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
Challenge-Learn: Developing and Assessing an Andragogical Programme and System based on Co-Skilling to Enhance Employability and Learning
Asst Prof Pee Loo Geok, Nanyang Technological University
Co-Skilling is a practical approach to adult learning by co-creating ideas and solutions with relevant career stakeholders. It offers systematic guidance to connecting learning to current or future career advancement, as well as demonstrating usable learning outcomes. This research project develops an online system that implements Co-Skilling principles in institutes of adult education. The impacts of Co-Skilling on employability and learning are also assessed.
Grant Call 2019
Preparing PSEI Learners for Changing Working Lives
Dr Chue Shien, Nanyang Technological University
This project seeks to: (a) Understand the challenges of how Singapore Post-Secondary Education (PSEI) students can learn to be ready for working life (b) Understand the mechanism of how education institutions and business organisations afford work-learn opportunities for young adults.
Grant Call 2019
Identifying the Motivational Tipping Point for Lifelong Learning: One Size Does Not Fit All
Dr Cheong Kang Hao, Singapore University of Technology and Design
This project broadly aims to apply an opinion dynamics model in the context of adult education. Specifically, it aims to apply an opinion dynamics model to explore motivation and structural factors for taking up lifelong learning courses in Singapore.
Grant Call 2019
Measuring Employability & Life-Long Learning Mindsets Needed for Careers in the 21st Century
A/Prof Ringo Ho Moon-Ho, Nanyang Technological University
We aim to develop a suite of psychological measures of the new, more proactive and entrepreneurial “employability-oriented” career mindsets and behaviours and the spirit of lifelong learning that are needed for greater career resilience in Singapore’s future century workforce. In doing so, we seek to provide a baseline measure for subsequent profiling/monitoring of our pre-workforce, tertiary students’ new career mindsets and lifelong learning attitudes.
Grant Call 2019
Evaluating the effectiveness of digital-game-based learning for professional upskilling
Associate Professor Goh Yang Miang, National University of Singapore
This study examines the effectiveness of digital game-based learning (DGBL) through empirical testing of a theoretical authentic learning environment (ALE) model building on a model previously developed by the research team that comprises three factors (task authenticity, knowledge co-construction, and expert modelling) for achievement of surface learning (i.e. knowledge retention) and deep learning (application, re-contextualisation, and innovation). The outcome of the research will be a toolkit for evaluating DGBL and a protocol of designing, fitting and evaluating DGBL for professional upskilling.
