Singapore- The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) concluded the second meeting of its International Advisory Panel (IAP) June 18-19, which reviewed Singapore’s progress in becoming a centre to produce, trade and finance media. The panel encouraged Singapore to leverage on education, medicine and science for growth in new media. The IAP recommendations will be considered in the Media Fusion 2015 master-plan, an updated version of the Media 21 plan, which aims to create 10,000 jobs and value-added contribution of S$10 billion by 2015. A strategic thrust has been identified as the Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) sector. The panel recommended re-purposing of content for different formats, platforms and versions, with film, TV, music and publishing identified as potential growth areas. It also recommended the i.JAM initiative to encourage projects from the public to stimulate innovation. Singapore’s Intellectual Property regime was identified as an asset to develop the IDM space and to create a “media ecosystem” to facilitate local companies to co-create and co-own intellectual properties. Five IAP members formed an International Review Panel to review 50 research proposals from local educational institutes and recommended 15 for funding. The proposals cover games, computer graphics, image processing, virtual augmentation and mixed reality, and will receive funding of S$20 million. A game lab named GAMBIT (Gamers, Aesthetics, Mechanics, Business, Innovation, Technology) was set up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for collaborations between Singapore and MIT researchers with game industry professionals. EON Reality Inc., interactive 3D software provider, will also open an office in Singapore. Some 25 industry projects have also been secured in the areas of animation, games and effects, “on-the-move” technology, and mediary services. The Microfunding Scheme started in May and has attracted more than 40 projects.