Geronpreneurship Innovation Festival

The Geronpreneurship Innovation Festival (GIF) is SUSS’s flagship platform under the Ngee Ann Kongsi Social Impact Hub, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and lifelong learners to reimagine how we live, age, and contribute to a longer-lived society.

Anchored in the theme “The Power of Purpose in Ageing: Our Future Chapter”, GIF 2026 explores how technology, entrepreneurship, and human-centred design enable people to remain purpose-driven across life. Through powering conversations, showcases, and collaborations, the festival serves as a launchpad for future-ready innovations and cross-sector partnerships.

9:00 AM	Registration
10:00 AM *Main Stage*	GIF 2026 Opening Ceremony Hear from our President and Guest-of-Honour as we open GIF 2026. Speakers:
10:30 AM *Main Stage*	Keynote 1: Ageing Minds, Thriving Minds: The New Science of Brain Health Speaker: Justine Schneider is a mental health and social care researcher whose work focuses on dementia prevention and access to music for people with dementia. She brings research insights on purposeful ageing, including social connection, creativity, caregiving, and brain health.
10:30 AM *Community Stage*	Grooving with Music and Movement
11:00 AM *Community Stage*	Panel Discussion: Intergenerational Storytelling
11:10 AM *Main Stage*	Keynote 2: Ikigai in the Longevity Era: Finding Purpose Across Life Stages Speaker: Katsuya Iijima, a gerontology researcher specialising in frailty prevention, will present on how community contribution and purpose can support healthy and active ageing among older adults.
11:45 AM *Community Stage*	Panel Discussion: Designing Space for Co-Living
11:50 AM *Main Stage*	Panel Discussion: Age is Just a Number, or Better?
12:30 PM	Lunch Time Activities
1:30 PM *Main Stage*	Pitch for Good 2026 Opening Address Speaker:
1:30 PM *Community Stage*	Panel Discussion: Social Robotics
1:45 PM *Main Stage*	Pitch for Good 2026 Grand Finals
2:15 PM *Community Stage*	Panel Discussion: Redesigning Work in an Ageing Society
3:30 PM *Community Stage*	Panel Discussion: Ethical Technology for Older Adults
4:45 PM *Main Stage*	Pitch for Good 2026 Award Ceremony & Closing

9:00 AM

Registration

10:00 AM

Main Stage

GIF 2026 Opening Ceremony

Hear from our President and Guest-of-Honour as we open GIF 2026.

Speakers:
GIF Speaker - Prof Tan Tai Yong GIF Speaker - Mr Gan Kim Yong

10:30 AM

Main Stage

Keynote 1: Ageing Minds, Thriving Minds: The New Science of Brain Health

Speaker: GIF Speaker - Prof Justine Schneider

Justine Schneider is a mental health and social care researcher whose work focuses on dementia prevention and access to music for people with dementia. She brings research insights on purposeful ageing, including social connection, creativity, caregiving, and brain health.

10:30 AM

Community Stage

Grooving with Music and Movement

11:00 AM

Community Stage

Panel Discussion: Intergenerational Storytelling

11:10 AM

Main Stage

Keynote 2: Ikigai in the Longevity Era: Finding Purpose Across Life Stages

Speaker:
GIF Speaker - Prof Katsuya

Katsuya Iijima, a gerontology researcher specialising in frailty prevention, will present on how community contribution and purpose can support healthy and active ageing among older adults.

11:45 AM

Community Stage

Panel Discussion: Designing Space for Co-Living

11:50 AM

Main Stage

Panel Discussion: Age is Just a Number, or Better?

12:30 PM

Lunch Time Activities

1:30 PM

Main Stage

Pitch for Good 2026 Opening Address

Speaker: GIF Speaker - Dr Yap Meen Sheng

1:30 PM

Community Stage

Panel Discussion: Social Robotics

1:45 PM

Main Stage

Pitch for Good 2026 Grand Finals

2:15 PM

Community Stage

Panel Discussion: Redesigning Work in an Ageing Society

3:30 PM

Community Stage

Panel Discussion: Ethical Technology for Older Adults

4:45 PM

Main Stage

Pitch for Good 2026 Award Ceremony & Closing

Pitch for Good

Pitch For Good 2026

An annual competition focused on gerontology innovations, fostering collaboration and entrepreneurship to address Asia's aging population challenges.

Media

Panel Discussions Harnessing the Future of Ageing at the inaugural SUSS Geronpreneurship Innovation Festival 2023

As the co-organiser of the inaugural Geronpreneurship Innovation Festival, SUSS joined hands with Ageing Asia to showcase transformative technologies and innovative solutions to address APAC’s fast-ageing population. Key highlights of the event include the 11th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards 2023, the Active Ageing Seminar and the Ageing Asia Innovation Exhibition.

World Ageing Festival to discover high-potential innovations for a greying population

Imagine you order a burger and fries, but settle for fried rice instead, because that is what the staff mistakenly served you. That is the kind of “attitude and behaviour” that the organiser of the pop-up cafe, Restaurant of Mistaken Orders, hopes to encourage among people in a greying society. Staffed mostly by older people living with dementia, the cafe aims to raise awareness about dementia and encourage people to experience what it is like to communicate with someone living with the condition.