The Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF), a national-level research fund offered by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), aims to foster high quality and rigorous applied research in skills, workforce development and lifelong learning to support the SkillsFuture Singapore's key thrusts and national-level policies. It encourages inter-disciplinary research and seeks to strengthen research capabilities, through leveraging both local and international expertise. The WDARF Grant Call is administered by the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) on behalf of the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). The grant is awarded through an open, competitive bidding approach, where submitted proposals go through a technical expert review and evaluation, before they are presented to a Research Committee for approval.
Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF) 2026 Grant Call
The WDARF 2026 Grant Call will be opened for Expression of Interest (EOI) submission from 02 June 2026 to 13 July 2026.
Previous Result
Grant Call 2019
Understanding and Promoting Networked Learning in the Workplace: A Learning Analytics Approach
Dr Khor Ean Teng, Nanyang Technological University
The research project aims to understand networked learning and gain insights into how individuals learn through networks by investigating different components of the learning process using a learning analytics approach. The findings from the project will provide an understanding of the learning process in the case of networked learning for individuals.
Grant Call 2017
Understanding and Promoting Work Skill Learning Among Lower-Income Employees
Associate Professor Marko Pitesa, Singapore Management University
The research seeks to understand how the learning of new work skills can be promoted amongst lower-income workers. It will also test novel, cost-effective, and scalable interventions that can help lower-income workers learn new work skills. The designed interventions will be implemented in local organisations through a randomised controlled trial to reveal which approaches produce the most benefit for low-income workers and their organisations.
Grant Call 2020
Proactive career planning and development for Singapore Female Health Professionals
Dr Trevor Yu, Nanyang Technological University
This study aims to investigate the career planning and development behaviours of Singapore female health professionals (SFHPs), designing a programme to help increase their proactivity in lifelong career planning that considers their personal needs and life plans. An assessment tool will be constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of career planning and development initiatives for SFHPs. The findings will help Singapore healthcare employers and policy-makers better support and invest in SFHPs’ long-term career planning and development. This can lead to better retention of SFHPs, improved career and work satisfaction, as well as supporting Singapore’s drive to future-proof its professional workforce.
Grant Call 2020
Developing an Impact Evaluation Protocol for SSG’s Skills Framework
Prof Remus Ilies, National University of Singapore
The project aims to develop an Impact Evaluation (IE) protocol to quantify Singapore’s return on investment (ROI) on the Skills Framework and other upskilling initiatives. It considers (1) employers’ recognition of the need for skills, (2) their willingness to pay for skills, (3) how they pay for skills, and in turn, how this impacts (4) productivity, (5) employee engagement, and (6) retention. The proposed IE serves two key purposes. The first is accountability, to ensure that the Skills Framework actually leads to outcomes. The second is learning, to offer an evidence base to improve the effectiveness of the Skills Framework in fostering outcomes of interest.
Grant Call 2023
Understanding the experience of low-wage workers: Challenges in lifelong learning participation
Assoc Prof. HO Moon-Ho, Nanyang Technological University
This project aims to understand the impact of psychosocial and institutional factors on the pursuit of lifelong learning among low-wage workers. Furthermore, our aim is to investigate the challenges low-wage workers face in developing and applying transferrable skills in both work and life. The results can be used to refine and develop policy, scheme, or pedagogy that caters to the needs of the low-wage working population and helps them engage better in learning, particularly the transferable skills.
