Czech Firm Implements Three Projects in Singapore Thanks to CzechAccelerator

The Czech company NFG services (Nafigate) will cooperate with partners it acquired during its residency in the CzechAccelerator in Singapore on membrane distillation, development of nanofibre membranes for water treatment and development of smart packaging from biopolymers. Nafigate journeyed to Singapore in March this year within Call II of CzechInvest’s CzechAccelerator 2011-2014 project and thus became the first participant to receive the opportunity to develop its activities in Southeast Asia over the course of a three-month residency.

“One of the objects of the CzechAccelerator 2011-2014 project is to find partners and to cooperate with them on projects that have commercial potential. I am very pleased that the very first company we sent to Singapore was able to accomplish that goal and I believe that a number of other Czech firms will follow in Nafigate’s footsteps,” says Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Kuba.

“Singapore is a gateway to Southeast Asia and it therefore represents a broad field of operation for Czech technology firms. This also played a role when we were deciding on where to expand CzechAccelerator. And the first company took full advantage of that aspect,” adds Martin Frélich, deputy for the area of EU Funds, Research and Development at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“When I launched the operation of CzechAccelerator in Singapore in March this year, I was convinced that Czech firms would succeed there. Nafigate’s experience can inspire and motivate other firms that are considering participation in the project,” says Miroslav Křížek, CEO of CzechInvest, adding: “They can seize the opportunity immediately; we announced the fourth call for submission of projects on June 27^th.”

The previously mentioned membrane distillation project is based on a nanofibrous membrane that can significantly reduce the costs of preparing potable water. The result of cooperation will be a prototype filtration unit prepared for introduction to the market. Nafigate will concurrently take part in the development of nanofibrous membranes for water treatment in cooperation with a Singaporean partner which has a dominant position on the Chinese market.

“Thanks to CzechAccelerator, we managed to establish partnerships in Singapore which have pushed our company forward and eased our entry into Asian markets, where nanofibres and nanotechnology have tremendous potential,” says Ladislav Mareš, chairman of the board of directors of Nafigate and NFG services, adding: “Due to competition in the given area, we cannot reveal our partners at this time, but I can state that we have joined forces with top specialists and have thus laid the groundwork for further development.”

The third result of Nafigate’s operation in Singapore is cooperation on the development of smart packaging from biopolymers with the National University of Singapore. Biopolymers originated in the Czech Republic, specifically at the Centre for Materials Research of the Faculty of Chemistry at Brno University of Technology. Biopolymers can be processed into nanofibres, thus opening a broad range of applications not only in medicine, but also in agriculture and in the packaging industry. More information about the partnership is available at http://www.czechinvest.org/en/czech-firm-nafigate-collaborates-with-the-premier-institution-nus-singapore-on-multi-functional-nanofibres-development.

CzechInvest ceremoniously launched the operation of CzechAccelerator in Singapore this year on 22 March. The second participant that chose Singapore as the destination for its further development within Call II of the project was the company System4u, which specialises in mobile solutions for corporate customers. More information is available at http://www.czechinvest.org/en/singapore-opens-up-to-innovative-czech-firms.

Besides Singapore, Czech small and medium-sized innovative firms can travel to Silicon Valley, Boston, Israel or Switzerland within the CzechAccelerator project. Such companies can register in Call IV of the project from 27 June to 14 September 2012. More information about Call IV is available at http://en.czechaccelerator.cz/.

For more information please contact the CzechInvest Press Centre

Štěpánka Filipová, spokesperson, phone: +420 296 342 538, stepanka.filipova@czechinvest.org

Contact to Ministry of Industry and Trade:

Veronika Forejtová, spokesperson , phone: +420 224 853 291, forejtova@mpo.cz

Contact to Nafigate a.s.:

Lenka Mynářová, marketing director, mobile: +420 603 412 555, lenka.mynarova@nafigate.com

CzechInvest is celebrating its 20th anniversary!

CzechInvest has been supporting the inflow of foreign direct investments to the Czech Republic for twenty years already. Since its establishment in 1992, the agency has mediated 1,798 investment projects with the total value of more than CZK 715 billion, thanks to which nearly a quarter of a million new jobs have been created. CzechInvest contributes to improving the overall business environment in the Czech Republic and strives to increase the competitiveness of the Czech economy in changing conditions. Since 2004, the agency has also operated as the implementation body for EU structural funds and has regional offices staffed by specialists in every regional capital in the Czech Republic. CzechInvest’s CEO, Miroslav Křížek, was named Manager of the Year 2011 in the Business and Public Services sector.