FAQ
FAQ
A. Scope and Applicability
Q1: Does STEMPA apply to non-research programmes or other innovation grants?
No. STEMPA currently applies only to projects funded under the Open Fund – Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) and is being considered for the upcoming version of the Industry Alignment Fund – Pre-Positioning Programme (IAF-PP) under Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030.
Other programmes may choose to adopt STEMPA positions voluntarily, but there are currently no plans to extend STEMPA to other grant schemes.
Any future expansion will be reviewed based on implementation experience and stakeholder feedback.
Q2: Does STEMPA cover research collaboration agreements with industry or foreign academic institutions? What about clinical trials, including investigator-initiated trials or industry-sponsored trials?
No. STEMPA does not apply to agreements involving industry partners, non-Singapore academic institutions, or clinical trial agreements.
The acceleration of clinical trial agreements is being addressed separately under Singapore Clinical Research Institute.
Only project agreements involving Singapore public sector institutions under applicable STEMPA grant schemes are subject to the four-month timeline and pre-aligned positions.
Q3: Is STEMPA applicable to institutions listed in the Public Sector Master Research Collaboration Agreement (PS MRCA)?
In general, yes. Institutions covered under the PS MRCA (Schedule 1) typically fall within the public sector institutions to which STEMPA applies.
Q4: Will STEMPA timelines apply retroactively to projects awarded before 1 April 2026?
No, STEMPA does not apply retroactively. It applies only to projects awarded under grant calls from FY2026 onwards, i.e. projects awarded on or after 1 April 2026.
Projects awarded before FY2026 may continue negotiations under existing frameworks, with no mandated deadline for conclusion.
B. Workflow and Timelines
Q1: What happens if the four-month deadline is missed?
Funding release is contingent on the submission of all signed in-scope project agreements within four months. Failure to meet the deadline may result in loss of funding. Exceptions will be considered only where strong justification is provided and best efforts have demonstrably been exhausted, such as escalation to the Standing Escalation Committee, or in exceptional circumstances such as a pandemic. All exception requests are subject to stringent review and approval at the grantor’s discretion.
Q2: Is the four-month timeline part of the grant period?
No. The four-month timeline applies to the period between In-Principle Approval and the issuance of the Letter of Award.
Q3: How does STEMPA integrate with ethics or Institutional Review Board timelines?
STEMPA governs project agreement execution and runs in parallel with ethics or Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals. While these processes are separate, early initiation of both is strongly encouraged to avoid delays. Agreements linked to clinical trials may fall outside STEMPA’s scope. In multi-project programmes, funding may proceed once all in-scope project agreements are submitted within the deadline, even if a clinical trial agreement remains pending IRB approval.
Q4: Who monitors adherence to the four-month timeline?
All participating institutions, including their Lead Negotiators, are jointly responsible for adhering to the timeline. Grantor agencies will monitor compliance for the purposes of Letter of Award issuance and funding disbursement, e.g. the National Medical Research Council for Open Fund – Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) projects.
Q5: What benefits do clinicians and Principal Investigators gain from the four-month timeline?
The timeline reduces delays to funding access and project commencement. It also ensures that governance risks associated with unresolved agreements are addressed before project execution begins.
Q6: How are institutions affected if they are not the Host Institute or lead Principal Investigator?
The four-month deadline applies to the entire project, regardless of host status. Institutions should engage early with the Host Institute’s Lead Negotiator, respond promptly to alignment requests, and activate internal escalation channels where necessary.
C. Templates and Clauses
Q1: Are project agreement templates provided?
Yes. Clauses supporting STEMPA’s pre-aligned positions are provided. These may be issued together with the In-Principle Approval letter or made available through grantors.
Q2: Were legal teams across institutions involved in developing the pre-aligned positions and clauses?
Yes. Legal representatives from all three public healthcare clusters, institutes of higher learning, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) are part of the STEMPA Steering Committee and working groups. Other supporting resources were similarly developed through cross-institutional consultation.
Q3: How do STEMPA’s pre-aligned positions differ from the Public Sector Master Research Collaboration Agreement?
The Public Sector Master Research Collaboration Agreement (PS MRCA) remains the baseline agreement template for public sector collaborations.
While some positions, such as foreground intellectual property ownership, are consistent with the PS MRCA, STEMPA introduces additional mandated positions, including data ownership, based on analysis of common negotiation bottlenecks.
Unlike the PS MRCA, which is non-binding and may be varied on a case-by-case basis, selected STEMPA positions are mandated through grant conditions for applicable schemes. The four-month deadline helps to ensure timely alignment and project execution.
Q4: Will the Public Sector Master Research Collaboration Agreement clauses be updated to incorporate STEMPA positions?
At this stage, STEMPA clauses apply only to Open Fund – Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) projects and potentially, the revised Industry Alignment Fund – Pre-Positioning Programme (IAF-PP). Incorporation into the Public Sector Master Research Collaboration Agreement (PS MRCA) will be considered separately, as the PS MRCA applies across multiple technology domains beyond healthcare and biomedical research.
Q5: Does STEMPA apply to non-research programmes or other innovation grants?
No. STEMPA currently applies only to projects funded under the Open Fund – Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) and is being considered for the upcoming version of the Industry Alignment Fund – Pre-Positioning Programme (IAF-PP) under Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030.
Other programmes may choose to adopt STEMPA positions voluntarily, but there are currently no plans to extend STEMPA to other grant schemes.
Any future expansion will be reviewed based on implementation experience and stakeholder feedback.