CARES was delighted to welcome Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore to our laboratory on 8 July 2025 to share our decarbonisation research and its impacts for Singapore.
The visit was hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Singapore and centred on the projects involved in the CREATE Thematic Programme in Decarbonisation, with CARES presenting two projects: Sustainable Manufacture of Molecules and Materials in Singapore (SM3) and Hydrogen and Ammonia Combustion Singapore (HYCOMBS).
SM3 can fill the existing gap of manufacturing molecules in Singapore and reduce the nation’s reliance on imports, especially high-value performance chemicals. HYCOMBS supports Singapore’s roadmap to import and utilise hydrogen and ammonia for bunkering and energy, following plans such as Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy.
We welcomed President Tharman alongside Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), Singapore; Mr John Lim, CEO of NRF; and Prof Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
Dr Raudah Lazim, Research Fellow on SM3, explained that the initial work on SM3 focuses on identifying hub molecules using chemoinformatics to map more sustainable pathways for manufacturing of complex molecules that go into final products such as medicine. Hub molecules are akin to interchanges on a train system; by studying and enhancing connectivity of ‘interchanges’ we aim to develop new synthetic paths from net-zero starting materials to target molecular products.
As SM3 progresses, the project will move to develop synthetic technologies to scale the process to industrial throughputs. For better visualisation, the group was shown an earlier representation of this work, in the form of an autonomous synthesis system built for an earlier Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (PIPS) project.
CARES was equally excited to demonstrate a hydrogen swirl flame in our newly built combustion rig, especially with Mr Heng Swee Keat in attendance, who first met with CARES to learn about both projects earlier in December 2024.
This marked progress in the physical engineering of HYCOMBS and the laser analysis at CARES to identify flame properties. Prof Epaminondas Mastorakos emphasised that the collaborative nature of HYCOMBS will accelerate research.
While CARES performs the flame analysis on hydrogen and ammonia (to be installed soon), overseas partners are working simultaneously with access to different technologies and expertise, such as Tohoku University with gas turbines, CNRS’ expertise on ammonia engines and detonations, and NTNU on the fundamentals of ammonia combustion.
As we celebrate Singapore’s 60th independence, CARES is delighted to have played a part in the visit and to be the University of Cambridge’s collaborative research platform, strengthening research ties between the UK and Singapore.
Photo credits: Cambridge CARES/Back Button Media
HYCOMBS and SM3 are funded by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.
