide sustainable coastal protection while promoting biodiversity and waste upcycling.
Professor Adrian Law, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in CDE at NUS, will be developing an integrated coastal water monitoring system that combines remote sensing and in-situ sensors to measure suspended sediments and particle sizes across surface and depth levels.
Another Applied Research project, with Associate Professor Darren Chian from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in CDE at NUS as the co-investigator, will explore the use of waste materials in constructing seepage cut-off walls in coastal environments. The project aims to substitute bentonite with polymer-modified waste marine clay and replace cement with binders derived from industrial waste.
Spotlighting innovative research and promoting industry collaboration
Since the establishment of the CFI Singapore under the CFRP in September 2023, the Institute has launched 17 innovative projects in coastal-related research and grown a vibrant community of close to 90 principal investigators, researchers, PhD and Master students.
A key highlight of the symposium was the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) New Partners Recognition ceremony, where CFI Singapore acknowledged six companies – Giken Seisakusho Asia, Jacobs International Consultants, Pan-United Corporation, Samsung C&T Corporation, ST Engineering Unmanned and Integrated Systems, and Surbana Jurong Consultants – for their contributions to coastal science research, implementation of nature-based solutions, and development of sustainable infrastructure for coastal protection and flood management.
“Across Asia, coastal cities face common challenges with climate change and sea level rise. At CFI Singapore, our focus is on use-inspired research – from improved predictive assessment based on comprehensive coastal science knowledge and field monitoring, to innovations in multi-functional and integrated nature-based solutions – that can enhance our coastal adaptation for the future. This symposium is about bringing together regional expertise and partnerships, so that the knowledge we build in Singapore contributes to stronger, more resilient coastlines across the region,” said Prof Adrian Law, Executive Director, CFI Singapore.
Other highlights of the two-day symposium included keynote presentations by Dr Sutat Weesakul, Advisor at the Hydro-Informatics Institute under Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and Dr Hitoshi Tanaka, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tohoku University. The programme also featured panel discussions on flood management technologies, nature-based coastal protection, and sustainable urban planning as well as a half-day Rainfall Workshop that advanced knowledge and dialogue on convective storms and rainfall extremes in a changing climate.
