Biosurveillance Research Programme

The Biosurveillance Research Programme is a National Parks Board (NParks) research programme under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan. NParks describes it as a S$15 million programme intended to improve scientific understanding of zoonotic diseases and their drivers in Singapore, and to develop evidence-based upstream mitigation strategies (NParks, Biosurveillance Research Programme). The S$15 million figure is the programme allocation, not an equal per-project grant or a public-health emergency response budget.

One Health scope

Biosurveillance is the systematic and continuous gathering, integration, interpretation, and communication of information about emerging diseases, animal hosts, and vectors for early warning and detection. The programme builds on Singapore's Whole-of-Government Biosurveillance Framework, in which One Health agencies including MOH, NEA, NParks, PUB, and SFA work across human, animal, and environmental-health boundaries (NParks, Biosurveillance Research Programme; Animal and Veterinary Service, Biosurveillance).

The programme is designed for upstream research rather than the publication of a live disease-alert list. Its aims include improving monitoring and detection of zoonotic diseases in urban environments, understanding how urban development and animal movement affect transmission and ecology, informing measures such as land-use planning, habitat restoration and targeted animal management, and giving industry and community stakeholders scientific knowledge for disease prevention (NParks, Biosurveillance Research Programme).

Research themes

The programme has two main research themes. Genomics and Genetics covers molecular approaches, invertebrate DNA and environmental DNA sampling, field-deployable sensors, diagnostic platforms, automated analytics, pathogen and host characterisation, and disease-source tracking. Epidemiological and Ecological Connectivity examines interactions among pathogens, hosts, vectors, people, and the environment through modelling, observation, and risk analysis. It also includes socioeconomic and behavioural drivers of animal movement, illegal trade in pets and wildlife, and land-use and habitat connectivity effects on host and vector distribution (NParks, Biosurveillance Research Programme).

Together, the themes connect laboratory and field evidence with ecological and social context. They are intended to produce knowledge that can be used by agencies and research partners for prevention and risk assessment, rather than to replace statutory disease-control decisions or routine veterinary and public-health operations.

Awarded projects and programme status

On 5 August 2026, NParks announced grants to six projects under the programme. The projects were led by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School, NUS, and NTU Singapore, and were described as advancing zoonotic-disease knowledge and upstream public-health resilience (NParks, 5 August 2026). Six is the count in that award announcement, not necessarily the programme's lifetime total or a count of diseases detected.

NParks currently states that there are no ongoing grant calls on the programme page. The programme should therefore be distinguished from a currently open application window, a household health benefit, or a clinical surveillance service. Its role is to fund and coordinate research capability that can inform future biosurveillance and upstream risk-reduction decisions.