MedTech-focused open innovation programme calls out to ASEAN and Indian startups

Murata brings KUMIHIMO Tech Camp to Southeast Asia and India for the first time

Murata Electronics, the Japan-headquartered global leader in electronics components, has announced KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore 2026 in partnership with Tribe, Southeast Asia's leading open innovation platform.

The inaugural Singapore edition of Murata's flagship open innovation programme will run through 2026 and is dedicated to MedTech, inviting startups across ASEAN and India to co-create purpose-built healthcare solutions engineered to tackle the unique, pressing medical challenges of the region.

From ageing populations and the rise of chronic disease in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, to maternal and child health gaps in India, and the Philippines, the region's medical challenges demand technology that is engineered for local context rather than imported from elsewhere.

KUMIHIMO Tech Camp Singapore 2026 focuses on three challenge areas where Murata's hardware capabilities and startup innovation can combine to deliver measurable impact: preventing and detecting dual disease burden across chronic and infectious conditions, monitoring environment-linked health risks from pollution, heat, and climate change, and expanding access to affordable screening and diagnosis beyond major urban centres.

Selected teams will join a structured programme combining technical onboarding, mentorship and direct engagement with Murata's engineering and business development teams.

Participants can receive support to gain exclusive access to Murata’s hardware platforms, components, and core technologies, backed by direct guidance from Murata engineers and business representatives and curated mentorship from MedTech experts. Tribe will run structured mentor pairings and Demo Day pitch coaching throughout.

The programme culminates in Demo Day on 26 November 2026 in Singapore, where startups present to a panel of Murata leadership, Tribe mentors and invited industry partners.

One winning team will receive a SGD 10,000 cash prize in recognition of their innovation and commercial potential. Beyond Demo Day, high-potential teams may continue into Proof-of-Concept and Non-Recurring Engineering engagements with Murata, alongside longer-term co-development and partnership opportunities for solutions that align with Murata's strategic focus areas.

Tribe will design and run the programme end-to-end, from open call and startup selection, through mentorship and technical onboarding with Murata's hardware platforms, to Demo Day and post-programme commercial pathways.

The programme is open to deep-tech and MedTech startups headquartered or operating in eligible countries, at Technology Readiness Level 3 and above. Solutions must adopt a disease-centric, hardware-and-software approach, either by leveraging Murata's existing component technologies or by applying one of three core technology tracks: Downsizing Technology, Sensing Technology, or Information and Communications Technology. Purely lifestyle or wellness-focused solutions, and pharmaceutical or biological approaches, are outside the programme's scope.

Applications open mid-June 2026 and close on 31 July 2026, with the top 10 teams selected by mid-August. 

Published on : 25th June, 2026