Agilent and Nanyang Technological University's NEWRI Sign Agreement to Enhance Water Contaminant Research in Singapore

SINGAPORE, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI), outlining their collaboration in advancing environmental and water research over the next three years.

NEWRI is a leading research institute at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), ranked 13^th globally for Environmental Sciences by QS World University Ranking in 2025¹. The collaboration aims to further strengthen Singapore's capabilities in detecting emerging contaminants, such as microplastics, in the face of growing concerns.    

This marks the third partnership between Agilent and NEWRI in the context of environmental contaminant research addressing Singapore's national priorities in water needs and wastewater treatment.

The strategic collaboration leverages Agilent's next-generation technologies, including an extensive portfolio of LC/MS systems, ICP-MS series, Seahorse XF technology, xCELLigence real-time cell analyzer, and LDIR chemical imaging spectroscopy. Through the development of advanced analytical and bioanalytical methods and building relevant databases, this partnership enables new chemical and bioassay screenings and applications, supporting continuous efforts in environmental sustainability.

Professor Wang Rong, Executive Director of NEWRI, highlighted, "We are really excited to take our partnership with Agilent to the next level. Over the past 12 years, NEWRI has made significant contributions in the detection of emerging contaminants, developing robust methods to identify these challenging compounds. This collaboration will pool our strengths and deliver more impactful outcomes in advancing environmental monitoring and protection."

Bharat Bhardwaj, Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific, said, "This enduring partnership exemplifies the trust that NEWRI places in our groundbreaking innovations, which bring transformative science to reality. With a robust presence spanning over 25 years and a dedicated team of 600 local experts in Singapore, we take immense pride in advancing targeted projects alongside our collaboration partner. Together, we are pioneering new pathways in safe water testing, addressing the challenges posed by emerging contaminants."

Over the past decade, NEWRI has advanced new solutions in low energy desalination, cutting-edge solid-waste solutions, autonomous water treatment systems, and resource recovery. The R&D work is supported in part by a remarkable array of Agilent's state-of-the-art analytical instruments, deployed across multiple projects nationwide. 

As a well-established local supplier in Singapore, Agilent has grown its presence since 1999. In 2022, the company was recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a global leader in Factory Lighthouse for responsible scaling through smart manufacturing that prioritizes the environment and people. Agilent remains the sole analytical and clinical laboratory technology company worldwide to be recognized by WEF.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, delivering insights and innovation that help our customers bring great science to life. Agilent's full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $6.51 billion in fiscal year 2024 and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 35,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Business, Computing & Data Science, Engineering, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, Medicine, Science, and Graduate colleges.

NTU is also home to world-renowned autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.

Ranked amongst the world's top universities, the University's main campus is also frequently listed among the world's most beautiful. Known for its sustainability, NTU has achieved 100% Green Mark Platinum certification for all its eligible building projects. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a medical campus in Novena, Singapore's healthcare district.

For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg

Media Contacts

Grace Thong
Agilent Technologies
+65 9688 2152
grace.thong@agilent.com   Lester Kok Wei Ming Nanyang Technological University, Singapore +65 97415593 lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg

Grace Thong

Agilent Technologies                                                                           

+65 9688 2152

grace.thong@agilent.com

 

Lester Kok Wei Ming

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

+65 97415593

lesterkok@ntu.edu.sg

 

¹  https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/environmental-sciences

¹  https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/environmental-sciences

 

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Agilent and Nanyang Technological University's NEWRI Sign Agreement to Enhance Water Contaminant Research in Singapore

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At CES 2026, Flowtica was not the loudest presence on the show floor. Over the course of the week, however, the Singapore-based AI company became one of the most closely watched, drawing sustained attention from media, investors, and industry observers.

That attention has now translated into availability. Following its appearance as a CES 2026 Innovation Award Honoree, Flowtica has officially opened sales of Flowtica Scribe, its AI recording pen that quietly stood out in a field dominated by phone-dependent and screen-heavy solutions.

Flowtica Scribe did not make its first public appearance at CES. The product launched on Kickstarter several months earlier, where it attracted thousands of users and established early validation. CES marked a different stage for the company. The focus shifted away from introduction and toward closer examination, with many observers asking whether the idea could hold up beyond early enthusiasm.

Throughout the exhibition, Flowtica's booth at Eureka Park became a steady meeting point for investors and journalists. Conversations rarely centered on specifications or feature lists. Instead, discussions focused on a more fundamental question: whether AI recording tools are beginning to converge on forms that genuinely fit into professional life.

Flowtica's answer was visible in its choice of form. By embedding AI into a pen, an object already accepted in boardrooms, consultations, investor meetings, and sales conversations, the company avoided many of the social and practical frictions that continue to limit phone-based recorders. The result was a device that felt less like a new category of gadget and more like a natural extension of existing behavior.

This restraint is deliberate. Flowtica Scribe is designed to remain unobtrusive, with no screen and no demand for user attention during conversations. Recording, organization, and interpretation take place quietly in the background, allowing users to remain focused on the discussion itself. Among on-site observers, this approach positioned Flowtica as one of the more pragmatic entrants in an increasingly crowded AI recording market.

Hardware, however, represents only part of Flowtica's differentiation. The company places equal emphasis on what happens after recording ends. Its AI functions as a continuously evolving insight system that can operate autonomously while remaining responsive to clear user guidance when needed. Over time, it adapts to individual working rhythms and priorities, shifting the emphasis from capturing everything to identifying what truly matters.

Rather than simply storing conversations, Flowtica helps determine which moments should be retained, revisited, and translated into next actions. Key insights are designed to integrate naturally with existing productivity tools, including calendars and task systems, allowing them to fit into established workflows rather than compete with them.

As interest in Flowtica Scribe built during CES, one question surfaced repeatedly. When would the product be available beyond the show floor?

With sales now officially open through Flowtica's website, the company moves from exhibition attention to real-world deployment. For Flowtica, this moment appears less like a conclusion and more like a transition, from being observed to being used.

As the AI recording market continues to mature, competition is shifting away from novelty and early adoption toward durability. The defining question is no longer whether a system can record conversations, but whether it can remain useful over time.

Flowtica enters this next phase with an approach that is measured and quietly confident, placing its bet not on spectacle, but on long-term relevance.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

The AI Recording Pen That Turned Heads at CES Is Finally for Sale