Latest news with #Pioneers
Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Annie Byrne, who coached Marian Catholic to state title, takes over at Prairie State. Method? ‘Put the work in.'
Annie Byrne admits that she was a 'bozo' when it came to her academics in high school. But now that she's the new women's basketball coach at Prairie State, the Joliet Catholic graduate isn't clowning around when it comes to having her new players hit the books. Byrne, who coached Marian Catholic to a Class 4A state title in 2013, felt the junior college experience helped point her in the right direction. And she wants to do the same for the Pioneers. 'I committed to Western Illinois but didn't clear the NCAA clearinghouse,' she said of her high school days. 'I got a 17 (ACT score) twice. If you are a monkey, you can get an 18. 'But I was a bozo and didn't need to do the stuff academically that I needed to do.' Connors State, a junior college in Oklahoma, came calling, however. Things then turned around for Byrne, whose maiden name is Basic. 'I achieved wonderfully academically and athletically there and we won a national championship my freshman year,' she said. 'I had a never-give-up attitude and always believed that you can accomplish what you want to accomplish and put the work in.' She wants to instill that wisdom in her players. Prairie State athletic director Joe Belcaster said that's what made Byrne stand out during the interview process. 'I think that's a great connection — these student-athletes' coach has experienced junior college the same way they have,' Belcaster said. 'She can help them through this process and tell them the do's and don'ts. 'She lived it and can say, 'Look where I am today.''' After posting a 216-51 record, Byrne resigned as Marian's coach in 2014 to become the director of operations at the Legends Sportsplex in Bourbonnais. She's also co-founder of the Illinois Defenders girls basketball travel program. She earned a master's degree in school leadership from Concordia after graduating from St. Xavier. Byrne, who lives in Munster, Indiana, said she got the itch to coach again after watching daughters Lucia, 13, and Ellie, 10, play club volleyball and then seeing many of her players again in May when Marian's 2013 girls team was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. 'It was fun getting up in front of 600 people and talking about the players,' she said. 'The people you see — it's such a small world. It's such a small arena, even though it's a big arena in the basketball world. It brought back a lot of feelings that are close to our heart. 'I've been out of coaching for a long day, but I am glad I have this opportunity.' The Pioneers won 20 games under Tanner Kuehn in 2024-25 — the program's first 20-win season since 2013. Byrne is expecting to keep things headed in the right direction. She confirmed that she wants to build a program that either wins a national championship or is in a position to win a national championship each season. Before taking over at Marian, Byrne was the coach at Illinois Institute of Technology when she was only 22. Now, at age 44, she will change her style a little bit, but she won't be a shrinking violet. 'I've learned that it's really important that we build up our athletes and it's extremely important that we lift our athletes,' she said. 'But I'm also one of those coaches who will holler at someone the same way I compliment someone. 'Some players adapt to that and some players don't. I've learned to embrace that. Not everyone is going to love that style, but I would rather be that aggressive coach who is very instructive.'
San Francisco Chronicle
14-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pioneers exude pride, not envy, for Valkyries and how the pro game is today for women
Whatever sadness and regret the old San Francisco Pioneers carry, they checked at the door of the bar Sunday when they gathered for a reunion. Sure, the promising basketball careers of these nine women and other teammates got cut short when the Pioneers went out of business after two seasons, but there's no crying in basketball. The Women's Professional Basketball League, America's first attempt at women's pro basketball, lasted just three seasons (1978-81). The Pioneers joined the league after its first season. But these OGs didn't come to Rikki's Women's Sports Bar in the Castro to cry in their beers. They came to drink to the glory. Gerry Booker recalled her first day at open tryouts in the Potrero Hill gym. Undrafted and unknown, Booker simply showed up. One of the men running the tryout told her to play defense, then he dribbled hard into her. Booker took the charge without flinching. ''Sign her! Sign her right now,'' Booker remembers the man saying, and so it was that she became the Pioneers' enforcer. 'Nobody messed with us because of Booker,' said Cindy Haugejorde, the Pioneers' All-Star forward. They blazed the trail, these women. They played in the spotlight briefly, then got yanked back to the real world. Booker became a schoolteacher — music and drama — back in her home town of Charleston, S.C. She never talked about the Pioneers. When her former high school recently informed her that a ceremony was in the works to retire her high school jersey, Booker's daughter Krin looked at her mom and said, 'Who ar e y ou?' All Krin knew was that mom is crazy competitive. 'Candyland, whatever, she just won't lose,' Krin said. 'She will slap the ball from a 3-year-old.' They're all creeping up on 70 now, these girls of winter, but the decades-old memories are fresh. Haugejorde recalled her first practice. She's about 6-2 and was standing under the hoop next to 5-9 Cardte Hicks. 'Cardte went up for a rebound,' Haugejorde said. 'She didn't get the rebound, but she grabbed the rim. With both hands.' Oh, Hicks had hops. She was the first woman to dunk in a game, in a pro league in Holland in 1978. For the Pioneers, she was an All-Star, a scorer and rebounder who sometimes sang the national anthem before the games at the Civic Center Auditorium (now the Bill Graham Auditorium). The brief experience changed the Pioneers' lives. Roberta Williams played for Milwaukee in the league's first season. In her scrapbook are a few bounced paychecks from that team. Then she got traded to the Pioneers, where the checks were good, if not large. 'This was my dream spot,' Williams said. 'I stayed here.' She played one season in Italy, then returned to San Francisco and became a high school counselor, then a construction worker. A plasterer by trade, she did work on the Getty mansion. So she worked for the Gettys twice, since Ann Getty was a minority owner of the Pioneers. Basketball wasn't something these women did, it was something in their blood. Anita Ortega was not well treated by the WBL, but her good memories cancel the bad. Ortega had led UCLA to a national AIAW (precursor to the women's game becoming part of the NCAA) championship and was the Pioneers' star that first season, their leading scorer (24.1) and playmaker (5.2 assists). But in the second season, when Ortega protested a pay cut from her $15,000 salary, team coach Dean Meminger traded her. Ortega got to her new team in Minnesota just in time to walk out with her new teammates to protest bounced paychecks, and that was the end of her WBL career. Ortega became an assistant college coach, then had a double career as a police officer in Los Angeles and a Pac-12 referee, a job from which she retired just last season. Basketball lifers, these women. Molly Bolin (now Bolin Kazmer) arrived in town that second season as a free agent. 'Machine Gun Molly' was the Pioneers' marquee player, the prototype for Caitlin Clark. Molly's fame and her high-volume shooting might have sparked resentment, but she fit in beautifully with the Pioneers. 'It's so amazing I was able to bond with these teammates,' she said. 'We had a blast. It was so much fun.' The get-together at Rikki's was organized by Maya Goldberg-Safir, a freelance writer and creator of 'Rough Notes,' which covers the history of women's basketball. She has been intrigued by the spiritual connection between the Pioneers and the newly minted Golden State Valkyries. When the WBL folded, there was a 15-season gap before women's pro ball restarted, with both the WNBA and the American Basketball League. The ABL, launched in 1996, lasted three seasons. Joe Lacob, the Valkyries' owner, had a team in that league, the San Jose Lasers. The Pioneers' contribution to the evolution of women's pro ball was to be honored Monday night at the Valkyries game at Chase Center. The Pioneers should be envious of the Valkyries, who need not live in fear that their league will fold underneath them. But to a woman, the Pioneers love the Valkyries. 'I went to their first game, and I was like a little kid,' said Booker. 'I had tears in my eyes.' Anna Johnson, who was born and raised in Oakland, bought Valkyries season tickets. Ortega feels a bond with the Valks. 'Their coach (Natalie Nakase) and I were walk-ons at UCLA,' Ortega said. The 45 years between the Pioneers' death and the Valkyries' birth makes it hard to connect the two, but the OGs know in their hearts that they got the party started. Hicks, the first dunker, standing straight and tall despite multiple surgeries and a recent cancer scare, said it best: 'We're the ones that gave them the ball.'
Scoop
23-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
World Economic Forum Announces 2025 Technology Pioneers Leading New Wave Of Global Innovation
The World Economic Forum selects 100 start-ups from 28 countries to join its Technology Pioneers community. The new cohort marks a global surge of emerging technologies, from smart robotics and spatial AI to flying taxis and scalable quantum solutions. Now in its 25th year, the community has recognized over 1,200 start-ups that have gone on to transform industries and societies worldwide. Geneva, Switzerland, 23 June 2025 – The World Economic Forum today announces the 2025 cohort of its Technology Pioneers community, a group of 100 early-stage companies from 28 countries driving innovation across industries and borders. Now in its 25th year, the programme celebrates its strongest cohort yet, marked by broader geographical representation, greater diversity beyond Silicon Valley and the rise of more ambitious frontier technologies. Reflecting wider shifts in the innovation landscape, many of the companies spotlighted are using artificial intelligence (AI) to reach greater scale and sophistication with fewer resources. Several are venturing into less explored frontiers – from asteroid mining and flying electric taxis, to leveraging satellite imagery to transform agriculture and harnessing energy from supernova explosions to locate critical minerals beneath the Earth's surface. The geography of innovation is also evolving. While the United States remains the top contributor to the community, Europe's share has surged to 28% – up from 20% last year – reflecting the rise of strong tech ecosystems across the region. China and India are also emerging as major tech innovation hubs. 'There has never been a more exciting time to dive headfirst into tech innovation. But no one gets far alone – you need a community to move your mission forward,' said Verena Kuhn, Head of Innovator Communities, World Economic Forum. 'As we mark 25 years of the Technology Pioneers programme, this global community continues to connect start-ups to the networks and ecosystems they need to scale.' This year also marks the 25th Anniversary of the Technology Pioneers programme. Since its inception in 2000, the community has championed early-stage innovation and recognized more than 1,200 companies, many of which have gone on to reshape industries worldwide. Alumni include household names such as Google, PayPal, Dropbox and SoundCloud, underscoring the community's role as a launchpad for ideas and impact. The 2025 cohort stands out for its concentration of companies developing breakthrough technologies to address pressing global challenges. These include advanced robotics, customisable space launch services, micro nuclear reactors and more accessible quantum computing applications. These pioneers will contribute cutting-edge insights to Forum initiatives over a two-year engagement programme and will also be invited to participate in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025, taking place on 24-26 June in Tianjin, People's Republic of China. The 2025 Technology Pioneers include: Australia • Cauldron – Commercializing advanced continuous fermentation technology to unlock price parity for mainstream bio-manufactured goods. Brazil • Brain4care – Using AI-based technology to enable timely medical interventions for patients with neurological conditions. Canada • Ideon Technologies – Harnessing the energy from supernova explosions in space to image deep beneath the Earth's surface, transforming how mining companies recover critical minerals. • Miru – Developing dynamic electrochromic windows that deliver high functionality, experience and energy efficiency for the automotive, transportation and architectural sectors. Greater China • Deep Principle – Integrating advanced AI models and quantum chemistry to accelerate the discovery and development of chemical materials. • GS Biomats – Developing furan bio-based material, a renewable alternative to petroleum-based chemicals, for various uses including biomedical applications. • HiNa Battery – Producing more sustainable, high-performance, low-cost sodium-ion batteries. • KaiOS – Providing affordable internet and access to financial services to unserved populations, primarily in South Asia and Africa. • Lightstandard – Making large language model computing faster and more energy-efficient with photonic computing. • Noematrix – Focusing on researching and developing embodied intelligence systems and related tools and platforms, which are compatible with diverse hardware. • Novlead – Designing a molecular technology platform providing available, accessible and affordable nitric oxide solutions for major clinical needs. • Shengshu Technology – Building generative AI infrastructure that develops native multi-modal large models such as images, 3D and video. • TRANSTREAMS – Engineering chips and solutions to address the computing power shortages in China during the era of AI-generated content. • Turing – Providing cutting-edge computing infrastructure and comprehensive AI solutions to drive the future of intelligent computing. Colombia • Plurall – Supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in emerging markets with fast, accessible working capital and digital payment solutions, leveraging AI models for risk assessment, collections and embedded lending. Denmark • Arcadia eFuels – Developing and deploying technology to produce electro-sustainable aviation and diesel fuels using renewable electricity, seawater, and captured CO2. Egypt • Thndr – Offering a digital investment platform with a range of flexible funding methods and educational resources to empower investors. France • Ascendance Flight Technologies – Decarbonizing aviation with a hybrid electric propulsion system and hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. • Beyond Aero – Building the first electric business aircraft powered by hydrogen propulsion, as a sustainable alternative to traditional business jets. • CO2 AI – Helping large and complex organizations measure their environmental impact, identify credible levers and decarbonize at scale through AI. • Jimmy – Developing a micro nuclear reactor to provide carbon-free, competitive heat for industrial processes. • Nabla – Reducing clinician burnout by automating clinical documentation with AI. • Orakl Oncology – Creating a biology and AI-powered simulation platform to revolutionize oncology drug development. • Phagos – Deploying a sustainable alternative to antibiotics using bacteriophages and AI • Quobly – Making scalable, cost-competitive, large-scale quantum computers. • Sweetch Energy – Enabling osmotic power generation by harnessing the salinity gradient between freshwater and seawater. Germany • Accure – Providing predictive battery analytics software to enhance safety, optimize performance and extend the lifetime of battery systems. • Black Forest Labs – Building generative deep learning models for media, particularly images and videos • eleQtron – Developing quantum computers by leveraging trapped-ion technology. • Tozero – Pioneering the delivery of recycled lithium in Europe by sustainably recovering critical materials from battery waste. India • Agnikul – Providing affordable and customizable space launch services. • CynLr – Building robots with intuitive vision and enabling manufacturers and logistics providers to build fully automated factories. • Dezy – Leveraging AI-powered diagnostic technology to build affordable and accessible dental care. • Digantara – Providing crucial operational support to commercial space operators and space surveillance intelligence to global space agencies. • Equal – Providing an integrated solution that combines identity verification with consent-driven financial data sharing. • Exponent Energy – Making 15-minute rapid charging for electric vehicles affordable and scalable through an innovative battery management system, charging algorithms, thermal management and a charging network. • Freight Tiger – Building India's largest software-enabled freight network to help businesses move goods with full visibility, efficiency and lower costs. • GalaxEye – Creating a comprehensive, multi-sensor Earth observation system. • SolarSquare – Helping homes switch to solar in India with its full-stack solar panel systems. • The ePlane Co. – Developing flying electric taxis designed for intra-city transportation. Ireland • Equal1 – Democratizing quantum computing by leveraging existing semiconductor technologies. Israel • Fermata – Providing computer vision solutions for farmers to reduce crop losses and pesticide use. • Illumex – Empowering organizations to run governed and reliable AI agents through unified business data language and to democratize data access to every user. • LightSolver – Building a photonic supercomputer by harnessing the power of coupled lasers. • NanoSynex – Offering a rapid and accurate diagnostic platform for bacterial resistance. • ZutaCore – Developing waterless direct-to-chip liquid cooling for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data centres. Italy • Arsenale Bioyards – Building new lab-to-production infrastructure enabling fast, low-cost biomanufacturing at an industrial scale. Japan • Sagri – Leveraging satellite data and AI to transform agriculture through land use optimization and sustainability. Republic of Korea • Hylium Industries – Providing safe and innovative liquid hydrogen solutions for carbon-free mobility. • NARA Space – Building South Korea's first microsatellite constellation for methane point source detection. • Robocon – Developing robotics and smart factory solutions for the construction and steel industries. Luxembourg • Tokeny Solutions – Building the compliance infrastructure for digital assets in blockchain and fintech. Mexico • Allie – Creating closed-loop optimization systems for manufacturing that autonomously adjust production parameters in real time. Nigeria • Cybervergent – Providing a platform to automate cybersecurity compliance and risk governance. • Sabi – Powering the sourcing and distribution of physical goods and critical commodities in Africa. • ThriveAgric – Empowering smallholder farmers across Africa by linking them to finance, data-driven best practices, and access to local and global markets. Saudi Arabia • Intelmatix – Making enterprise AI accessible through industry-specific, context-aware AI agents. Singapore • Manus – Automating a wide range of practical tasks for personal and professional use with a general AI agent. • Rize – Decarbonizing rice cultivation in Asia through scalable agricultural innovations. Spain • Crisalion Mobility – Offering sustainable air and ground mobility solutions. • INBRAIN Neuroelectronics – Developing brain-computer interfaces to treat neurological disorders. Sweden • Graphmatech – Developing advanced materials infused with graphene to make large-scale industries more innovative and resource efficient. • Lovable – Using AI to help users create software and web apps without coding expertise. Switzerland • HAYA Therapeutics – Developing RNA-based medicines to treat heart, lung and tissue diseases. • Neural Concept – Accelerating product design through 3D generative engineering and AI. Uganda • Numida – Using credit models and digital underwriting to provide loans to micro businesses. Ukraine • Respeecher – Enabling scalable voice cloning across languages and contexts. United Kingdom • CuspAI – Using frontier AI to accelerate the discovery and development of materials with specific functionalities. • Obrizum – Offering personalized digital learning services at scale through an AI-powered platform. • Oxford Ionics – Building high-performance quantum computers using trapped-ion technology. United States • Ammobia –Fuelling the world with cost-effective, lower-carbon ammonia production. • Archetype AI – Pioneering a new form of Physical AI capable of perceiving, understanding and reasoning about the world through analysing real-time, multimodal sensor data. • Arine – Integrating cutting-edge AI, clinical expertise and advanced data analytics to deliver medication-based care interventions at the population level. • AstroForge – Making critical minerals more accessible to humanity by mining asteroids. • BforeAI - Using behavioural AI to predict and automatically pre-empt malicious campaigns and stop cyberattacks before they occur. • Candidly – Developing an AI-powered platform to help borrowers manage and overcome educational loans. • Claryo – Helping warehouse operators maximize operational efficiency by leveraging spatial generative AI. • Distyl AI – Enabling enterprises to seamlessly integrate AI agents into operations. • Emvolon – Converting methane emissions into carbon-negative fuels for hard-to-abate sectors onsite. • Exowatt – Delivers solar power on demand by storing energy and converting it into electricity as needed, helping data centres and the grid run on clean energy 24/7. • Foundation Alloy – Commercializing solid-state metals technology to make higher performance metals using less energy. • HAIQU – Developing a new application execution stack for all modalities of near-term quantum computers. • Hertha Metals – Developing technology to decarbonize primary steel production. • Hyfe – 'Turns food processing waste into chemicals that replace petroleum in everyday goods'. • Lumu Technologies – Providing cybersecurity operations capabilities to help businesses control the impact of cybercrime. • One Bio – Using biotechnology to add anti-inflammatory plant-based fibres to everyday foods. • Oberon Fuels – Developing innovative carbon-neutral fuels for maritime, propane, and hydrogen sectors. • Osmo – Combining frontier AI and olfactory science to digitize scent and enhance well-being. • Outtake – Securing digital identities by detecting and removing harmful AI-generated content. • Parallel Learning – Providing licensed therapy and instruction to students with learning differences through a digital platform. • Pavilion – Increasing efficiency in US public procurement with an AI-enabled government marketplace. • Reality Defender – Offering multimodal detection of AI-generated media to prevent fraud and disinformation. • RoboForce – Building AI-powered robotic systems designed for high-risk or repetitive work, to enhance efficiency, productivity and safety across industries. • Rubi Laboratories – Using biocatalysis to transform CO2 into essential materials like cellulose. • Shiru – Leveraging AI to identify and develop naturally occurring functional ingredients. • Starcloud – Constructing data centres in space to solve the AI energy challenge. • Waterplan – Delivering an AI-powered platform to measure, manage and mitigate water risk. • Workera – Providing AI-driven workforce skills intelligence and upskilling pathways. • Workhelix – Helping companies identify AI transformation opportunities and measure return on investment. Uruguay • Prometeo – Creating a single, borderless banking application programming interface to connect companies with financial institutions across the Americas About the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025 The 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions will take place from 24 to 26 June 2025 in Tianjin, People's Republic of China, under the theme 'Entrepreneurship for a New Era.' The meeting will convene over 1,700 leaders from business, government, civil society, academia, international organizations, innovation and media to explore entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. About the Technology Pioneers Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneers community marks its 25th anniversary in 2025 as a leading platform for early-stage companies from around the world that are shaping the future through breakthrough technologies and innovations. These companies are selected for their potential to have a significant impact on business and society and are invited to engage with public and private sector leaders through the World Economic Forum's global platform. The Technology Pioneers community is part of the Innovator Communities within the Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Innovator Communities convene the world's leading global start-ups across different growth stages from early-stage Technology Pioneers to growth-stage Global Innovators and unicorn companies valued at more than $1 billion.
Independent Singapore
16-06-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
MOF: 300,000 Pioneer Generation Seniors will receive MediSave top-ups in July 2025
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced on Monday (Jun 16) that around 300,000 Pioneer Generation (PG) seniors will receive MediSave top-ups next month. In total, these top-ups amount to more than S$160 million. About 300,000 Pioneers will receive top-ups of up to S$1,400. These yearly top-ups are being given in addition to the annual GST Voucher – MediSave top-ups for eligible Singaporeans aged 65 and above. The top-up is automatically credited to eligible Pioneers' Central Provident Fund (CPF) MediSave Accounts. MediSave is Singapore's medical savings scheme geared toward helping people put aside a portion of their income to pay for their healthcare needs during their senior years. It is also used for their or their approved dependents' hospitalisation, day surgery, and certain outpatient expenses. It can be used to pay the premiums for MediShield Life, CareShield Life, ElderShield, and other MediSave-approved insurance plans. More information on the PG Package is available here . Should Pioneers wish to clarify anything, they may call 1800-2222-888 for the PG Package or 1800-650-6060 for healthcare matters. They may do so by sending an email to [email protected]. See also NTUC FairPrice to boost safe distancing for vulnerable groups 'Following the MediShield Life 2024 Review, Pioneers will receive more annual MediSave top-ups of S$300 to S$1,200 in July 2025 as compared to S$250 to S$900 in 2024. In addition, older Pioneers born in 1939 and earlier who have serious pre-existing conditions will receive further top-ups of S$50 or S$200 to help pay their higher MediSave Life premiums,' MOF said. To break this down even further, for Singaporeans aged 91 or older (born 1934 or earlier), those with a serious pre-existing condition will receive an additional S$200, for a total of S$1,400. Those without a serious pre-existing condition will receive S$1,200. For those between the ages of 86 and 90 (born between 1935 and 1939), seniors with a serious pre-existing condition will receive an additional S$50, for a total of S$750, while those without a serious pre-existing condition will receive S$700. Seniors aged 81 to 85 (born between 1940 and 1944) will receive a top-up of S$500, while those aged 76 to 80 (born between 1945 and 1949) will receive a top-up of S$300. MOF also explained that those born earlier will receive a higher top-up amount, as they typically have smaller savings than younger members of the PG. Given this, they may require additional assistance with their annual MediShield Life premiums. 'Together with special premium subsidies for Pioneers, these annual MediSave top-ups will continue to keep MediShield Life premiums affordable for all Pioneers. Older Pioneers aged 91 and above in 2025 will continue to see their MediShield Life premiums fully covered. Younger Pioneers will have about two-thirds of their MediShield Life premiums covered,' the ministry added. By Wednesday (Jun 18), Pioneers who have registered their mobile numbers with Singpass before Jun 2 should receive an SMS concerning the top-up amount they are eligible for. The remaining Pioneers will receive the notification letters by the end of this month. MOF added that the SMS notification sent by ' will only inform Pioneers of their benefits as a safeguard against scams. No reply to the SMS is required, and neither will recipients be asked to provide any information. The ministry also reminded the public that government officials will never ask them to transfer money or reveal their bank login details over a phone call. 'Members of the public can call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 if they are unsure if something is a scam,' MOF said. /TISG Read also: In Parliament: Pritam Singh suggests extending use of MediSave for more TCM procedures and other effective alternative therapies
AsiaOne
16-06-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Up to $1,200 in MediSave top-ups for Pioneer Generation Singaporeans in July, Singapore News
About 300,000 Pioneer Generation Singaporeans will receive MediSave top-ups amounting to over $160 million in July. In a statement released on Monday (June 16), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced that the annual Pioneer Generation MediSave top-ups are provided on top of the regular GST Voucher for eligible Singaporeans aged 65 and above. Eligible Pioneers will receive enhanced annual top-ups ranging from $300 to $1,200 in July, up from $250 to $900 in 2024. Older Pioneers born in 1939 or earlier with serious pre-existing conditions will also receive additional top-ups of $50 or $200 to help cover higher MediShield Life premiums. "Pioneers born earlier generally receive larger MediSave top-ups as they typically have less savings than younger members of the generation and may need more support with their annual health insurance premiums," the ministry said. The top-up will be automatically credited to the CPF MediSave Accounts of eligible Pioneers. MediSave funds can be used to pay premiums for MediShield Life, CareShield Life, ElderShield, and other MediSave-approved insurance plans. They can also be used for medical expenses, such as hospitalisation, day surgeries, and selected outpatient treatments. "Together with special premium subsidies for Pioneers, these annual MediSave top-ups will continue to keep MediShield Life premiums affordable for all Pioneers," MOF added. "Older Pioneers aged 91 and above in 2025 will continue to see their MediShield Life premiums fully covered while younger pioneers will have about two-thirds of their MediShield Life premiums covered." Pioneers who have registered their mobile numbers with Singpass before June 2, will receive an SMS by June 18, informing them of their top-up amount. The rest will receive notification letters by the end of June. To safeguard against scams, the SMS will only inform Pioneers of their benefits. Recipients will not be asked to reply or provide any personal information. The Government has reminded the public that officials will never request bank login details or money transfers over the phone. For more information, members of the public can visit or email contactus@ with their enquiries. [[nid:712679]]
