NTI-NTU Corporate Laboratory officially opens, bringing nanotechnology closer to real-world

A new S$66 million industry-led platform at NTU Singapore brings together advanced coating systems, translational research, and talent development to accelerate solutions for semiconductors, healthcare, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Today marks an important milestone for NTI Nanofilm as the NTI-NTU Corporate Laboratory was officially opened at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Located on the NTU Singapore campus, the S$66 million Corporate Laboratory brings together NTI Nanofilm’s industrial-scale coating systems and NTU’s advanced research capabilities in one integrated platform. The lab is designed to help bridge research and industry more effectively by enabling development, validation, pilot-scale testing, and talent development to take place in closer connection with real-world manufacturing needs.

This is an important step forward in how research is translated into practical solutions. Rather than innovation remaining in isolation at the lab level, the NTI-NTU Corporate Laboratory is built to move promising technologies closer to real applications, industry adoption, and commercial relevance.

The lab was officially opened in the presence of industry partners, researchers, government representatives, and invited guests, with a showcase of next-generation nanotechnology solutions across semiconductors, biomedical applications, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Built to translate research into industry value

Launched in November 2023 and now fully operational, the NTI-NTU Corporate Laboratory currently brings together more than 60 researchers and PhD candidates working across 10 industry-focused projects under four research thrusts:

• coating equipment technologies
• advanced materials
• nanofabrication
• hydrogen energy

This structure reflects what the lab is set up to do: combine deep research with industry direction so that innovation can be developed with scale, manufacturability, and commercial application in mind from the outset.

For NTI Nanofilm, the Corporate Laboratory is not only an investment in research. It is an investment in relevance, capability building, and future industry solutions. It strengthens our ability to work alongside academic researchers, clinicians, public sector partners, and industry stakeholders to develop technologies that solve actual performance, durability, and manufacturing challenges.

Advancing solutions across semiconductor, healthcare, and clean energy applications

Among the developments showcased are solutions aimed at some of the more pressing challenges in advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.

In semiconductor manufacturing, NTI-NTU researchers have developed a novel process to improve coating uniformity inside extremely small and deep silicon wafer features. This addresses a longstanding challenge in advanced chip manufacturing and opens up stronger possibilities for more consistent performance in high-value chip applications.

The lab has also developed a boron nitride material system aimed at improving heat dissipation in modern electronics such as AI systems, high-performance processors, and 3D integrated circuits. To move this closer to practical industry use, the team has built a production system capable of delivering significantly higher output than a conventional lab-scale setup.

In healthcare, the Corporate Laboratory is extending advanced coating capabilities into biomedical applications. One key area is the development of carbon-based nanocomposite coatings designed for safe interaction with human tissue, with strong potential in dental, orthopedic, and joint implant applications.

As part of this effort, NTU is partnering with the National Dental Centre Singapore to translate these advanced coatings into dental prosthetics, including dental implants. The goal is to enhance functionality, durability, tissue integration, and antimicrobial performance, ultimately supporting better treatment outcomes and recovery experiences for patients.

Beyond healthcare and semiconductors, the lab is also advancing solutions in clean energy. This includes work on key components for hydrogen electrolysers and fuel cells, where researchers are developing more durable and cost-effective materials to support greater reliability, safety, and affordability in hydrogen technologies.

A platform built on partnership

The NTI-NTU Corporate Laboratory represents the kind of industry-academic collaboration needed to bring meaningful technologies forward. It connects NTI Nanofilm’s experience in advanced coating technologies and industrial systems with NTU’s research strengths and a growing network of partners across healthcare, public sector, and industry.

This opening also reflects something broader. The future of advanced materials and nanotechnology will not be shaped by research alone, nor by industry alone. It will be shaped by stronger collaboration between those who understand the science, those who understand the application, and those who understand the needs of the market.

That is the role this Corporate Laboratory is built to play.

For NTI Nanofilm, it is a platform not only for research, but for technology translation, industry engagement, and talent development. It is where ideas move closer to implementation, and where collaboration can create stronger outcomes for customers, partners, and the industries we serve.

To learn more about the NTI-NTU Corporate Laboratory or explore collaboration opportunities with NTI Nanofilm.