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Published February 2006

© MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRYSINGAPORE

ISBN: 981-05-5335-8

00_IFC 9/2/2006, 10:32 PM2

SINGAPORE is at an exciting phase of growth as we face new challenges to sustaineconomic growth and prosperity. While we will continue to build on our existing strengthsof an efficient workforce, clean government and world-class infrastructure, we neednew strategies to differentiate ourselves and develop peaks of excellence in selectedareas where we can build a sustainable comparative advantage. We should leverage onour tradition of excellence in science, mathematics and technology to grow a strongbase of scientists, researchers and technologists who will provide the leadership in thenext phase of knowledge- and innovation-driven growth.

Back in 1991, the National Technology Plan was formulated to steer the developmentof science and technology in Singapore, with the aim of enhancing our economiccompetitiveness. With a funding of $2 billion over 5 years, its implementation by theNational Science and Technology Board placed Singapore on the path of rapidtechnological growth. We have not looked back since.

Our second 5-year plan, the National Science and Technology Plan, helped to bringSingapore closer to having world-class science and technology capability; with $4 billionset aside to strengthen manpower, support for industry research and development (R&D)and indigenous R&D capability.

The current Science and Technology (S&T) Plan 2005, our third national 5-year plan,builds on the groundwork of the first two Plans. It focused on strengthening R&Dcapabilities in niche areas, nurturing local talent and recruiting global talent, and workingwith industry through technology transfer and other mechanisms. Its $6 billion budgetincluded $4 billion to A*STAR to boost local R&D capabilities, and $2 billion to EDB topromote private sector R&D in Singapore.

Over the three national S&T plans, our Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) as apercentage of GDP has increased from 0.85% in 1990 to 2.25% in 2004. The numberof Research Scientists and Engineers in Singapore has grown significantly, from 28 in1990 to 87 per 10,000 labour force in 2004. We have made significant strides in buildingup our scientific and research manpower base; by developing home-grown talent aswell as by attracting talent from abroad.

In August 2004, the Ministerial Committee on Research & Development (MCRD), chairedby then-Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan, was formed to review the R&D strategiesand direction for Singapore. The MCRD, after extensive deliberations and consultations,has identified five key strategic thrusts to drive Singapore’s R&D efforts. Therecommendations have been approved by Government.

FOREWORD

First of all, Government will establish a Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council(RIEC) to advise the Government on national research, innovation and enterprisestrategies. The RIEC will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will comprise CabinetMinisters, prominent captains of industry, and internationally renowned individuals fromthe scientific and academic community. A new department under the Prime Minister’sOffice, called the National Research Foundation (NRF), was formed on 1 January 2006to support the RIEC, to implement the key strategic R&D thrusts, to provide a coherentstrategic overview of R&D at the national level, and to allocate funding to longer termR&D programmes.

Government will be making significant investments in growing R&D in the next 5 years,earmarking $13.55 billion to different agencies to promote R&D. Of this, $5 billion willbe allocated to the NRF for longer-term strategic programmes, $7.5 billion to the Ministryof Trade and Industry for economic-oriented R&D and related investment promotionactivities, and $1.05 billion to the Ministry of Education for academic research. The goalis to achieve a GERD of 3% of GDP by 2010.

Secondly, the focus will be on identifying and developing selected R&D areas of economicimportance where Singapore can be internationally competitive. This is important as weare a small country and must concentrate our limited resources to develop peaks ofexcellence. In general, R&D funding will be directed to selected areas where there ismost potential for scientific breakthroughs to yield economic benefit for Singapore, bygenerating industry growth and enterprise creation. Two new areas that have beenidentified as having rapid growth potential are the Environmental and Water Technologiessector and the Interactive and Digital Media sector. Together with the Life Sciencessector which is a relatively new sector that has seen rapid growth since it was identifiedin 2000, we expect to double the jobs in these sectors to 80,000 and to triple the valueadded to $27 billion by 2015. The NRF will continue to identify promising new economicsectors to promote.

Thirdly, within the selected strategic areas, we will develop the whole spectrum ofresearch capabilities, from basic research to build the foundation for scientific excellence,to mission-oriented research with better integration into industry. We will encourage abroad diversity of views so that scientists and researchers at the universities and publicresearch institutions will have adequate resources to pursue new knowledge and thrivein a vibrant and challenging environment.

Fourthly, we will focus on growing the private sector share of R&D. Corporations arebest placed to decide which areas of R&D to invest in, and to align R&D investmentswith commercial opportunities. Encouraging global R&D centres that are at the forefrontof research and technological developments in their respective fields to invest inSingapore will be important. We encourage talented scientists and researchers to flowbetween academia, public research institutions and industry in open collaborativenetworks.

Lastly, we will strengthen the linkages between R&D and business. Focus will be oncreating technology transfer frameworks to help push new knowledge and technologiesto enterprises. We will develop stronger co-funding frameworks between industry andpublic education and research institutions, with the objective of leveraging on publicsector resources to strengthen innovation in the private sector and to uplift technologicaland manpower capabilities in enterprises.

The Science and Technology Plan 2010 is the culmination of many months of extensivediscussion and brainstorming by a wide cross-section of agencies, including universities,research institutions and hospitals. Some 450 researchers participated in thirteentechnology scan panels set up to identify new and emerging technology areas thatcould enhance Singapore’s competitiveness. Views were sought from eminent scientists,experts and leaders from the research community and industry, both locally and overseas.Special attention was given to ensure that the technology plans are aligned with industrydevelopment plans. The development of the Plan is made possible by the dedicatedefforts of the S&T2010 Steering Committee, ably led by A*STAR and with the activeand valuable contributions of many member representatives from ministries and agencies.

The Science and Technology Plan 2010 will anchor our transition into a knowledge- andinnovation-driven economy. This will help to fulfil the strategic thrusts identified above,which are critical in enabling us to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage for longterm growth and prosperity.

Lim Hng KiangMinister for Trade and IndustrySingapore

CONTENTSCONTENTS

Executive Summary .......................................................................................... 2

CHAPTER 1 — Review of Science & Technology Plan 2005 ........................ 8

CHAPTER 2 — Economic Challenges Ahead.................................................. 18

CHAPTER 3 — Strategic Direction for S&T Policy (2006-2010)..................... 22

CHAPTER 4 — National R&D Framework ...................................................... 26

CHAPTER 5 — Enabling Technology Environment for SustainedIndustry Growth ...................................................................... 30

CHAPTER 6 — Developing and Managing R&D Human Capital ................... 36

CHAPTER 7 — Promoting Private Sector R&D .............................................. 40

CHAPTER 8 — Strengthening Technological Innovation Capabilitiesin SMEs .................................................................................. 44

CHAPTER 9 — Increasing Commercialisation of Public Research– IP Policies ............................................................................ 48

CHAPTER 10 — R&D Infrastructure ............................................................... 52

CHAPTER 11 — Budget and Targets .............................................................. 56

Composition of S&T2010 Committee ............................................................. 58

Abbreviations .................................................................................................... 65

2 Science & Technology Plan 2010 : Sustaining Innovation-Driven Growth

WE live in an increasingly competitiveand integrated global economy. The riseof the knowledge economy and the rapidgrowth of large emerging economies havechanged the global economic landscapedramatically bringing with it both increasedgrowth opportunities and competition.While Singapore will continue to leverageon its existing strengths of an efficientworkforce, clean government and world-class infrastructure, these will not besufficient to sustain our competitivenessand secure our long-term growth.Singapore must leverage on innovationand R&D to transform its economy andraise it to the next level. We need to buildour capabilities for research, innovationand enterprise, and develop peaks ofexcellence in niche areas where we cansustain an advantage.

Review of Science & TechnologyPlan 2005

Singapore launched its first five-yearScience and Technology (S&T) plan, theNational Technology Plan (NTP), in 1991.The $2 billion NTP was implemented bythe then National Science and TechnologyBoard (NSTB) with the aim of driving thedevelopment of science and technologyin Singapore. In 1996, the NTP wassucceeded by our second five-year S&Tplan, the National Science and TechnologyPlan, with a $4 billion budget tostrengthen Singapore’s key enablingfactors of manpower, support for industryR&D and indigenous R&D capability.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The S&T Plan 2005 (S&T2005) is our thirdnational five-year plan. It built on thegroundwork of the first two S&T plans andfocused on strengthening R&D capabilitiesin niche areas, nurturing local talent andrecruiting global talent, establishing asystem for technology transfer, andencouraging private sector R&D.

The $6 billion S&T2005 sought to developSingapore’s R&D base through the threethrusts of Human Capital Development,Intellectual Capital Development andIndustrial Capital Development.

Under S&T2005, A*STAR developed ourHuman Capital for research and innovationthrough a range of scholarship andfellowship programmes targeted at youngtalent at various levels. It also attractedglobal talent, including renownedscientists and eminent researchers, tohead its research institutes (RIs) and setup their research laboratories within itsRIs.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

Capabilities at the A*STAR RIs werestreamlined and strengthened, with focuson the broad S&T areas relevant toadvancing Singapore’s economic goals, aspart of building our Intellectual Capital.Significant efforts in the development ofbiomedical research capabilities at newlyestablished RIs helped transform Singaporeinto a Biomedical Science hub. The baseof high-quality researchers at the RIs hasgrown in tandem to a critical mass ofresearch talent with the potential to carryout impactful research work of internationalstandards. Inter-RI research collaborationswere forged to tap on opportunities inmulti-disciplinary research, while A*STAR’sinteractions with the extramural communityhave also intensified through its extramuralgrant calls.

In Industrial Capital Development, A*STARand its RIs have stepped up internationalindustry promotion activities with EDB,showcasing Singapore’s R&D capabilitiesand manpower, to attract newinvestments to Singapore. In thebiomedical sector, an integratedframework involving the two agencies hasbeen put in place to grow the industry,and has successfully drawn several majorR&D investments in the form of flagshipR&D centres by global firms such asNovartis and GlaxoSmithKline. In scienceand engineering, A*STAR has similarlyworked with EDB to attract major privateR&D activities to Singapore through itsstrategy of holistically integrating the RIs’capabilities to meet industry needs. It hasprovided technical assistance andmanpower to help improve the technologycapabilities and global competitiveness ofthe local enterprises.

The opening of the Biopolis was a majormilestone under S&T2005. The Biopolisoffers purpose-built state-of-the-artfacilities, and co-locates A*STAR’sbiomedical RIs and private R&Dcompanies to foster intellectual andindustrial exchange between them. TheBiopolis is almost at full occupancy andPhase 2 construction to expand itscapacity has commenced. TheFusionpolis, currently under construction,will be the focal point of the Infocommsand Media community.

Singapore has made good progress underS&T2005. We have improved on thevarious R&D indicators, notwithstandingthe economic slowdown in 2001-2003,and the shock events of Sep 11 andSARS, which had affected private sectorR&D spending.

Between 2000 and 2004, Singapore’sGross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) rosefrom 1.89% to 2.25% of GDP. Privatesector share of GERD increased from62.2% to 63.8%. The number of researchscientists and engineers (RSEs) per10,000 labour force increased significantlyfrom 66 to 87, while the percentage ofpostgraduates among RSEs remained atabout 47%.

From 2001 to 2005, EDB attracted $8.5billion in total R&D investment, andcreated more than 6.400 RSE positions.

Economic Challenges Ahead

Since independence, Singapore hascontinued to sustain its economic growthby moving up the value-chain - fromlabour-intensive to capital-intensive andnow knowledge-intensive industries - andstaying ahead of competition.


Going forward, Singapore’s economicstrategies must keep up with thechanging global economic landscape.Singapore must continue its process ofupgrading and renewal to ensure that weremain competitive in a global knowledgeeconomy. We need to develop ourinnovation capacity as a new, sustainablesource of competitive advantage. Givenour strengths in science and mathematics,Singapore is naturally positioned to excelin S&T.

To succeed, talent will be key. Singaporemust become a global talent hub,attracting talent here by providing a vibrantenvironment and an open society thatoffer opportunities for communities ofcreative and talented people.

Strategic Directions for S&T Policy(2006 – 2010)

In August 2004, the Ministerial Committeeon Research and Development (MCRD),chaired by then Deputy Prime Minister DrTony Tan, was formed to reviewSingapore’s R&D strategies and direction.The MCRD visited public and private R&Dinstitutions in Singapore, as well as anumber of small but economicallyadvanced economies to study how theyorganized themselves to achieve goodeconomic growth and sustain strong S&Tperformance.

The MCRD concluded from its visits thatSingapore needs to refocus its researchand innovation agenda to keep up withinternational developments. Singaporemust push on to transform itself into aninnovation-driven economy that competeson knowledge and talent.

The MCRD identified five key strategicthrusts to guide Singapore’s R&D efforts:

(i) More resources for R&D andcontinued high level attention onR&D;

(ii) Focus on selected areas of economicimportance;

(iii) Balance of investigator-led andmission-oriented research;

(iv) Encourage more private sector R&D;and

(v) Strengthen linkages between R&Dand business.

National R&D Framework

The MCRD also outlined a national R&Dframework to implement the key strategicthrusts. The new Research, Innovationand Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired bythe Prime Minister, will lead the nationaldrive to promote knowledge creation,innovation and enterprise. It will besupported by the new National ResearchFoundation (NRF), which will also fundlonger term strategic researchprogrammes, and provide a coherentstrategic overview at the national level tocoordinate the research of variousGovernment agencies. The national R&Dsystem (excluding defence) will beorganized mainly along two tracks, withthe Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI)driving mission-oriented research throughA*STAR, EDB, and SPRING, and theMinistry of Education overseeingacademic, investigator-led researchthrough the universities and polytechnics.

Enabling Technology Environment forSustained Industry Growth

In line with the strategic thrusts, Singaporemust focus on differentiating itself as acompelling investment location andachieving leadership positions in niche areaswithin its industry clusters. Singapore’sstrong manufacturing and technology basewill help it to attract cutting edge R&Dactivities which in turn will attract andanchor higher value-added industrialactivities. At the same time, Singapore willcontinue to pursue new growth areas,augmented by well-organized S&T efforts.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

The priorities for public research over thenext 5 years have been developed, andaligned to EDB’s Manufacturing 2018 Plan.The priorities were identified through aplanning process that involved experts andleaders from the research community andindustry in Singapore and abroad, as wellas key agencies and ministries. It coveredwide-ranging technology scans and theassessment of future S&T infrastructureneeds, among other perspectives.

Within public research, A*STAR will focusefforts and resources to buildinternationally competitive concentrationsof R&D in areas that are most relevant tothe development of key industry sectors.

The BMRC will continue to deepen thebasic core capabilities of its RIs to supportSingapore’s growing BMS industry and tostrengthen its translational competenciesto bridge the gap between basic scienceand clinical applications. The BMRC willoptimize limited resources by ensuringthat bench research is driven by currentand pertinent clinical needs. It will alsocontinue to foster interactions amongstthe basic and clinical scientists so as toextract the full potential of expertiseavailable in Singapore.

The SERC RIs will develop relevanttechnologies and capabilities to meet theneeds of our key manufacturing industrysectors viz. Electronics, Infocomms andMedia (ICM), Chemicals, and Engineering.

Developing and Managing R&D HumanCapital

Talent will be the key to economicprogress in the twenty-first century. In aglobal economy where talent flows freelybetween cities and countries, Singaporeneeds to be a global talent magnet. Aready and abundant supply of highlytrained research manpower will attractknowledge-intensive industries.Investments will follow talent. Highly-trained manpower will also help our localenterprises to upgrade, move up thetechnology value-chain, and become moreinternationally competitive.

More RSEs will be needed to support thehigher level of R&D activities that we aim

to achieve. Educational institutions,especially at the tertiary level, will playimportant roles in providing a strongpipeline of high quality S&T graduates.

Within MTI, A*STAR will develop andsustain a substantial pipeline of researchtalent to meet industry needs. It is well-positioned to do so as its RIs conductR&D activities to support the industry andare positioned close to the market tobetter understand and support industryneeds. A*Star adopts a pro-foreign andpro-local talent recruitment policy. It aimsto draw the best global talents toSingapore to meet its immediate needsfor quality R&D manpower and to createa vibrant research community. It will alsogroom more of the brightest Singaporeansto pursue careers in research and assumeleadership positions in the public researchsector.

Building a strong base of quality localRSEs will provide stability to Singapore’shuman capital base and instill confidencein potential high-technology investors. Inthis regard, A*STAR targets to train 1,000Singaporean PhDs. It will tap on variousstreams of R&D talent, throughattachment, outreach, and scholarshipprogrammes, at the Pre A-Levels, Post A-Levels and Postgraduate levels, to buildits pipeline.

Promoting Private Sector R&D

Singapore must continue to intensifyefforts to promote private sector R&D, ascompanies are better placed to decide onR&D investments. In the longer term,private sector R&D should make up two-thirds of GERD.


To raise the level of private sector R&D,Singapore must aim to anchor moreflagship R&D projects and attract moremultinational companies to locatecorporate R&D activities in Singapore. Therole of promoting industry R&D is largelydriven by EDB. EDB will work closely withA*STAR RIs and the universities topromote R&D investments, so as tobetter engage companies at thetechnology level. Incentive and assistanceschemes, such as the Research IncentiveScheme for Companies (RISC), willcontinue to support these promotionefforts.

A*STAR will expand linkages betweenpublic sector R&D and industry by directlysupporting industrial innovation activities,providing/sharing R&D human capital andtechnical facilities, and undertakingdevelopment risks in thecommercialisation of technology.

In addition, EDB will seek to attract privatelaboratories here to diversify our R&Dsources such as from non-profitorganizations, private foundations andprivate universities, to support long-termindustry R&D growth.

Strengthening Technology InnovationCapabilities in SMEs

Strengthening technology innovation inSMEs would help to create a strongcluster of innovative enterprises thatwould support and hence attract highervalue-added industries and private R&Dactivities.

SMEs hold great potential as a source ofcreativity and innovation. While SMEsunderstand the need to leverage ontechnology to compete in a knowledge-based economy, many of them lack thecapability to absorb and deploy newtechnologies. The GET-Up programmewas launched in 2003 to help enterprisesundertake technology innovation.

Going forward, SPRING has identified threekey strategies, within an SME TechnologyInnovation Framework, to supporttechnology innovation in SMEs. First,

SPRING will encourage SMEs to undertaketechnology innovation projects by raisingtheir awareness of the importance oftechnology application and innovation andproviding them with technology advisoryand matching services. Second, SPRINGwill seek to enhance technologicalinnovation capabilities in SMEs through thesecondment of expert manpower, trainingof employees in SMEs, and partnershipswith technology providers. Third, SPRINGwill support the development of technologyinfrastructure for SMEs, given SMEs’ highdependence on external laboratory facilitiesfor their technology needs.

Increasing Commercialisation of PublicResearch

A robust intellectual property (IP)framework offers protection for createdknowledge and provides an equitableplatform for such knowledge to beexploited commercially. It is a keyinfrastructure underpinning innovation andbusiness growth.

Over the past years, Singapore hasstrengthened its IP legislation andenforcement mechanism, fostered greaterIP awareness and capability development,and raised our profile in the internationalIP arena. The success of these efforts isreflected in Singapore’s high internationalrankings in IP rights protection.Singapore’s excellent IP regime hascontributed to its attractiveness as aninvestment location and IP hub, andsupported its efforts to increase the levelof R&D in Singapore.

In particular, public research organizations(PROs) are an important source of IP whichcan be taken to the market to create valueand wealth for Singapore. This will requirePROs to view commercialisation as a coreactivity alongside research, with incentiveand funding models that recognize the risksand time it takes to commercialise researchsuccessfully. This must be underpinned byclear policies on IP ownership, use, andexploitation. For instance, PROs can useincentive policies to encourage researchersto commercialise their research, and invest

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7

in proper commercialisationmanagement systems, as well astechnology validation and proof-of-concept activities.

PROs also need to make availableearly stage funding forcommercialisation. For instance,A*STAR Exploit Technologies’Commercialisation of Technology(COT) Fund was set up to bridge thisfunding gap. To promote the take-upof public IP, Exploit Technologies willcontinue efforts to promoteawareness of public researchtechnologies and the benefits oftechnology licensing and upgrading,in particular among local enterprises.

R&D Infrastructure

Singapore has created an attractiveresearch collaboration environment inthe Biopolis, with high qualityfacilities to support research andtechnology activities. Such an

academic and investigator-led research;and $7.5 billion to support MTI inpromoting mission-oriented R&D.

MTI’s $7.5 billion R&D budget will beused to support the 5-year S&T Plan 2010from 2006 to 2010. 63% will go towardssupporting A*STAR’s intramural andextramural research activities; 28%towards private sector R&D; 6% for talentdevelopment through various A*STARscholarships and fellowship grants; and3% on the development of researchinfrastructure.

At the national level, Singapore aims toincrease GERD to 3% of GDP within thenext five years, so as to close the gapwith other leading innovative countries; toincrease private sector R&D to two-thirdsof GERD in the longer term; and toincrease the research manpower tosupport our R&D thrusts and sustain thehigher levels of R&D in Singapore.

environment is important in attractingforeign companies and global talent toconduct research in Singapore.

In the same way, the Fusionpolis is beingdeveloped as the focal point for the ICMcluster as well as the physical sciencesand engineering. By housing both publicand private research and creating thenecessary synergies between publicresearch and industry, the Fusionpolis willbe a cradle for knowledge convergence,where next generation applications areincubated and test-bedded.

Budget and Targets

Over the next 5 years, $13.55 billion willbe spent on R&D to drive Singapore’stransformation into an R&D andinnovation-driven economy. $5 billion willgo towards the NRF to fund new growthareas and strategic programmes; $1.05billion to support MOE’s drive to promote


REVIEW OF SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY PLAN 2005

chapter 1 :

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PLANS

Singapore began a major drive to raisetechnological capabilities to enhance itseconomic competitiveness in 1991, withthe set up of the then-National Science& Technology Board (NSTB) and thedevelopment of the first 5-year scienceand technology (S&T), the NationalTechnology Plan (NTP, 1991-1995). TheNTP, with a budget of $2 billion, led tothe establishment of research institutesand centres, technical infrastructure,manpower development programmes,industry R&D grants and innovationsupport schemes.

The second 5-year S&T Plan, the NationalScience and Technology Plan (NSTP, 1996-2000), with a $4 billion budget, continuedthe efforts of the NTP. The currentScience and Technology Plan 2005(S&T2005, 2001-2005) is the third 5-yearnational S&T plan.

• S&T PLAN 2005

S&T2005 built on the groundwork of thefirst two S&T plans. It focused onstrengthening R&D capabilities in targetedareas, nurturing local talent and recruitingglobal talent, and promoting industry.

S&T2005 had a $6 billion budget. Of this,$4 billion was managed by A*STAR todevelop public R&D. This comprisedintramural research at the A*STAR

Research Institutes (RIs) and extramuralresearch funding to other researchorganisations in the public sector, inparticular the universities and hospitals.The remaining $2 billion was managed byEDB to co-fund industry R&D.

The plan had six key objectives:

• Nurture local talent and recruit globaltalent;

• Strengthen R&D capabilities in nicheareas;

• Encourage private sector R&D;

• Build up institutions to prioritise andmanage public R&D;

• Establish a system for technologytransfer and the management ofintellectual property; and

• Develop strong internationalrelationships.

Major research initiatives introduced inS&T2005 have transformed and shapedthe R&D landscape in Singapore. The 3main thrusts of S&T2005 were:

• Human Capital Development;

• Intellectual Capital Development; and

• Industrial Capital Development.

These thrusts are centred on enhancingSingapore’s talent and knowledge base tosupport economic growth and job creationin biomedical sciences and the physicalsciences and engineering.

CHAPTER 1 : Review of Science and Technology Plan 2005 9

• Human Capital Development

A*STAR has established scholarship andfellowship schemes to train young talentat the undergraduate and post-graduatelevels.

A*STAR launched the National ScienceScholarships (NSS) in 2001 and theA*STAR Graduate Scholarships (AGS) in2003, to build a pipeline of trainedresearchers for Singapore.

The NSS supports both undergraduate andpostgraduate studies at leading overseasuniversities, as well as a year ofattachment at the A*STAR RIs betweenthe undergraduate and graduateprogrammes. A*STAR scholars return totake up R&D positions in the researchinstitutes, and eventually flow out toindustry.

A pastoral care programme has also beenestablished to maintain close relationshipsand strong linkages with these scholarsthrough their studies overseas.

Under the AGS programme, A*STARpartners top universities to jointly trainresearchers at the PhD-level. The AGSprogramme has two components. AGS(Local) is a collaboration with the NationalUniversity of Singapore (NUS) and theNanyang Technological University (NTU).Under AGS (Foreign), A*STAR hasestablished partnerships with top overseasuniversities such as Imperial CollegeLondon, the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign, Sweden’s KarolinskaInstitutet and Scotland’s University ofDundee.

A*STAR has also put in place theInternational Fellowship programme toprovide funding support to medicaldoctors to train to become clinician-scientists.

A*STAR has awarded 460 scholarshipsand fellowships under the NSS and AGSprogrammes as at June 2005.

RESTRUCTURING OFA*STAR

In 2001, the former National Science& Technology Board (NSTB) wasrestructured to form the Agency forScience, Technology and Research(A*STAR) to better reflectSingapore’s emphasis on thecreation and exploitation ofintellectual capital and the trainingof research manpower in itstransition to a Knowledge-BasedEconomy.

Four organisational units wereestablished to help advance thedevelopment of Human, Intellectualand Industrial Capital:

• Two research councils, viz. theBiomedical Research Council(BMRC) and the Science &Engineering Research Council(SERC) to support, direct andstimulate quality research inselected disciplines of science,engineering and biomedicine;

• A*STAR Graduate Academy(A*GA) to implement A*STAR’sscholarship programmes tocreate and sustain a diverse andcritical mass of PhD talent tomeet Singapore’s R&Dmanpower needs; and

• Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd, awholly-owned subsidiary ofA*STAR to manage intellectualproperty and technology transfer.


The scholarship and fellowshipprogrammes are supplemented byA*STAR’s Youth Science Outreachprogramme. This programme wasestablished to increase the exposure ofour school students at both the primaryand secondary levels to a broad range ofscientific and research activities, with theaim of cultivating in them an interest inscience and technology. It aims toencourage more of our bright young talentto choose R&D careers.

A*STAR has continued to attractrenowned scientists and top internationaltalent to Singapore. Some of theseeminent researchers now head theA*STAR research institutes. Prof EdisonLiu, formerly the Director of ClinicalResearch at the National Cancer Institute,National Institutes of Health in the US, iscurrently the Executive Director of theGenome Institute of Singapore (GIS). ProfSir David Lane, the world-renowneddiscoverer of the p53 gene and professorat Dundee University, is the ExecutiveDirector of the Institute of Molecular andCell Biology (IMCB). Prof Jackie Ying, aprofessor at the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology, is the Executive Directorof the Institute of Bioengineering andNanotechnology (IBN). Prof Dim-LeeKwong, a professor at the University ofTexas, Austin, is the Executive Directorof the Institute of Microelectronics (IME).Dr Keith Carpenter was recruited from themajor chemicals company Syngenta to bethe Executive Director of the Institute ofChemical and Engineering Sciences(ICES).

Other eminent scientists have beenrecruited to spearhead key researchprogrammes in Singapore. Dr SydneyBrenner, Nobel Laureate andDistinguished Professor at the SalkInstitute, is a member of the A*STARBoard and Chairman of the BiomedicalResearch Council, as well as a memberof the Biomedical Sciences InternationalAdvisory Council (BMS IAC). He leads theGenetic Medicine Laboratory at theCentre for Molecular Medicine (CMM).Prof Sir George Radda, Professor and

Chairman of the Department ofPhysiology, Anatomy and Genetics at theUniversity of Oxford, is a member of theBMRC Board and is an emeritus memberof the BMS IAC. Sir George chairs theSingapore Bioimaging Consortium. ProfAxel Ullrich, the Director of theDepartment of Molecular Biology at theMax-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry inMartinsried, Germany, leads the SingaporeOncoGenome Project at the CMM. ProfLady Birgitte Lane, formerly of theUniversity of Dundee, is a PrincipalInvestigator at the CMM, leading aresearch team in epithelial cell biology.

Leading cancer geneticists, Dr NealCopeland and Dr Nancy Jenkins, ahusband-and-wife team, were recruitedfrom the US National Cancer Institute(NCI) to IMCB to lead a research teamusing the mouse genome to study humandiseases. Renowned Japanese cancerexpert Dr Yoshiaki Ito moved to IMCBfrom Kyoto University, along with his teamof nine researchers. They are conductingresearch on stomach cancer, a diseaseafflicting many in the region. Prof Ito alsoheads the NUS’s Oncology ResearchInstitute. Top chemical synthesis andchemical biology research scientist at theScripps Research Institute, Prof Kyriacos


Costa (KC) Nicolaou was tapped on to helpbuild Singapore’s capabilities in chemicalssynthesis. He directs the ChemicalSynthesis Laboratory at the Biopolis.

SERC established the VisitingInvestigatorship Programme to bring topscientists to Singapore to help developnew capabilities in key areas. Prof NicoDe Rooij from Switzerland’s University ofNeuchatel is spearheading efforts in thearea of MicroElectro Mechanical Systemsand NanoElectro Mechanical Systems(MEMS/NEMS) at the Singapore Instituteof Manufacturing Technologies (SIMTech).Prof Ananth Dodabalapur from theUniversity of Texas at Austin is VisitingInvestigator in the area of plasticelectronics at the Institute of MaterialsResearch and Engineering (IMRE). ProfChristian Joachim, of the French NationalCentre for Scientific Research (CNRS), hashelped to establish a new researchprogramme on atomic and moleculardevices at IMRE. Prof David Srolovitz,from Princeton University, was invited byIMRE and the Institute of HighPerformance Computing (IHPC) to lead aproject in new areas of computationalmaterials science.

• Intellectual Capital Development

Capabilities at the A*STAR RIs have beenstreamlined and strengthened focusing onthe broad scientific and technological areasrelevant to advancing Singapore’seconomic development goals.

Significant efforts have been dedicated totransforming Singapore into a BiomedicalSciences hub. Research capabilities ingenomics, bioinformatics, andbioengineering and nanotechnology arebeing developed at three newly-established RIs: the Genome Institute ofSingapore, the Bioinformatics Institute, andthe Institute of Bioengineering andNanotechnology. In addition, A*STAR hasestablished the CMM, focusing ontranslational research, to bridge the gapbetween basic science and clinicalmedicine.

ICES was established to add chemicalsresearch to the spectrum of corecapabilities. ICES is located in thechemicals hub on Jurong Island.

Some RIs have been restructured. TheInstitute of Molecular Agrobiology wasreorganized so as not to overly diversifyresources in research. Its biomedical-related research groups were mergedwith the IMCB, while its agrobiology-focused groups were spun off as theTemasek Life Science Laboratory, a non-profit organization funded by TemasekHoldings. The Institute for InfocommResearch (I2R) was formed through themerger of Kent Ridge Digital Laboratories,the Centre for Wireless Communications,the Centre for Signal Processing andelements of NTU’s Network TechnologyResearch Centre, to harness the benefitsof related research activities in Informationand Communication Technology. TheInstitute of Microelectronics consolidatedits 6- and 8-inch Deep Sub-micronIntegrated Circuit facilities to better alignto industry requirements. TheBioprocessing Technology Centre wasupgraded to a full Institute when itsresearch activities increased in scale andscope. The institute’s BioprocessingManufacturing Technology Centre (BMTC)was spun off to A-Bio, a local biologicscontract manufacturing company, in 2002.

A*STAR has built a critical mass ofresearch talent at the RIs capable ofcarrying out impactful and internationallycompetitive research. From 2001 to 2005,the A*STAR RIs produced some 6,790scientific publications in Science CitationIndex and Engineering Index journals, andfiled 739 patents.

In addition to managing the RIs, the tworesearch councils have established thenecessary structures and processes tofund extramural research in the widerresearch community. Mechanisms havebeen put in place to prioritise researchareas, implement peer review of researchproposals and coordinate activities acrossresearch institutions.


Cross-Council and inter-RI researchcollaborations are increasingly beingforged to tap on the emergingopportunities in multi-disciplinary areas.For example, the Chemical SynthesisLaboratory in the Biopolis is an initiativethat draws expertise from both BMRC andSERC RIs to build technology platformsfor new drug therapies.

A*STAR’s interactions with the extramuralcommunity, in particular the universities,hospitals and disease centres, haveintensified. Since 2004, BMRC and theMinistry of Health’s National Medical

doctors to devote more time totranslational research.

• Industrial Capital Development

BMRC and SERC, together with their RIs,have stepped up international industrypromotion activities in collaboration withEDB to showcase Singapore’s R&Dcapabilities and manpower.

For the Biomedical Sciences, anintegrated framework involving BMRC,EDB’s Biomedical Sciences Group and

EDB Bio*One Capital was put inplace to grow the biomedical sectorby promoting investment anddrawing multinational companies andstart-ups to anchor their R&Dactivities in Singapore. Major R&Dinvestments were successfullyrealized with the establishment ofthe Novartis Institute for TropicalDiseases, Lilly Systems Biology andGlaxoSmithKline Clinical R&D Centre.Many Biotechnology companies,such as Vanda, Paradigm and ES CellInternational have also chosen tolocate their R&D operations at theBiopolis.

SERC, through its strategy ofintegrating the RI’s capabilities tomeet industry needs, has workedclosely with EDB to attract majorprivate R&D activities to Singapore.Rolls-Royce, a respected and globalleader in technology, is partnering a

Singapore consortium of companies to setup a new venture to develop acommercially viable power system basedon fuel-cell technology. LeicaGeosystems, the world’s largest maker ofsurveying and engineering equipment, setup a new plant in Singapore to conductthe design, R&D and manufacturing ofsophisticated L&A equipment such as theSprinter Electronic Level. As the result ofthe signing of a master R&D agreement,researchers, scientists and engineersfrom Mitsui, ICES and IMRE arecollaborating on R&D projects to developproprietary products, process technologiesand jointly publish patents and scientific

Research Council (NMRC) haveestablished a joint grant call for researchproposals. This integrated approach willfoster closer linkages across the spectrumfrom basic to translational and clinicalresearch. More recently, BMRC hasdirected resources towards translationalresearch to bridge the gap betweenlaboratory research (bench) and clinicalapplications (bedside), and closerengagement with the hospitals anddisease centres. As part of these efforts,the Clinician-Scientist Investigatorshipprogramme was launched in 2005 toprovide funding support to enable medical


Birds-eye-view of Biopolis

Biopolis offers purpose-built state-of-the-art facilities for the co-habitationof public and private research laboratories, and a plug and play environment.

papers to advance the production of keypetrochemical products and nano-structured hybrid materials for newproduct applications respectively. ICESsigned a master R&D agreement withRohMax Oil Additives, a business line ofDegussa, to collaborate on research anddevelopment of lube additives. Throughcollaboration with IME and I2R, ToppanElectonics Singapore, subsidiary of ToppanPrinting, has developed an original RFIDchip, Tesstar (trademark pending), andperipheral devices, including tags andreader/writers.

A*STAR RIs’ partnerships with industryhave resulted in some 750 joint projectsand consortia in the last 5 years and $138million in industry revenue.

SERC has actively helped local enterprisesto improve their technologicalcompetitiveness through the Growing

Enterprises with Technology Upgrade(GET-Up) Scheme. GET-Up is a multi-agency initiative jointly set up by A*STAR,EDB, IE Singapore and SPRING. ThroughGET-Up, SERC RIs have played a pivotalrole in providing research andtechnological assistance and manpower tolocal enterprises. As of June 2005, 81research scientists and engineers (RSEs)have been seconded to 65 companiesunder the Technology for EnterpriseCapability Upgrading (T-Up) secondmentscheme, and 27 technical advisors havebeen appointed to 26 companies. Inaddition, 54 operations and technologyroadmaps have been developed for 45companies.

The establishment of Exploit Technologiesin 2002 has put in place an integratedsystem to manage the intellectualproperty and commercialise thetechnologies emerging from the A*STAR


RIs. To date, over 90 cutting-edge IP andtechnologies have been licensed tocompanies. Exploit Technologies has builtcapabilities in IP management, technologyand competitive intelligence, technologycommercialisation, and incubation andspin-off management. It currentlymanages more than 2,000 patents andpatent applications. In 2003, ExploitTechnologies initiated the keyCommercialisation of Technology (COT)programme. COT aims to further developpromising technologies from the RIs inorder to bring them closer to the market,and therefore more attractive to industry.An example is the development of a RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) Contactand Location Tracing System based onexisting RFID technology know-how andexpertise of researchers from I2R.

An A*STAR patent portfolio panel hasbeen set up. The inter-RI panel reviewsA*STAR’s patent portfolio and new patentapplications, and aims to integratecommercialisation strategies across RIs.The panel identifies new technology areasthat A*STAR RIs can collaborate on toenable more impactful commercialisation.

• Biopolis and Fusionpolis

The official opening of the Biopolis on 29October 2003 was a major milestone. Ofthe seven buildings, five are occupied bythe five BMRC RIs and two are occupiedby private sector R&D laboratories. Thisco-habitation has fostered closercollaboration and intellectual exchangebetween public research institutions andindustry.

The Biopolis offers purpose-built state-of-the-art facilities and a plug and playenvironment. The Biopolis SharedFacilities and the Biological ResourceCentre offer scientific facilities, servicesand other research resources, such asDNA sequencing and media preparation.

With the capacity to house up to 2,000researchers, Phase 1 of the Biopolis isalready at close to full occupancy. Theconstruction of Phase 2 commenced inJanuary 2005 and is expected to be

ROLLS-ROYCE

Rolls-Royce first signed an MOUwith A*STAR’s Institute of HighPerformance Computing in 2002 tocollaborate in joint R&D projects onengine modelling. In 2003, thisagreement was extended to includeother areas such as power generationand non-destructive testing. In 2004,Rolls-Royce signed a MasterAgreement with A*STAR to set upan Advanced Technology ResearchCentre in Singapore. This was thefirst of its kind in Asia, andsubsequently led to the signing of anagreement in 2005 with aSingaporean consortium ofcompanies to invest US$100 millionin developing a commercially viablepower system based on fuel celltechnology.

“This new centre builds on our bestpractice for collaborative workingwith universities and governmentinstitutes in the UK, Europe andglobally, and recognises the breadthof technical expertise and industrialfocus available in the A*STARinstitutes here in Singapore... The newcentre is also unique as our first ‘one-stop’ technology centre.”

- Dr Mike Howse, Rolls-RoyceDirector of Engineering and

Technology


The forces of globalization have integrated the economies of the world likenever before. Singapore needs to continue the process of upgrading andrenewal to ensure that it remains competitive in a global knowledge economy.

Biopolis’ Epicentre at Night

completed by the end of 2006. It willprovide two additional buildings for privatesector laboratories.

Fusionpolis will be the focal point for theinfocomms and media and physicalsciences and engineering researchcommunity. It will house both the SERCRIs and private companies. Theconstruction of the Fusionpolis isunderway and due to be completed in2007.

• Promotion of Private Sector R&D

EDB has promoted private sector R&D byleveraging on its R&D capability andintegration with strong industry clustersto set up R&D operations in Singapore.

For instance, Pratt&Whitney has set up aprocess development centre in Singaporethat looks into repair development, whilethe world’s largest maker of smart cards,Gemplus has chosen to locate inSingapore its first R&D centre outside ofits home country, France. Hewlett Packardhas also established in Singapore its firstAsia Pacific Integrity Server R&D Centre.Hyflux, a local enterprise has also set upits R&D centre for Advanced MembraneTechnologies, to enhance its capabilitiesto compete on the global market.

Attracting such R&D activities has helpedto anchor associated high-endmanufacturing projects, and seed newgrowth within our industry clusters.


0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70

GERD BERD/GERD

Target(2005)

(%) (%)G

ERD

BER

D/G

ERD

Fig 1-2: GERD/GDP growth andPrivate sector share of GERD

Source: National Survey of R&D in Singapore (2004)

Under S&T 2005 (between 2001 and2004), EDB attracted $4.6 billion in totalR&D spending, and created 2,471 RSEpositions. With every dollar of RISC grant,EDB has attracted several dollars inadditional R&D investment by the privatesector.

• S&T 2005 Budget Commitments andPerformance

Of the S&T 2005 $6 billion budget, $4.5billion was committed as at end-2004,with another projected $1.4 billion incommitments by end-2005.

The table below summarises the progressof the key indicators.

Fig 1-1: S&T2005 Key Indicators

2000 2004 2005

(Base) (Actual) (Target)

GERD/GDP 1.89% 2.25% 2.5%

Private sectorshare of GERD 62.0% 63.8% 67%

No. of RSEsper 10,000labour force 66 87 95

% ofpostgraduatesamong RSEs 46.7% 47.4% 60%

GERD per no.of patents filed $3.9 mil $3.2 mil $2.0 mil

We have improved on all indicators,although the increases have beendampened by the economic slowdown in2001-2003, coupled with the shock events(Sept 11 terrorist attacks, Bali bomb blastand SARS). Trends of GERD and RSEs areshown in Fig 1-2 and Fig 1-3.

Singapore, with its GERD at 2.25% ofGDP in 2004, still lags the leading R&D-intensive countries, such as Finland,Sweden and Israel, which are at 3.49%(2003), 3.98% (2003), and 4.85% (2004)respectively (see Fig 1-4).


0102030405060708090

100

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 20044446485052545658606264

RSEs per 10k % of postgrads among RSEs

Target(2005)

(%)

% o

f po

stgrad

s amo

ng

RS

Es

RS

Es

per

10k

lab

ou

r fo

rce


Fig 1-3: RSEs per 10,000 labour force andproportion of postgraduates among RSEs

Fig 1-4: GERD/GDP Ratio of various countriesover time

Source: OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators(2005)

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004Year

GERD

/GDP

(%)

Switzerland

Finland

Israel

Sweden

DenmarkOECD

SingaporeNetherlands

EU-15


ECONOMIC CHALLENGES AHEAD

chapter 2 :

SINGAPORE TODAY

Singapore has made significant progresssince its independence in 1965. Singaporeembarked on its industrializationprogramme in the 1960s, beginning withlabour-intensive industries. Theseindustries needed workers who wereliterate and skilled in working machines.Focus was placed on raising standards ofeducation, upgrading the skills of itspeople and increasing the number andquality of engineers, technicians andmanagers to support the industries.

With good infrastructure, a stableinvestment climate, political stability, anda disciplined and hardworking workforce,companies were attracted to invest andoperate in Singapore.

As competition intensified from bothdeveloped and developing countries,Singapore moved up the technology chainso as to stay ahead. Efforts were madeto attract high value industries such aselectronics and chemicals, which requiredhigher skilled workers. In 2000, Singaporemoved up the value chain again with itsinitiative to develop the knowledge-intensive biomedical industries.

Going forward, Singapore needs tocontinue the process of upgrading andrenewal to ensure that it remainscompetitive in a global knowledgeeconomy. Singapore must find and create

its comparative advantage in the changingeconomic landscape.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

The forces of globalisation have integratedthe economies of the world tounprecedented levels. Advances in IT andcommunications have allowed businessactivities to be located and conductedfrom virtually anywhere in the world. Thefast flow of information and technology-induced productivity gains havesignificantly shortened business cycles,and intensified competition betweenregions. As a result, countries find thatcomparative advantages based onefficiency and cost-competitiveness arefast-eroding.

The rapid growth of large emergingeconomies has changed the globaleconomic landscape dramatically. Withlarge domestic markets and abundantsupply of low cost skilled workers, theopening up of these economies hasbecome a powerful force shaping theglobal economy and investmentenvironment. The growth of thesecountries has created both opportunitiesand challenges for the rest of the world,including Singapore.

SUSTAINING ECONOMIC GROWTH ANDPROSPERITY

• An Innovation Strategy

Singapore ranks highly amongst the

CHAPTER 2 : Economic Challenges Ahead 19

world’s most competitive nations today.Singapore was ranked the third mostcompetitive economy by the IMD WorldCompetitiveness Yearbook 2005 and theseventh most competitive economy bythe WEF Global Competitiveness Report2004-2005. Among the small economies(with population under 20 million),Singapore is the second mostcompetitive.

As a small country with few naturaladvantages other than its geographicallocation, Singapore understands well theimperative to move ahead of thecompetition and to find new ways tosustain our competitive advantage overthe longer term.

Singapore will continue to offer excellentinfrastructure, stable political andinvestment climate, an efficientgovernment, a strong intellectual propertyprotection regime, and a steady supply ofwell-educated manpower. However, theseassets will not be enough to ensure itscontinued prosperity.

Going forward, Singapore will need toleverage on its strengths and find newways to differentiate itself, beyond cost-effectiveness and efficiency, and buildsustainable competitive advantages. Itmust focus limited resources to achieve

peaks of excellence in niche areas, anddevelop capabilities that are difficult forcompetitors to replicate.

Singapore’s economic strategies mustaddress the changed economic realitiesand respond to the challenges to itseconomic competitiveness. The industrialfocus must shift to knowledge- andcompetence-based activities, in addition toproduction. Singapore must develop itsinnovation capacity as a new, sustainablesource of competitive advantage.

Indeed, many countries are focusing onbuilding up their innovation capacity as astrategy for sustainable competitiveness.In the OECD countries, this is evidentfrom the strong and increasing emphasison tertiary education and research. Inparticular, small advanced countries likeFinland and Sweden have led theinnovation wave in Europe, making boldinvestments in research and developmentand putting in place structures to supportthe development of effective innovationsystems.

• Public Research in the InnovationSystem

The public research sector is a key playerin the innovation system. It acts to lowerthe barriers and costs to firms of engaging


Source for, acquire and assimilate S&Tknowledge from external sources

Create newS&T knowledge

NewKnowledge

NewWealth,

JobsApply

knowledge tointroduce newproducts andprocesses to

the market

New Productsand Methodsof Productionin the Market

Captureeconomicbenefits

in innovation and to create a facilitativeenvironment for these activities to beundertaken effectively, efficiently andcompetitively. It performs this importantrole in the following ways:

a) Creating a source of R&D manpowerwith the appropriate skills, knowledgeand experience – the mobility ofpersonnel between the publicresearch sector and the enterprisesector is key;

b) Being a collaborator in R&D, andcomplementing the internalknowledge and competence ofenterprises, and a catalyst for thegeneration of knowledge-basedactivities in the enterprise sectorthrough the exploitation of itsinventions and discoveries; and

c) Being a sharer and provider of R&Dand technical infrastructure, facilitiesand services; and a bridge to theglobal base of scientific andtechnological knowledge.

• Science and Technology

Science and Technology has been theprime driver of economic developmentin the last 2–3 centuries. Technologicalbreakthroughs have transformed theeconomies of developed countries inNorth America, Western Europe andJapan. Countries at the forefront inharnessing technological change have

continued to enjoy the highest standardsof living.

In an increasingly competitive andglobalised economy, one of the keys tosustaining one’s competitive advantagewill be to develop superior technologicalcapabilities and continue to create high-value new jobs that competitors cannotyet do.

Science and Technology is a natural areafor Singapore to excel in, given itspeople’s strength in the sciences andmathematics. Singapore students regularlytop international competitions in Scienceand Mathematics. Many of its topstudents gravitate to science andengineering disciplines at universities, inwhich they excel.

This natural bent towards the sciences isencouraged by the country’s educationsystem, and provides the foundation fora society that is comfortable with scienceand technology, and a workforce that isable to quickly adapt and adopt newtechnological innovations and scientificadvances.

• Talent

Talent is the economic paradigm for thetwenty-first century. It will be the key tocontinued economic prosperity.

Fig 2-1: Innovation capacity

CHAPTER 2 : Economic Challenges Ahead 21

BOSTON-CAMBRIDGE – ATALENT HUB

The concentration of top talent in the universities andresearch organisations in the Boston-Cambridge- area hasbeen the prime attractor of investments and companies.Boston-Cambridge today is a hotspot for biomedicalresearch. Many of the world’s largest pharmaceuticalcompanies have established research activities in the area.For instance, the Swiss pharmaceutical company, Novartisrelocated its global R&D headquarters to Boston-Cambridge in order to be near the major sources ofscientific talent and to recruit the best researchers for itslaboratories.

The critical success factor for Singaporewill be its ability to become aninternational talent node – nurturing itsown talent as well as drawing creative andtalented people from all corners of theworld to live and work in Singapore.

This is already happening. Successfulglobal cities today are global talent hubs.The growth regions of Boston-Cambridgeand Silicon Valley have demonstrated thatinvestment and economic opportunitiesfollow talent.

Talent will be Singapore’s competitiveadvantage. To be a talent hub, Singaporemust cultivate a dynamic and open societythat offers economic opportunities forcommunities of creative and talentedpeople. Research in particular is a highly

networked activity and researchers willbe attracted to communities of like-minded and creative people who caninteract with, stimulate and challenge oneanother.

The goal is to transform Singapore intoa talent magnet for scientific excellencein selected areas, which will help anchorits economy, and position Singapore asthe R&D gateway to Asia. This will createa sustainable path for its long termeconomic growth. In tandem with thegrowth of knowledge industries inSingapore, more post-graduates and post-doctorates will need to be trained tosupport highly knowledge-intensiveindustries e.g. in the biomedical andpharmaceutical sectors.


STRATEGIC DIRECTIONSFOR S&T POLICY (2006 – 2010)

chapter 3 :

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - KEY TOSUSTAINABLE COMPETITIVENESS

Many countries have recognised theimportance of science, technology andinnovation to economic growth, and aretaking steps to strengthen their S&T andinnovation systems.

The OECD Science, Technology andIndustry (STI) Outlook 2004 outlined thecommitment of OECD governments tointensify R&D activities to fuel economicgrowth. OECD governments havecommitted to increasing R&D spending,despite their tight budgets. Manycountries, as well as the European Union(EU), have established explicit targets forboosting R&D expenditure, in both thepublic and private sectors. Increasingamounts of public money are beinginvested in scientific and technologicalfields that promise great economic andsocietal value, in particular, infocommtechnology (ICT), biotechnology andnanotechnology. Countries, such asDenmark and the Netherlands havecreated special funds to finance researchin priority fields.

REVIEW OF SINGAPORE’S R&DDIRECTION

The Ministerial Committee on Researchand Development (MCRD), chaired bythen Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan,was formed in August 2004 to reviewSingapore’s R&D strategies and direction.

EUROPEAN LISBONTARGETS

The European Union (EU) aims todevelop Europe into the mostcompetitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010.To achieve this goal, the EU aims toraise the collective level of R&Dspending to 3% of GDP by 2010, ofwhich two-thirds would be from theprivate sector. This is expected to havea significant impact on long-termgrowth and employment in Europe,creating an additional 400,000 jobsevery year after 2010. In addition, theEuropean Commission (EC) hasproposed a doubling its researchbudget, with greater emphasis onindustry-relevant research, under itsambitious European Seventh ResearchFramework Programme (FP7).

As part of its work, the MCRD visitedvarious public and private R&D institutionsand companies in Singapore. It also visitedfive small but economically advancedeconomies (i.e. Switzerland, Denmark, theNetherlands, Sweden and Finland) tobetter understand how they havesuccessfully organized themselves toachieve good economic growth andstrong science and technologyperformance on a sustained basis, despitetheir relatively small population sizes.

CHAPTER 3 : Strategic Directions for S&T Policy (2006 – 2010) 23

The top leadership in these countriesplaced great importance and urgency onR&D. It was clear from the insights andinformation gained during MCRD’s visitsthat Singapore has to refocus its researchand innovation agenda to keep up withinternational developments. Singaporemust push ahead with transforming itselfinto an innovation-driven economy,competing on knowledge and talent, andin so doing put itself on the path towardssustained economic growth.

Singapore needs to refocus its

research and innovation agenda to

keep up with international

developments.

STRATEGIC KEY THRUSTS OF R&D

The MCRD identified five key strategicthrusts that will guide our R&D effortsover the next five years.

• THRUST 1 - MORE RESOURCES FORR&D AND CONTINUED HIGH LEVELATTENTION TO R&D

Currently, Singapore lags significantlybehind other advanced countries with itsGERD at only 2.25% of GDP (2004), anda smaller GDP (see Fig 3-1).

Singapore will need to intensify its R&Defforts significantly and allocate newmoney to this area. The need to increasefunding for R&D has also been recognizedby EDB’s International Advisory Council.

Singapore aims to increase its expenditureon R&D to at least 3% of GDP withinthe next 5 years. This will be a criticalinvestment in our future and will make asignificant economic impact.

To ensure continued top-level attention onR&D, Singapore is setting up a high-leveladvisory council, the Research, Innovationand Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired bythe Prime Minster which will provideguidance and leadership to drive thetransformation of our economy throughresearch and innovation. The Council willbe supported by a new National ResearchFoundation (NRF).

Singapore must push on with transforming itself into aninnovation-driven economy, competing on knowledge and talent,and in so doing put itself on the path towards sustainedeconomic growth.

Fig 3-1: Comparison of GERD/GDP Ratioof Various Countries

Source: OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators (2005)National Survey of R&D in Singapore (2004)

• THRUST 2 - FOCUS ON SELECTEDAREAS OF ECONOMICIMPORTANCE

Singapore will need to concentrate itspublic research budget around a smallnumber of strategic areas so as todevelop a critical mass of researchcapabilities in industries where it can beeconomically competitive.

Apart from continuing to deepen itscapabilities in existing manufacturingclusters such as electronics, chemicals,engineering and biomedical sciences,through continued investment in R&D andmanpower development, Singapore needs

1.84

1.89

1.91

2.25

2.26

2.53

2.57

2.64

2.68

3.15

3.48

3.98

4.46

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0GERD/GDP (%)

Co

un

trie

s

Total OECD (2003)

SINGAPORE (2004)

Belgium (2004)

Denmark (2002)

Switzerland (2000)

US (2003)

Korea (2003)

Japan (2003)

Finland (2003)

Sweden (2003)

Israel (2004)

Netherlands (2002)

EU-15 (2003)


to continually look for new growth areasto sustain its economic growth over thelonger term. The NRF Board has identifiedtwo new growth sectors that show goodpotential viz. the Environmental and WaterTechnologies sector and the Interactiveand Digital Media sector. Ministerial-levelSteering Committees have beenestablished to drive developments inthese sectors; to co-ordinate activitiesacross agencies in the areas of industrydevelopment, research and education; andto offer guidance on policy issues thatmay arise.

• THRUST 3 - BALANCE OFINVESTIGATOR-LED AND MISSION-ORIENTED RESEARCH

Within the selected strategic areas,Singapore must be prepared to fund a

broad spectrum of research, ranging frombasic investigator-led research to appliedresearch.

There will be increased support for basicresearch, which will build the foundationfor scientific excellence. This will help tocreate new knowledge and attract talentto Singapore. In this connection, theexisting Academic Research Fund (AcRF)under the Ministry of Education (MOE) willbe expanded in scope to cover not onlybasic research at our universities, but alsoacademic, investigator-led research that isbroadly aligned with the long-term visionof the strategic interests of Singapore.A*STAR, under MTI, will continue to driveefforts in the area of mission-orientedindustrial research.

• THRUST 4 - ENCOURAGE EVENMORE PRIVATE SECTOR R&D

Increasing private R&D in Singapore is akey priority as companies are best placedto decide which areas of R&D to investin, and align R&D investments withcommercial opportunities.

“Innovation, enterprise and R&D, these are the ways to remakethe economy. There are risks in this approach. We are a smallcountry, we can’t bet on every number on the table, we have toback certain positions. But we have to do this and if we succeed,we will gain a competitive edge which will put us ahead for 15 or20 years to come; not forever, but long enough for us to make aliving and to work out the next step forward and, therefore, tocreate jobs and prosperity for Singaporeans.”

- PM Lee Hsien Loong, National Day Rally Speech 2005

CHAPTER 3 : Strategic Directions for S&T Policy (2006 – 2010) 25

Over the shorter term, the increase inprivate R&D expenditure will continue tobe largely driven by the MNCs.Singapore’s incentive packages will bereviewed to ensure their continuedeffectiveness in attracting global R&Dcentres to locate in Singapore.

More resources will be allocated for thesepromotion activities and to ensure that ahigh quality supporting framework is inplace, including strong scientific andresearch manpower and sophisticatedintellectual property protection regulations.

Importantly, an open innovation platformmust be created for the researchcommunity in Singapore, so that talentedresearch scientists and engineers can flowacross academia, public researchinstitutions, and industry in opencollaborative networks.

• THRUST 5 - STRENGTHEN NEXUSBETWEEN R&D AND BUSINESS

Innovation is a key preoccupation of manycountries seeking to sustaincompetitiveness in a global economy.Even countries with long traditions ofscientific excellence are recognizing theneed to strengthen their innovationframework to derive greater economicvalue from research by strengthening thenexus between research and innovation.

Singapore needs to strengthen the nexusbetween its knowledge institutions andresearch performing agencies such as thepolytechnics, universities, researchinstitutes and industry. These agenciesmust improve on their ability tocommercialise research results, anddevelop closer collaboration with industry.

Research performing agencies will needto review how to strengthen theirtechnology transfer framework and offermore sophisticated supporting services,including access to financing, and theprotection, management and marketing ofinnovations.

Stronger co-funding frameworks betweenthe public and private entities would bedeveloped, e.g. by encouraging ourpolytechnics to link up with industryassociations to collaborate on R&Dinitiatives, with support from theGovernment.

In particular, SPRING, IE Singapore andEDB will work closely on the promotionof entrepreneurship. More attention willbe focused on startups and new growthenterprises, especially those involved inidentified strategic areas. These effortswill spark new growth and economicrejuvenation. Promotion of technologicalinnovation and capabilities in Singapore’sSMEs, which can complement the MNCsthrough the economy’s cluster strategy,will continue.


NATIONAL R&D FRAMEWORK

chapter 4 :

The MCRD has outlined a national R&Dframework to implement the strategicthrusts to drive the economictransformation of Singapore into aresearch-driven knowledge-intensiveeconomy.

NATIONAL R&D FRAMEWORKThe national R&D framework is describedin Fig 4-1. At the top level, the RIEC willadvise Government on national research,innovation and enterprise strategies.

The national R&D system (excluding thedefence sector) is organised mainly alongtwo tracks – the Ministry of Trade andIndustry will drive mission-orientedresearch, while the Ministry of Educationwill oversee academic and investigator-ledresearch. A new National ResearchFoundation has been set up to fundlonger term strategic programmes.

Research, Innovation and EnterpriseCouncil (RIEC)

The RIEC will lead the national drive topromote research, innovation and

enterprise, by encouraging new initiativesin knowledge creation in science andtechnology, and to catalyse new areas ofeconomic growth. The Council will bechaired by the Prime Minister, and willcomprise other Ministers, prominentcaptains of industry, and internationallyrenowned individuals from the scientificand academic communities. The RIEC willplay an important leadership role intransforming Singapore into a knowledge-based economy, with strong supportingcapabilities in R&D.

National Research Foundation (NRF)

The NRF will implement national research,innovation and enterprise strategiesapproved by the RIEC, and allocatefunding to programmes that meet theNRF strategic objectives. It will provideSecretariat support to the RIEC. It willcoordinate the research of differentagencies within the larger nationalframework so as to provide a coherentstrategic overview and direction. It willalso be responsible for developing policiesand plans to implement the 5 strategicthrusts of the national R&D agenda.

“To transform the five key strategic thrusts [of the MCRD] fromconcept to reality, we need strong leadership to lead our drivetowards a more dynamic research and innovative environment.”

— Then-DPM Dr Tony Tan in Aug ’05

CHAPTER 4 : National R&D Framework 27

The Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council will lead the national drive to promoteknowledge creation and innovation.

Fig 4-1: National R&D Framework

MTI - Mission-oriented R&D

MTI will drive mission-oriented R&D,through the close integration of the effortsof its economic agencies, A*STAR,SPRING and EDB.

• A*STAR

A*STAR’s mission is to foster world-classscientific research and nurture world-classscientific talent to advance Singapore’seconomic goals. It plays a central role insetting the thematic priorities for publicresearch, developing the national base ofpostgraduate research manpower,

investing in major physical researchinfrastructure, and catalyzing thecommercialisation of IP generated inpublic research.

A*STAR’s research capabilities are anintegral component of Singapore’s industrydevelopment strategy and will supportEDB’s investment promotion efforts.Close integration of A*STAR’s R&D witheconomic development objectives willstrengthen our ability to attract research-intensive manufacturing projects fromMNCs, deepen capabilities in existingindustry clusters, and upgrade our localenterprises.

Intermediary

Funders

R&D

Performers

Basic

Investigator-led

Research

Basic

Mission-oriented

Research

Applied

Industrial

Research

Development Pre- VC VC

Start-up Enterprise

MOE

National Research

Foundation (NRF)

($5bil)

Research, Innovation & Enterprise

Council (RIEC)

Cabinet

Academic Research

Fund (AcRF) ($1.05bil)

New initiatives and

programmes to develop

new growth areas and

new capabilities

Public/Private

Universities

Corporate Research Units

Hospitals

Polytechnics

A*STAR RIs

Others e.g.

Think-tanks, Institutes

MTI ($7.5bil)

A*STAR

($5.4bil)

EDB

($2.1bil)

Private Labs


A*STAR and EDB will work together inidentifying prospective technologies andkey growth areas for the economy.

• EDB

EDB’s mission is to create sustainableeconomic growth and businessopportunities in Singapore. As part of thisrole, EDB promotes private sector R&Dby attracting multinationals to locate R&Dcentres and corporate R&D activities inSingapore. EDB will also promote privatesector R&D in local enterprises and start-ups.

• SPRING

SPRING will seek to encouragetechnology innovation in local enterprises,in particular SMEs, by addressing the gapsthey experience in doing so. SMEs’technology innovation capabilities can beenhanced through the transfer oftechnology and expert management.

MOE – Academic and Investigator-ledR&D

MOE will oversee and fund academicresearch at the tertiary institutions, as wellas investigator-led research through theexpanded AcRF. Its focus will be onresearch which is basic in nature, withlonger timeframes and driven more byknowledge creation.

• Academic Research Fund (AcRF)

The scope of AcRF will be expanded tocover not only basic research at ouruniversities, but also investigator-ledresearch that is broadly aligned with thelong-term vision of the strategic interestsof Singapore. In particular, there shouldbe an assured level of funding forinvestigator-led research over a reasonableperiod in order to attract world-classresearchers to Singapore.

Having a more active investigator-ledresearch climate would help to provide afertile environment for seeding new ideasand achieving breakthroughs in newknowledge. The presence of top researchtalent enhances the quality andattractiveness of our graduate educationprogrammes, and through close linkageswith our universities, would help ouruniversities achieve even higher peaks ofexcellence.

• Universities/Polytechnics

Within the universities, the focus willcontinue to be on faculty-led researcheither independently or in collaborationwith other public and private sectorinstitutions, which creates newknowledge that will form the foundationfor future innovations and discoveries. Inparticular, there will be assured medium-to long-term support for selected areasof research which are broadly aligned withthe long-term vision of the strategicinterests of Singapore.

The polytechnics will focus on researchwhich is more developmental in nature,with greater focus on strengthening thenexus between R&D and businessthrough joint projects with industry andlocal enterprises. The polytechnics willplay a significant role in strengtheninginnovation in the private sector anduplifting technological and manpowercapabilities in Singapore.

CHAPTER 4 : National R&D Framework 29

COLLABORATION IN R&DThe various R&D performers in thenational research landscape will need tocollaborate closely. At the national level,the NRF will provide the coherentstrategic overview so that the researchactivities of different Governmentagencies are coordinated within the largernational framework.

Close linkages and collaboration betweenresearch institutes, tertiary institutions,public research agencies, disease centresand hospitals will be important to facilitatea continuum of research from basicscience to applied science to commercialapplication.

Such linkages would take different forms.A*STAR has extramural programmeswhere it engages the universities, publicresearch agencies, hospitals and diseasecentres in joint R&D projects and thematicprogrammes, and in holding conferencesand seminars. Collaborative efforts willcover research manpower, such asencouraging joint appointments at RIs,universities, hospitals and disease centres,having joint supervision and teaching ofgraduate and postgraduate students andA*STAR scholars, seconding RSEs fromA*STAR RIs or polytechnics to the privatesector. It is important that we facilitatean open platform that allows ideas andpeople to flow freely between thedifferent players in the researchlandscape.


ENABLING TECHNOLOGYENVIRONMENT FOR SUSTAINEDINDUSTRY GROWTH

chapter 5 :

The priorities for public research over thenext 5 years have been developed,building on EDB’s Manufacturing 2018Plan, as well as IDA’s InfocommsTechnology Roadmap (ITR5) and IntelligentNation 2015 (iN2015).

The planning process involved experts andleaders from the research community andindustry in Singapore and abroad, as wellas the key agencies and ministries. Itcovered wide-ranging technology scans,assessment of future S&T infrastructureneeds, RI-university linkages, IP issues,industry views and perspectives, andcoordinated efforts of public sectoragencies.

MANUFACTURING & SERVICESManufacturing and services will remainthe twin engines propelling Singapore’sgrowth in the knowledge-driven globalisedeconomy. This dual thrust will help toensure that the economic base isdiversified and make Singapore moreresilient against business cycles. It willcreate good jobs for Singaporeans acrossthe skills spectrum and provideopportunities for everyone in society.

Singapore will focus on differentiatingitself as a compelling investment locationand achieving leadership positions in itsindustry clusters. This will requirecapabilities ranging from science andtechnology to creative skills and

management know-how, as well asfocusing on niche areas.

Singapore’s strong manufacturing andtechnology base will help to attract cuttingedge R&D activities which will in turnattract and anchor higher value-addedindustrial activities in the country.

The main industry clusters in themanufacturing sector are: Electronics,Chemicals, Biomedical Sciences (BMS),Precision Engineering (PE), TransportEngineering (TE) and General Industry (GI)clusters; and in the services sector:Education, Healthcare, Infocomms &Media (ICM), Logistics, Engineering &Environmental Services (EES) andBusiness & Professional Services clusters.

In each of these clusters, Singapore aimsto maintain its existing leadershippositions, while actively pursuing newgrowth areas such as animation & gamesdevelopment, education, environmentalengineering and alternative energy. At thesame time, Singapore will continue toseek out new and emerging growthindustries.

TECHNOLOGY PLANSOur industry development plans aresupported by corresponding technologyplans. Close collaboration between theindustry and the RIs and universities isneeded to address the technological

CHAPTER 5 : Enabling Technology Environment for Sustained Industry Growth 31

Fig 5-2: Technologies Needed by Industry Clusters

Fig 5-1: Management of Knowledge from Basic &Applied Sciences to Industry

needs of major industry projects andinitiatives.

EDB has identified the areas ofengineering, sciences & technologiesneeded to reach the targeted levels ofindustry pre-eminence for themanufacturing and services clusters.These include focused S&T areas for eachcluster, as well as broad-basedtechnologies that cut across various

clusters e.g. Computational Technology,Material Technology, Nanotechnology andMicroelectronics.

Fig 5-2 highlights the set of appliedsciences and broad-range technologiesneeded by industry clusters.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR PUBLICRESEARCHThe strategic goals of public research atA*STAR are to:

• anchor high value-added manufacturingclusters through deepening of R&Dcapabilities; and

• develop new R&D-intensive growthindustries.

With our small resource base,investments in public research have to betargeted in selected fields, in order toconcentrate resources and focus effortsto build internationally competitiveconcentrations of R&D capital in selectedareas. A*STAR targets the broad fields ofscience and technology of most relevance

INDUSTRY

CLUSTER

TECHNOLOGY

APPLIED

SCIENCES

BASIC

SCIENCES

Un

iver

siti

es

Res

earc

hIn

stit

ute

s

SP

RIN

G &

ED

B m

anag

edC

lust

ers

Biotechnology beyond BMS

Alternate Energy

Process and Manufacturing Technology

Material

Handling

Technology

Food SafetyParticle

Science

Catalysis

Synthesis

Material Technology

Microelectronics

Electronics Design

Photonics

Nanotechnology

Structural /

Mechanical

Engineering

Food Tech &

Processing

Security

Info Mgmt

Software

Systems

Comms/

Networking

Photonics

Food

Science &

Nutrition

Env

Engineering

Applied Chemistry

Computational Technology

Info-Comms

& Media Electronics Chemicals

Precision

EngineeringTransport

EngineeringFood LogisticsEngrg. &

Env. Svcs

Technology

Engrg.

Sciences

Basic

Sciences

Nanotech

Notes

1. The colours used are for illustration only

2. Size of bars do not reflect relative importance; sizes have been adjusted to indicate overlap with other technologies / engineering sciences

3. Structural Engineering constitutes offshore, marine and aviation structures


Fig 5-3: Basic and Translational Research – Supporting the Biomedical Sciences Cluster

PHARMACEUTICALS MEDICAL

TECHNOLOGY

BIOTECHNOLOGY

HEALTHCARE

SERVICES &

DELIVERY

Genomics & Proteomics

Bioprocessing

Chemical Synthesis

Molecular & Cell Biology

Bioengineering &Nanotechnology

Computational Biology

Industry

SectorsIndustry

Sectors

Stem

Cel

ls

Bioimaging

Cohort Studies

Biomarkers

Drug D

iscove

ry

TRANSLATIONAL

RESEARCH

CLINICAL

RESEARCH

to the development of the key industrysectors: Biomedical Sciences, Electronics,Infocomms & Media, Chemicals, andEngineering.

In the high value-added sectors,opportunities exist for the upstreammigration or expansion of existingactivities towards R&D. In particular,sectors such as the semiconductor andhard disk drive industries in Singapore arepart of high R&D-intensity globalindustries. Trends in the off-shoring ofR&D and relocation outside the triadeconomies of North America, Europe andJapan may also offer opportunities thatwe can capitalise on.

In other sectors, opportunities to createnew growth industries may be generatedby scientific and technological advances,e.g. in biotechnology, informationtechnology and nanotechnology, especiallyin the areas of convergence of thesefields.

PRIORITIES OF THE BIOMEDICALRESEARCH COUNCIL (BMRC)

BMRC’s efforts in the last 5 years havecentred on establishing the infrastructurefor the conduct of world-class basicbiomedical R&D in Singapore. In the next5 years, BMRC’s 5 RIs will continue todeepen their basic core capabilities in thespecific domains to support our growingBMS industry, to translate the outputs ofbasic research into clinically useful andcommercially viable applications. Theoverall aim is to stimulate economicgrowth for Singapore through theadvancement of human healthcare.

In optimising limited resources, BMRC willensure that bench research is driven bycurrent and pertinent clinical needs. Tofoster collaborations, BMRC will structureits translational activities as thematicstrategic research programmes so as toincrease the participation and partnershipof the relevant research groups


Fig 5-4: BMS Value Chain

contributing through a network towardsspecific needs.

5 key areas of research have beenidentified where Singapore could play acritical role: (i) Drug Discovery, (ii)Bioimaging, (iii) Stem Cells, (iv) CohortStudies, and (v) Biomarkers. Thesetranslational programmes will interfacewith our basic biomedical core capabilitiesto further strengthen the BMS industrycluster (Fig 5-3).

• Deepening Basic R&D Capabilities

The BMS is a multidisciplinary field whichrequires the basic building blocks toensure outputs across the entire valuechain (Fig 5-4). Molecular and Cell Biologywill continue to be a cornerstone to newbiomedical discoveries. With the adventof new tools, novel technologies andmethodologies are now being developedto elucidate the complex networkof genes (Genomics) and proteins(Proteomics), bringing scientists closer tounderstanding the mechanisms thatdetermine life and its regulatory processesin human, pathogens as well as carriersof infectious diseases.

With the recent explosion of gene andprotein sequence and structure data,new applications of ComputationalBioengineering are emerging in the areaof macromolecular structure and function.In addition, bioinformatics provides a toolfor the modelling of complex biologicalpathways. Bioprocessing as well asBioengineering and Nanotechnology arethe 2 other basic building blocks thatdevelop capabilities in the manufacture ofbiological vaccines and therapeutics, andin new treatment modalities that arebased on nanotechnology for drugdelivery, artificial organs and implants aswell as medical devices.

In the next 5 years, the BMRC RIs willdeepen their capabilities in these basiccapabilities. This will also presentopportunities for interfacing with theclinical communities where new basicscientific frontiers could be exploited forclinical purposes. To this end, the BMRCwill continue to foster interactionsamongst the basic and clinical scientistsso as to extract the full potential ofexpertise available in Singapore.

• Building and StrengtheningTranslational Competencies

BMS efforts require sustainableinvestments for long term gestation.Pharmaceutical MNCs are moving towardsgreater outsourcing of their R&D activities,and companies are becoming less willingto take on early discoveries for furtherdevelopment because of the need toinvest significant resources. In responseto this global trend where researchinstitutions play an increasingly larger rolein Drug Discovery, BMRC will set up anin-house developmental laboratory to helpnurture early phase discoveries from theRIs to bring them closer to the pointwhere they are sufficiently advanced alongthe drug discovery value chain for industryto take over.

In 2004, BMRC established the Centre forMolecular Medicine (CMM) to bridge thegap between basic science and clinicalmedicine. As a programme directedresearch centre, the CMM aims to bringtogether scientists and clinicians from RIs,universities and hospitals to serve as aplatform to train a new breed of clinician-scientists. Six CMM programmes havebeen established so far, namelyRegenerative Medicine, OnoGenomics,Epithelial Biology, Immunology, Virologyand Genetic Medicine.

HealthcareDelivery

Product &ProcessDevelopment

Basic &ClinicalResearch

Regional HQ

Marketing

Full-scale Manufacturing


Fig 5-5: Supporting the Science & Engineering Clusters

PRIORITIES OF THE SCIENCE ANDENGINEERING RESEARCH COUNCIL(SERC)SERC supports Singapore’s four keymanufacturing industry sectors inElectronics, ICM, Chemicals, andEngineering (Fig 5-5). SERC RIs developrelevant technologies and capabilities tomeet the needs of manufacturingindustries.

SERC also actively helps local enterprisesimprove their global competitivenessthrough the GET-Up Scheme. Here, SERCRIs play a pivotal role in providingtechnical assistance and manpowertransfer to Singapore local companies.SERC will continue to invest intechnological developments that will helpanchor companies in Singapore and helplocal enterprises compete effectively inthe global markets. Only with knowledgearising from deep engagement in R&D willSERC understand the technological trendsneeded to renew capabilities so as to helplocal companies take advantage of newmarket opportunities and growthindustries.

To identify and prioritise areas for newcapability development, SERC led a

process of Technology Scans thatengaged a large part of the local researchcommunity to conduct foresights of majorsocial, economic, technological, andpolitical trends over a horizon up to 2015-2020. From the scans, possible scenariosof the future needs of the industry andsociety are painted. Understanding thesefuture needs will better guide SERC RIsin developing relevant competencies. Thetechnology scans serve as inputs to SERCRIs to update their intramural programmesso as to stay relevant to the industries.They also serve to inform the broaderresearch community on the directions ofSERC’s extramural programmes.

• ElectronicsData storage and semiconductors are twoimportant sectors of Singapore’s electroniccluster. Unique to these two sectors isthe availability of established internationaltechnology roadmaps, which industryplayers rely on for a major part of theirproduct development. SERC will strive todevelop new capabilities to meet futureneeds of the industry as projected bythese roadmaps.

SERC will also build capability in datastorage and memories to maintain


Singapore’s position as the data storagecapital of the world. Over the mediumterm, the global aging population willprovide opportunities for technologicaldevelopments in healthcare applications.Through its multi-disciplinaryNanotechnology initiative, SERC will alsodevelop capabilities to address thetechnical barrier of incumbenttechnologies approaching atomic limits.

• Infocomm & Media

SERC will focus on core capabilities inInfocomm & Media (ICM), in particular inCommunications, Information Science andMedia technologies which are keyenablers of ICM. ICM capabilities are alsoenablers for other industries such as theelectronics cluster, chemicals cluster,engineering services as well asbiotechnology.

ICM will play an increasingly importantrole in our daily life. SERC RIs will addressnew opportunities in digital entertainment,digital healthcare and digital home / workenvironment.

• Chemicals

Singapore’s chemicals industry has a largediversity of products and processes.Chemicals R&D will support platformcapabilities in synthesis, catalysis, polymerand process sciences. Capabilitydevelopment efforts will be focused onthis basic set of capabilities to provide thenecessary expertise to meet industryneeds and provide value-add technologies.

• Engineering

The engineering cluster cuts acrossmultiple disciplines e.g. transportengineering, logistics, and environmentalengineering, with expertise residing in anumber of SERC RIs, the universities andpolytechnics. SERC will adopt a multi-disciplinary approach involving the relevantRIs and partners in supporting theseclusters.

• Inter-cluster Opportunities

The technology scans have identified newfocus areas of research where Singaporehas a competitive advantage. In addition,the scans identified novel interfacesbetween disciplines where technologybreakthroughs are likely and whereSingapore can build world-class expertise.

Based on these novel interfaces,integrative themes that have high potentialto impact inter-cluster industrydevelopment have been identified. Theaim is to explore research opportunitiesat the technology interfaces. Examples ofthese areas include Nanotechnology andEnvironmental and Energy Technologies.Programmes that take advantage of theseinter-cluster opportunities will need toleverage on a multitude of scientific andengineering disciplines that exist inA*STAR RIs and the universities. Over thenext 5 years, SERC will develop a pipelineof such capabilities across the broaderresearch community in areas important tothe Singapore economy through variousprogrammes.


DEVELOPING AND MANAGINGR&D HUMAN CAPITAL

chapter 6 :

ATTRACTING AND NURTURING R&DTALENTTalent is the key to economic progress inthe knowledge-based economy of thetwenty-first century. In a global economywhere talent flows freely among cities andcountries, Singapore must position itselfas a key node in the cross-borderknowledge networks, and magnet forglobal talent.

As Singapore moves up the technologychain, the need for highly trained R&Dtalent will increase. Such talent will beneeded to fuel our economictransformation, and support new and highvalue-add industries.

Investments will follow talent. A ready andabundant supply of highly trained researchmanpower will be a key factor pullingknowledge-intensive industries toSingapore, in addition to our traditionalstrengths of good infrastructure, a stableinvestment climate and political stability.

Highly trained manpower will help ourlocal enterprises upgrade and move up thetechnology value-chain, thereby enablingthem to become more internationallycompetitive.

NATIONAL EFFORTSBetween 1995 and 2003, the number ofResearch Scientist & Engineers (RSEs)more than doubled from 8,340 to 17,074.As Singapore targets to achieve a GERDof 3% of GDP, we will need to increase

the number of RSEs to sustain the higherlevels of R&D activity. (Fig 6-1 shows theupward trend when each country’snumber of RSEs are plotted against theirGERD.)

Tertiary institutions will play an importantrole in encouraging and developing talentand interest in science and technology.Our local universities and polytechnics willcontinue to provide a strong pipeline ofhigh quality graduates trained in S&Tdisciplines.

A*STAR’S EFFORTSA*STAR aims to develop and sustain astrong pipeline flow of PhD talent to meetindustry needs. It is well-positioned to doso, with its RIs engaged in R&D activitiesthat support the key industry sectors. TheRIs are positioned closer to industry to

Source: OECD Main Science & Technology Indicators(2005)

Fig 6-1: Researchers (FTE)/10,000labour force vs GERD/GDP

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0GERD/GDP (%)

Researc

hers

(FT

E)

/ 10,0

00 lab

ou

r fo

rce

Denmark

Netherlands

USASingapore

Switzerland

Korea

Finland

SwedenJapan

CHAPTER 6 : Developing and Managing R&D Human Capital 37

better allow them to understand andsupport industry’s needs. They arestructured to respond more quickly to theemerging scientific and technologicaladvances and industry developments.

A*STAR’s Approach to Human CapitalDevelopment

• Pro-Foreign, Pro-Local Approach

A*STAR taps on the best in the world tomeet Singapore’s needs for quality R&Dmanpower. The new technologies andknow-how brought in accelerates thedevelopment of Singapore’s researchcapabilities. Global talent also helps toconnect Singapore to the best scientistsand scientific organisations internationally,strengthening our global network. It alsocreates a vibrant research community thatputs Singapore on the world map as akey node for scientific and technologicalresearch.

A*STAR plans to groom more of the bestand brightest Singaporeans to undertakecareers in research. These will help to fillposition in the RIs and assume leadershippositions in future.

A*STAR aims to develop a good balanceof local and foreign R&D talent forsustainability over the longer-term. R&D

HuTraining

s

HumanCapitalDevt.

Training

RSEs

Traininggraduates

andpostdocs

Scienceoutreach to

schools

Fig 6-2: A*STAR’S Key Tasks in Human Capital Development

The Distinguished Visitors Programme(DVP) brings eminent scientists toSingapore, with the aim to increase theexposure of researchers and youngscientific talent in Singapore tointernational trends and developmentsin scientific research, and to .buildcloser ties with the internationalscientific community.

Prof Sir George Radda (above) visitedSingapore in August 2002 as part ofBMRC’s DVP. Since then, he has beenincreasingly involved in Singapore’sbiomedical sciences efforts. He is amember of the BMRC Board and is anemeritus member of the BiomedicalSciences International Advisory Council.Sir George is currently Professor andChairman of the Department ofPhysiology, Anatomy and Genetics atthe University of Oxford. Previously, hewas Chief Executive of the MedicalResearch Council and Chairman of theNational Cancer Research Institute inthe UK. In 2005, Sir George wasappointed Chairman of the SingaporeBioimaging Consortium.

Fig 6-3: A*STAR’s Unique Position

Undergraduate &GraduateStudents

Focused R&D andGraduateEducation

Employmentof PhDs for

Industry

R&D Human Capital

University RI Industry


The Visiting Investigatorship Programme(VIP) brings top researchers to Singaporeto spearhead new research opportunitieswhich have the potential to be developedinto major research themes for Singapore.

must be anchored by a sufficient base ofrooted RSEs in order to effectively retainthe knowledge and R&D capital inSingapore.

• Programmes to bring top scientiststo Singapore

As part of the efforts to seed local talent,the BMRC and SERC established theDistinguished Visitors’ Programme (DVP)and Visiting Investigatorship Programme(VIP) respectively.

• Scholarship Programmes

A*STAR has established a comprehensiverange of scholarship and fellowshipschemes to target different segments ofyoung talent at the undergraduate andpost-graduate levels.

A*STAR launched the National ScienceScholarships (NSS) in 2001 and theA*STAR Graduate Scholarships (AGS) in2003, to build a pipeline of PhD trainedresearchers for Singapore.

The NSS supports both undergraduate andpostgraduate studies at leading overseasuniversities, as well as a year ofattachment at the A*STAR RIs betweenthe undergraduate and graduateprogrammes. A*STAR scholars eventuallyreturn to take up R&D positions in theresearch institutes, and thereafter inindustry. A pastoral care programme hasalso been established to maintain closerelationships and strong linkages with thescholars through their studies.

Prof Dim-Lee Kwong, of University ofTexas, Austin, was appointed a VisitingInvestigator in 2000. Through theappointment, Prof Kwong helped set upthe Silicon Nano Devices Lab at theNational University of Singapore. Therelationship was furthered when heaccepted the appointment as memberand subsequently chairman of theScience Advisory Board of Institute ofMicroelectronics. In 2004, Prof Kwongaccepted the role of Director of the IMESemiconductor Process TechnologyDivision where he has helpedconsolidate research equipment for 8-inch process technology. Building on this,A*STAR has successfully interested ProfKwong in playing a stronger role inleading microelectronics R&D inSingapore, by taking on the position ofExecutive Director of the Institute ofMicroelectronics in Jan 2005.

Fig 6-4: A*STAR Scholarships

Nanyang Technological

University (NTU)

A*STAR SCHOLARSHIPS

BS

International

Fellowship (IF) for

medical doctors

PhD

National Science

Scholarships

(NSS)

A*STAR Graduate

Scholarships

(AGS)

Imperial College

London (IC)

National University

of Singapore (NUS)

University of Illinois

Urbana Champaign (UIUC)

Karolinska Institutet (KI)

University of Dundee

CHAPTER 6 : Developing and Managing R&D Human Capital 39

Under AGS, A*STAR partners topuniversities to jointly train researchers atthe PhD-level. The AGS programme hastwo components. AGS (Local) is acollaboration with the National Universityof Singapore and the NanyangTechnological University. Under AGS(Foreign), A*STAR has partnered topoverseas universities such as ImperialCollege London, the University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sweden’sKarolinska Institutet, and Scotland’sUniversity of Dundee.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDSOver the past 4 years (FY01-04), A*STARhas awarded 276 NSS and 110 AGSscholarships and fellowships. Thescholarships have been successful inexpanding the R&D talent pool in A*STARand Singapore.


PROMOTING PRIVATE SECTOR R&D

chapter 7 :

The growth in intensity of private sectorR&D activities in Singapore reflects thedevelopment of the Singapore economyup the value-add chain – from low-technology labour-intensive industries inthe 1960s to increasingly higher value-added and knowledge intensive onestoday.

Singapore was a relatively late starter inR&D, compared to the developedcountries with steep traditions in scienceand technology e.g. US, Switzerland,Japan.

However, we have made significantprogress over the past 10-15 years (Fig7-1), trebling our private sector R&D

expenditure over this period. In 2004,private sector R&D expenditureconstituted 64% of GERD and 1.43% ofGDP. R&D growth was fuelled both bystrong economic growth, a focus onattracting high value-added manufacturingactivities, and the development ofknowledge institutions, viz. universitiesand public research institutes.

Under the S&T Plan 2005, the target isto grow private sector R&D to two-thirdsof total R&D expenditure (i.e. 1.67% ofGDP) by 2005. In 2004, private sectorR&D constituted 64% of GERD.


0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

19901991

19921993

19941995

19961997

19981999

20002001

20022003

2004

R&

D E

xp

en

dit

ure

($b

il)

PrivatePublic

Fig 7-1: Public and Private Share of GERD

ENCOURAGING MOREPRIVATE SECTOR R&D

Singapore must continue tointensify efforts to promoteprivate sector R&D. This is oneof the major thrusts for the next5 years under the S&T Plan2010.

Under the S&T Plan 2010, atarget has been set for two-thirds of GERD to be performedby the private sector over thelonger term. Top innovativeeconomies, such as Swedenand Finland (Fig 7-2), alreadyachieve private sector spendingof over 2% GDP and over two-thirds of GERD.

CHAPTER 7 : Promoting Private Sector R&D 41

STRATEGIES TO RAISE THE LEVEL OFPRIVATE SECTOR R&D

• Anchor R&D Investments andActivities

Multinationals and large local enterpriseswill continue to be the key performers ofprivate sector R&D activities in Singapore.Going forward, the aim is to anchor moreflagship R&D projects and attractmultinational companies (MNCs) to locatemore corporate R&D activities inSingapore. Greater efforts will be also putin to help Singapore local companies toupgrade and develop depth through R&Dcapabilities, in order to stay competitivein the next 5 years and beyond.

EDB will work closely with A*STAR RIsand the universities to promote R&D

One of the major thrusts for the next 5 years under the S&T Plan 2010 is toencourage more private sector R&D. Indeed, private companies are betterplaced to decide which areas of R&D to invest in, and to align R&Dinvestments with economic opportunities.

Fig 7-2: Private & Public Sector Expenditure on R&D

Source: OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators (2005)

investments, so as to better engagecompanies at the technology level. Thepromotion effort would be supported bya combination of incentives and assistanceschemes, as well as R&D support.

Incentive and Assistance Schemes

The Research Incentive Scheme forCompanies (RISC), established in 1993,has been a key industry and capabilitydevelopment tool for anchoring andbuilding R&D capabilities in Singapore.Through a co-funding mechanism, RISCgrants help to attract R&D investmentsin Singapore e.g. R&D centres, particularlyin areas of economic importance toSingapore. RISC also supports R&Dprojects that result in the increased hiringand training of RSEs. Through RISC, localenterprises enhance their capabilities to

1.431.90 1.83

2.36 2.452.95

3.310.82

0.67 0.79

0.791.03

1.03

1.15

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

Country

Perc

en

tag

e o

f G

DP

(%

)

Private Sector Expenditure on R&D Public Sector Expenditure on R&D

Singapore(2004)

Denmark (2003)

Switzerland(2000)

Japan (2003)

Finland (2003)

Sweden (2003)

Israel (2004)


better enable them to compete in theglobal market or to build sustainable R&Dand manufacturing activities in Singapore.

Over the past 5 years, every dollar ofRISC grant has attracted several dollarsin additional R&D investment by theprivate sector.

In addition to RISC, there are otherassistance schemes which incentivisecompanies to engage in innovation-basedactivities e.g. innovation grants, additionaltax deductions on R&D related costs.

• Build R&D Capabilities

A*STAR RIs

A*STAR and its RIs play a key role instrengthening Singapore’s industrialcapabilities and enhancing industrialcompetitiveness. It supports EDB’sinvestment promotion role by helping tostimulate, support and enhance thegrowth of competitive clusters ofindustrial innovation, and to anchor theiractivities in Singapore.

The A*STAR RIs have developed corecompetencies that support Singapore’skey industry clusters. A*STAR alsoactively builds linkages across the RIs,industry, and the university sector, andleverages on international collaborations todevelop a full spectrum of R&D activities.

A*STAR will continue to expand andstrengthen collaborations and linkagesbetween public sector R&D and industrythrough direct support for industrialinnovation activities, and by sharing R&Dhuman capital and resources withindustry. A*STAR seeks to establish arobust research environment andinfrastructure that serves to supportSingapore local companies and anchorMNC R&D activities in Singapore.

A*STAR contributes towards public-privatepartnerships to spur more private sectorR&D in the following ways:

• Direct support for industrial

innovation – Either by partnering firmsto undertake research, development, anddesign activities, or by assistingcompanies in bringing prototypes toproduction or adopting new technology,

CHAPTER 7 : Promoting Private Sector R&D 43

leading to long-term collaborativerelationships with companies, anddeepening of their economic presence inSingapore;

• Provision/sharing of R&D/technical

facilities and services to the industry –This reduces capital investment thatcompanies have to make to conduct R&Dactivities, and allow economies of scaleto be exploited to lower operating costsof doing R&D in Singapore. Through thecohabitation of public and industry R&D,it also facilitates the inter-mingling of R&Dpersonnel, exchange of expertise andideas, building of both formal and informallinkages, as well as encourages the flowof R&D talent from the RIs to industry;

• Industrial Consortium – formation oftask forces by multiple RIs and companiesto address broad industry-wide issues andopportunities; and

• Commercialisation of Technology

(COT) – Identify cutting-edge technologiesfrom A*STAR RIs and undertakedevelopment risks to bring them to astage that is easily commercialised byindustry.

Private Laboratories

Private laboratories are a key infrastructurethat can support private sector R&Dgrowth over the longer term. Suchlaboratories will enhance Singapore’s R&Dcapabilities, add to the diversity of R&Dsources, and provide an alternate meansfor companies to conduct R&D here.These laboratories can also provideservices such as contract research,consulting, technology transfer via IPlicensing and spin-off companies, andtechnology commercialisation projects.

• Diversify Sources of R&D Funding

We need to promote a greater diversityof R&D funding to encourage more privatesector R&D. Singapore should continue

work to gradually increase the researchfunding coming from non-profitorganizations as well as privatefoundations. These funds play animportant role in funding R&D whosecommercialisation potential may beuncertain, such as basic research or veryspecialised areas of R&D.

• Encourage Innovation in SMEs

SMEs are a critical component of theenterprise ecosystem. A strong cluster ofinnovative enterprises will help tostimulate a culture of creativity andexperimentation; and to support andhence attract higher value-addedindustries and R&D activities.Strengthening technology innovation inSMEs will thus be another key thrust toencourage more private sector R&D.


STRENGTHENING TECHNOLOGICALINNOVATION CAPABILITIES IN SMEs

chapter 8 :

Enterprises create value by convertingideas into commercial reality. They are akey player in the innovation system,helping to turn knowledge and researchinto new products, services andprocesses. Indeed, enterprises lie at thecore of successful innovation.

This chapter outlines the framework forbuilding technology innovation capabilitiesin our local enterprises, with focus onsmall and medium enterprises (SMEs), tobetter enable them to contribute to theinnovation system.

SMEs in Singapore – as in most othercountries – occupy an important positionin the enterprise ecosystem. They makeup 99% of all enterprises, and contribute47% of GDP and 23% of manufacturingexports. More importantly, they accountfor a significant 62% of employment.

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN SMES

SMEs are well aware of the need toleverage on technology to thrive in acompetitive knowledge-based economy. Inthe 2004 SME Development Surveyconducted by DP Information Network, 1out of every 3 SMEs in Singaporeidentified the need to keep up with newtechnology as a key factor for businessgrowth.

SMEs, because of their small size andless entrenched modus operandi, hold

great potential as a source of creativityand innovation. In the US, 4 out of every10 highly innovative firms are small firms.

Indeed, technology innovation can providea powerful platform from which SMEslaunch into the competitive economiclandscape of the 21st century.

Many SMEs, however, lack the know-howand capability to absorb and deploy newtechnologies. Most are either technologyfollowers or technology-indifferent, withonly a minority possessing thetechnological foundation and skilledpersonnel to take advantage oftechnology. We need to help SMEs bridgethe gap, and better position them to takeadvantage of opportunities in newmarkets that come about from changingglobal trends.

EXISTING INITIATIVES ADDRESSINGTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN SMES

Over the years, we have introduced arange of programmes to help enterprisesundertake technology innovation. In 2003,we launched the GET-UP Programmewhich pulls together various existingassistance programmes to provide acustomized solution for enterprises. GET-Up provides three broad areas ofassistance: technical assistance andmanpower support; financial incentivesand assistance; and overseas marketdevelopment.

CHAPTER 8 : Strengthening Technological Innovation Capabilities in SMEs 45

Fig 8-1: Gaps in Technology Innovation

Demand-side Gaps

KNOWLEDGE - SMEs don’t know what’s

needed and/or what’savailable

CAPABILITY - SMEs don’t have ability to

develop and manage technology

AFFORDABILITY - SMEs can’t afford new

technologies and licensing costs

Supply-side Gaps

INFORMATION - No consolidated directory

of what’s available

EMPHASIS - Existing providers do not

focus on commercialisation and SME needs

PROFIT MOTIVATION - Not commercially attractive

to serve SME market

• Limited take-up rate of initiatives

• Low R&D

Intensity* in SMEs

Note: "R&D Intensity is defined as R&D spending as a percentage of Value Added".

Official Launch of the GET-Up Initiative in 2003

• Technical assistance andmanpower assistance programmes

– Operation and Technology

Roadmapping (OTR) which aims toenable companies to developTechnology Roadmaps aligned to theirmid-term business goals andstrategies.

– Technology for Enterprise

Capability Upgrading (T-Up) whichenables local enterprises to accessthe R&D talent in the RIs to helpthem build in-house R&D capabilitiesand culture; and forge collaborationsbetween the local enterprises and RIsfor technology transfer.

– Technical Advisory Support (TA)

which aims to provide a bridgebetween the in-depth technicaladvice needed by companies and theexpertise available in the RIs.

• Financial assistance schemes

– Innovation Development Scheme

(IDS) which encourages and assistsSingapore-registered companies andorganisations to engage in anddevelop capabilities in the innovationof products, processes, applicationsand services.

– Local Enterprise Technical

Assistance Scheme (LETAS) whichsupports generic upgrading projectsfor SMEs by defraying the cost ofconsultancy service for theimplementation of IT projects, qualitymanagement systems and OTR.

– Local Enterprise Finance Scheme

(LEFS), which is a fixed interest ratefinancing programme designed toencourage and assist localenterprises to upgrade, strengthenand expand their operations.


GAPS IN TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONWhile much has been done to helpenterprises, more can be done. Fig 8-1shows some of the reasons cited bySMEs and service providers on thedifficulties encountered in technologyinnovation. It is clear that there is a needto:

• Help SMEs understand their technologyneeds;

• Help SMEs gain access to technologyand related information;

• Help SMEs source for relevanttechnologies both locally and globally;

• Encourage technology innovation inSMEs; and

• Provide incentives for technologyinnovation in SMEs.

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FRAME-WORK FOR SMESSPRING has developed an SMETechnology Innovation Framework toaddress the demand and supply gaps.There are three key strategies under thisframework.

• Catalyse Technology InnovationProjects in SMEs

This promotional role will be undertakenat the general SME community level, aswell as the more specific industry andenterprise levels; with a focus on helpingSMEs address their technology gapsthrough technology advisory and matchingservices, drawing on technologies andpartners both locally and overseas.

SMEs will be encouraged to undertaketechnology innovation projects, inparticular with knowledge institutions suchas polytechnics.

• Build Technology InnovationCapabilities in SMEs

The aim is to help SMEs build up theirtechnology innovation capabilities throughthe secondment of expert manpowerfrom research institutes and otherknowledge institutions and providers toSMEs as well as the training ofemployees in SMEs. The long-term goalis to invigorate enterprises by helpingthem develop indigenous innovationcapabilities, and expand their capacity forinnovation.

• Develop Technology SupportInfrastructure for SMEs

SPRING will work with RIs andpolytechnics to set up relevant technologylaboratories & services to support SMEsin key verticals (either by expanding thecapacity of existing infrastructure orcreating new infrastructure). This willcreate a favourable support environmentfor SMEs to undertake technologyinnovation.

SMEs will continue to make importantcontributions to the economy as wetransit to a reasearch-and innovation-intensive environment. We will need tostrengthen the transfer of technology andexpertise from public research agenciesto the enterprise sector and to deepencapabilities in enterprises to benefit fromsuch initiatives. This will help to realizeone of the key thrusts of the national R&Dstrategic framework; viz., to strengthenthe nexus between R&D and industry.

SPRING, will focus more attention onpromoting technology innovation, anddeveloping the requisite technologyinnovation and innovation supportcapabilities.

CHAPTER 8 : Strengthening Technological Innovation Capabilities in SMEs 47

SPRING will take a market-drivenapproach towards assistance: Thetechnology solution identified should bedriven by the SMEs’ business agenda andassistance provided only in areas wherethere is market failure. There must alsobe co-investment by SMEs to ensureownership.

SPRING will also leverage on existingcapabilities, institutions, and infrastructurevia partnerships with various technologyservice providers such as A*STAR RIs andthe polytechnics, SMEs and industryassociations.

SPRING will work through industryassociations as Technology Co-Facilitatorsto reach out to SMEs, identify their needs,and help implement technology upgradingprogrammes.

For a start, SPRING will focus on strategicclusters with significant growth potentialfor SMEs, for example PrecisionEngineering, Transport Engineering,Logistics, Environmental Engineering andFood.


Source: IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2005

INCREASING COMMERCIALISATIONOF PUBLIC RESEARCH – IP POLICIES

chapter 9 :

Singapore has put in place a reliable androbust intellectual property (IP) frameworkthat offers protection for createdknowledge and provides an equitableframework in which this knowledge canbe leveraged commercially. Theframework constitutes a key infrastructureunderpinning innovation and businessgrowth in a knowledge-based economy.It will promote the growth of R&Dactivities and the commercialisation oftheir results.

As part of Singapore’s plan to become anIP hub, efforts have been made tostrengthen IP legislation and theenforcement mechanism; foster greater IPawareness and capability development;and raise Singapore’s profile in theinternational IP regime. The IntellectualProperty Office of Singapore (IPOS) wasestablished in April 2001 as the leadinggovernment agency to spearhead theseefforts. The IP Academy was launched inJanuary 2003 to deepen and broadenSingapore’s knowledge and capabilities inIP protection, exploitation, andmanagement.

The success of these efforts is reflectedby Singapore’s climb up the internationalrankings in patent and copyrightprotection, as well as the per capitanumber of patents in force (Fig 9-1). AnAsian Intelligence Report by the PoliticalEconomic Risk Consultancy (PERC) in2004 ranked Singapore tops in terms ofIP rights protection amongst 12 Asiancountries.

Singapore’s excellent IP regime hashelped it to attract significant newinvestment in the biomedical sciencessector, in particular in the pharmaceuticalindustry. The biomedical sciences sectorin Singapore is one of the fastest growingsectors, contributing substantially to thegrowth in exports.

The strong IP regime has also contributedto efforts to promote Singapore as anR&D hub.

Singapore’s strategy to become an IP hubalso involves strengthening the linkbetween IP creation and exploitation.

Public research is an important source ofnew discoveries, ideas and innovation.These can be taken to the market togenerate new jobs and create value andwealth for Singapore’s economy. In boththe A*STAR RIs and the universities andpolytechnics, commercialisation ofresearch results is regarded as a core

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Patent &

Copyright #14 #13 #14 #7 #7Protection

No. of

Patents

in Force #17 #13 #14 #9 #4per 100,000

inhabitants

Fig 9-1: Singapore’s International Rankingin the IP Field

CHAPTER 9 : Increasing Commercialization of Public Research – IP Policies 49

activity alongside the research activities.Our funding models recognise the risksand the time horizons it may take toachieve significant successes incommercialisation.

To optimise the economic impact of theIP created from publicly-funded research,clear policies and structures have beenput in place to manage IP effectively.Efforts at commercialisation will also takeaccount of the availability of industryreceptors to absorb and exploit newtechnologies.

IP POLICIES

• Collaborations

R&D is rarely done in isolation. Inparticular, R&D partnerships betweenpublic research organisations and industryare a key feature of an innovation system.Clear and robust guidelines and policieson the ownership, use and exploitationof IP generated in R&D collaborationshave been put in place to facilitate suchpartnerships.

For public research organisations, theguiding principle for the management andcommercialisation of IP is to ensure thefull exploitation of research results. Inparticular, they aim to ensure that the IPremains available for further use and

KEY ISSUES OF IP OWNERSHIP INCOLLABORATIONS BETWEEN

PUBLIC RESEARCH ORGANISATIONSAND INDUSTRY

The key consideration in IP agreements arising fromcollaborations is the right for the PROs to use andexploit the IP, even when partnering other collaboratorsin future research. Ownership is not necessary toguarantee these rights, but is an effective solution inpractice.

Generally, these objectives can be achieved byarrangements where either joint ownership is providedfor or the industry partner owns the IP, while allowingthe PRO freedom to use the IP for research anddevelopment. The PRO should also have a share of therevenue generated by the industry partner (where theindustry partner commercializes the IP). However, forthe reasons stated below, these are not the mostexpedient solutions and PRO ownership of the IP ispreferred.

In the case of joint ownership, clear rules must beprescribed upfront on the management of IP protectionand sharing of costs, particularly with regard to patents.Also, rights must be defined for dealing with thepotential asymmetry of advantages accruing tocommercial organizations who can exploit thetechnology themselves whereas PROs can onlycommercialize through licensing. Verification andmonitoring of the industry partners’ obligations maybe costly and difficult. Potential problems could alsoarise when a PRO needs to create a bundle of IP basedon licenses from different industry collaborators, andwhen IP is owned by different parties. In such cases,fragmentation of IP ownership becomes an impedimentto effective exploitation.

In collaborations and sponsored research, the basicpremise in deciding the assignment of commercialisationrights should be to assign the rights to whichever partycan best achieve it. The sponsoring agencies shouldreceive a fair share of the revenue fromcommercialisation.

exploitation, including when partneringwith different collaborators in the future.

• Incentive Policy

Measures have been put in place toincentivise researchers to commercialisetheir research, through policies that allowthem to share in the financial returns. Thisrecognises that the researchers have asignificant role in determining thecommercialisation pathways, and may not


always be interested in spinning offcompanies. One of the significant modelsin North America, which has also beenadopted by A*STAR, allocates one-third ofnet proceeds to the researcher, one-thirdto the researcher’s department, and theremaining one-third to the institution orits commercialisation arm.

SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONSEffective IP management andcommercialisation must be supported byan experienced and well-trained base oftechnology transfer expertise, andinformed by robust Technology andCompetitive Intelligence (TICI).

In addition, the availability of early stagefunding for new technologies is critical tobridge the gap between the laboratory andcommercial exploitation. For instance,EDB has initiated the Start-up EnterprisEDevelopment Scheme (SEEDS) whichprovides equity funding to start-ups at theearly seed stage. SEEDS has supported148 start-ups in the last 4 years.

A*STAR established its commercialisationarm, Exploit Technologies in 2002, tointegrate the IP management andcommercialisation efforts of the A*STARRIs. The commercialisation professionalsat Exploit Technologies provide the baseof technology transfer expertise to driveA*STAR’s commercialisation efforts.Exploit Technologies actively marketsA*STAR’s IP to industry, negotiateslicenses and helps to ensure smoothtechnology transfer to Singapore industry.

Extensive efforts are being undertaken bythe IP Academy, IPOS and ExploitTechnologies to train technology transfer

ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE FOREFFECTIVE IP MANAGEMENT AND

COMMERCIALISATION

Appropriate structures and processes need to be in placeat the PROs to encourage the valorisation of research. Aclear mandate from the management is necessary andappropriate performance indicators relating tocommercialization must be established to ensure focus.Research at PROs should cover technology validation andproof-of-concept activities that would bring the technologycloser to the market and increase its likelihood ofcommercialization.

• IP Management and Processes

PROs should demonstrate their commitment by investingin proper commercialization management systems. PROsshould have in place an organizational structure forcommercialization of IP that allows for timely decision-making, appropriate risk management process, andflexibility in market approach. Employment, reward,assessment, and recognition systems have to be designedto provide incentives for researchers to encourage themto engage in commercialization activity.

Technology and Competitive Intelligence (TICI) shouldbe undertaken to analyse the strength of the PRO’s IPsand their market potential. In particular, PROs need topay more attention to portfolio building so as to enhancethe success of bringing to market technologies with goodcommercial potential. Commercialization as well asincubation and spin-off management teams must alsoactively bring budding technologies to the companies tofacilitate their commercialization.

• Technology Managers

Technology transfer offices must be able to hire staff withsufficient expertise as well as outsource certain activitiesto specialists as the need arises. Efforts by the IPAcademy, IPOS, as well as Exploit Technologies, inproviding training for IP professionals must continue.

• Availability of Early Stage Funding

The venture capital (VC) environment in Singapore isunlike that of the Silicon Valley or Boston-Cambridge. InSingapore, there are limited investments by VCs into seed-stage companies, with most VC funds focusing on later-stage companies, typically when they are alreadygenerating revenue.

The limited funding available at the pre-seed and seedrounds generally discourages potential entrepreneurs fromspinning-off companies out of PROs, unless there arealternative sources of funds that allows them a sufficientrunway to achieve milestones of significance (e.g. pre-clinical proof of concept) to attract early stage VC funds.PROs could have a role in this.

CHAPTER 9 : Increasing Commercialization of Public Research – IP Policies 51

specialists and IP managers, as well asto raise the level of awareness of IP andtechnology transfer issues amongstresearchers. These efforts will continueover the next 5 years.

Exploit Technologies has implementedtwo key initiatives to help bridge the earlystage funding gap for new technologies.

• Commercialisation of Technology (COT)Fund – Promising technologies fromA*STAR RIs are developed into aprototype or more commercially readystate, which can then be taken up bycompanies. This reduces the risk tocompanies of taking up newtechnologies. Companies can licensethese technologies and introduceproducts to the market more quickly.

• Incubation and Spin-off Management(ISM) – New companies may beincubated when the technology isdisruptive or there are no existingcompanies that are able to effectivelyexploit the technology. ExploitTechnologies will work with theresearcher on the business plan, helpraise funds from angel investors orseed funds, and may inject capital intothe company for equity.

ENTERPRISE RECEPTORSA critical factor for effective exploitationof research results is a strong base ofenterprises which have the capabilities tofurther develop and exploit newtechnologies. Efforts to promoteawareness of new technologies emergingfrom public research and the benefits oftechnology upgrading and licensingamongst local enterprises will continue.

Exploit Technologies’ promotional effortswill continue to include company visits

and publicity mechanisms using the massmedia and participation in trade showsand exhibitions. The technologies that areavailable for licensing are offered onExploit Technologies’ website. Newofferings are also disseminated tocompanies through quarterly mailers

Exploit Technologies regards technologylicensing as a key means to help upgradeSingapore local companies, andstrengthen their competitive advantage. Ithas flexible licensing terms to cater to thediffering needs and circumstances oflicensees. For example, MNCs may preferto pay a lump sum upfront rather thanrunning royalties, while SMEs may preferto pay royalties matched to their revenuestream. Exploit Technologies has built insufficient flexibility to provide for thewaiver or deferment of the up-frontpayments and minimum royalties.


R&D INFRASTRUCTURE

chapter 10 :

WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH INFRA-STRUCTURESingapore has made significant progressin creating an attractive environment withhigh quality facilities to support researchand technology activities.

In addition to the facilities andinfrastructure located at the public RIs,universities, and hospital clusters, we haveembarked on major development projects,such as the Biopolis and the Fusionpolis,to enhance the research environment inSingapore.

The aim is to create a “plug and play”environment that will make it easy forforeign companies to locate R&Doperations in Singapore, and for SingaporeLocal Comapanies to kick-start or expandtheir R&D activities.

With good infrastructure support,Singapore hopes to build up a dynamicand vibrant environment for R&D, andposition itself as the R&D gateway toAsia, through which companies canaccess the attractive markets in theregion.

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Media Preparation, a core service provided at

the Biopolis Shared Facilities

CHAPTER 10 : R&D Infrastructure 53

• Biopolis

The Biopolis is the centre of biomedicalresearch in Singapore. It was conceivedas the cornerstone of a broader vision tobuild up the biomedical sciences industryin Singapore. At the Biopolis, public sectorand private sector research are co-located.The Biopolis Shared Facilities and theBiological Resource Centre providescientific equipment, services andresources catering to the full spectrum ofR&D activities and graduate training.

Fusionpolis will be a cradle for knowledge convergence, where nextgeneration applications are incubated and test-bedded, and a magnet forMNCs, start-ups, and venture companies seeking new technologies.

• Fusionpolis

The Fusionpolis is being developed as thefocal point for the physical sciences andengineering clusters, a parallel to theBiopolis for the biomedical sciences. TheFusionpolis will house public researchinstitutions, technologies, products,applications and services, and showcasestate-of-the-art prototypes.

Phase I of the Fusionpolis will focus onthe Infocomms and Media (ICM) cluster.

Artist Impression of the FUSIONPOLIS


It is due to be completed in 2007. PhaseII will bring in the complementarystrengths and capabilities in materials,devices and related technologies,including manufacturing and nanoscaletechnologies.

The Fusionpolis will be a cradle forknowledge convergence, where nextgeneration applications are incubated andtest-bedded. It will be a magnet forMNCs, start-ups, and venture companiesseeking new technologies.

• Singapore Tissue Network

The Singapore Tissue Network (STN) isthe national tissue and DNA repository.Established through an initiative from theBMRC, Ministry of Health and GenomeInstitute of Singapore in March 2002, theSTN is the national repository for cliniciansin Singapore to archive tissue, sera andDNA samples of both normal and diseaseorigins for research purposes.

These samples are collected by the STNwith proper informed consent and usingconfidential, ethical processes. Thesamples will be made available forresearchers seeking to advancebiomedical sciences and healthcare whilemaintaining the donors’ rights to privacyand confidentiality.

STN’s goals are to develop a novel andinternationally recognized national

repository to facilitate the conduct of thehighest quality translational and populationresearch, and to develop an infrastructurethat will support worldwide academic andcommercial collaborators and investmentsin Singapore’s biomedical sciencesinitiatives.

NGPP comprises of heterogeneouscompute resources connectedtogether via 1 Gbps lines. Today,nearly 500 CPUs are linked toNGPP. The NGPP Hub hasconnectivity to the US, Japan andKorea.

• National Grid

The National Grid Pilot Platform (NGPP)is the initial phase of a cyber-infrastructurewhich allows users to tap on a wider poolof distributed resources for collaborationand problem-solving. NGPP aims to enablethe sharing of computing resources inSingapore in a secure, reliable andefficient manner by authenticated users.Its uses may span R&D, education,commerce, entertainment, nationalsecurity and other new applications. NGPPforms the base of a strategic technologyplatform that promises to transform theway we work, and ultimately improvethe economic and technologicalcompetitiveness of Singapore.

CHAPTER 10 : R&D Infrastructure 55

OPTIMIZING USE OF R&D FACILITIESMechanisms have been established toensure the optimal usage of public R&Dfacilities at our research institutes,universities and polytechnics.

A*STAR has put in place R&D facility andequipment management systems topromote greater sharing across the RIs.This will also be extended to theuniversities, polytechnics and industrycollaborators. In addition, A*STAR RIsmake available to industry specific high-cost, low-intensity usage facilities andequipment that would not otherwise bereadily available to companies.

SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE

• Bioethics Advisory Committee

In December 2000, the Governmentestablished the Bioethics AdvisoryCommittee (BAC) to address the potentialethical, legal and social issues arising frombiomedical sciences research inSingapore.

The Committee is charged to ensure thatSingapore’s decisions regarding thebiomedical sciences and its research arebased on good science and high ethicaland legal standards. It actively gathersinformation and views from internationaland local communities and makes itsrecommendations to the SteeringCommittee on Life Sciences (SCLS).

• National Advisory Committee forLaboratory Animal Research

The National Advisory Committee forLaboratory Animal Research (NACLAR)was set up to establish national guidelinesfor the proper treatment and use ofanimals for scientific purposes, whiletaking into consideration the relevantscientific, ethical and legal issues.NACLAR makes its recommendations tothe SCLS accordingly. It comprisesmembers drawn from academia, research

MAJOR R&D FACILITIESAT THE UNIVERSITIES

Apart from the RIs, our universitiesalso have a wide range of researchfacilities and equipment, mainlyused for teaching and basicresearch. For instance, NUS hoststhe Singapore Synchrotron LightSource (SSLS), the Centre forRemote Imaging, Sensing andProcessing (CRISP), as well as theCentre for Ion Beam Applications(CIBA). NTU hosts specialisedinfrastructure, such as theMicrofabrication Facility, theFacility for AdvancedCharacterization, Testing andSimulation, the NTU Life SciencesCore Instrumentation Centre andthe Animal House.

organizations and the Agri-Food andVeterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), aswell as legal and ethics specialists.

NACLAR is composed of threesubcommittees, each looking into specificaspects of the national guidelines, namely(i) general guidelines on animal care anduse for scientific purposes based onethical, legal and scientific considerations;(ii) institutional animal care and usecommittees; and (iii) training of personnelinvolved in the care and use of animalsfor scientific purposes.

NACLAR released the “Guidelines in theCare and Use of Animals for ScientificPurposes” in October 2004. In conjunctionwith the release of the NACLARGuidelines, it was also announced thatinstitutions which use animals must belicensed under the AVA’s Animals andBirds (Care and Use of Animals forScientific Purposes) Rules, which cameinto effect on 15 November 2004.


BUDGET AND TARGETS

chapter 11 :

EXPENDITURE ON R&D

To drive the transformation of Singaporeto a research and innovation-driveneconomy, the Government will set asidea budget of $13.55 billion to promotepublic and private R&D (excluding thedefence sector) over the next 5 years.

$5 billion will go to the National ResearchFoundation (NRF) to fund new growthareas and strategic programmes; $1.05billion to academic, investigator-ledresearch under the Ministry of Education(MOE); $7.5 billion to promote economic-oriented R&D and related investmentpromotion activities under the Ministry ofTrade and Industry (MTI).

S&T Plan 2010

The $7.5 billion allocated to MTI willsupport the S&T Plan 2010 for the periodFY2006 to 2010.

Of the $7.5b budget, about $0.45 billionor 6% will be set aside for developingand managing talent through variousA*STAR scholarship and fellowship grants.

Fig 11-1: Breakdown of S&T2010 Budget

About $4.7 billion or 63% will be allocatedfor research activities carried out by bothA*STAR RIs and extramural communitysuch as universities, hospitals and diseasecentres. The funding would go towardsdeepening RIs’ existing researchcapabilities, fostering inter-disciplinarysynergies through inter-RI collaboration,and supporting extramural research thatcomplements and strengthens RIs’capabilities along strategic themes. Thefunding would also support pre-commercialisation activities such as earlystage funding to support worthyinnovations.

$2.1 billion or 28% of the budget wouldbe used to promote private sector R&D.EDB will continue to promote the growthof high value-add advanced manufacturingclusters and the establishment ofcorporate R&D centres in Singapore.

Another $0.25 billion or 3% would bespent on research infrastructure tosupport research activities, including theBiopolis and Fusionpolis.

NATIONAL R&D TARGETS

At the national level, the following R&Dtargets have been set:• To increase Gross Expenditure on

R&D (GERD) to 3% of GDP within thenext five years, from the 2004 level of2.25%. The aim is to close the gap inR&D investments with innovationleaders such as Sweden, Finland, andJapan. (See Fig 11-2 for internationalcomparisons)

Private Sector

R&D

28%

Intramural and

Extramural

Research

63%

Infrastructure

3%

Talent

Development

6%

CHAPTER 11 : Budget and Targets 57

• To increase private sector’s share of

GERD to two-thirds over the longerterm, from the 2004 level of 64%. (SeeFig 11-3 for international comparisons.)

• To increase the research manpower

to support our R&D thrusts and the

higher level of R&D activities. Theaim is to catch up with countries likeSweden and Japan to ensure anadequate supply of manpower See Fig11-4 for international comparisons.

Agency Level R&D Targets

At the agency level, the following R&Dtargets have been set for A*STAR andEDB over the next five years from 2006to 2010:

Fig 11-3: BERD as a % of GERD

BERD BERD/

Country as % of GERD Year

GDP (%)

Sweden 2.95 74.1 2003

Finland 2.45 70.2 2003

Japan 2.36 75.0 2003

Korea 2.00 76.0 2003

Switzerland 1.90 73.9 2000

US 1.88 70.1 2004

Denmark 1.83 69.8 2003

Singapore 1.43 63.8 2004

Netherlands 1.06 57.6 2003

Source: OECD Main Science and TechnologyIndicators (2005)

Fig 11-2: GERD as a % of GDP

Country GERD/GDP (%) Year

Sweden 3.98 2003

Finland 3.49 2003

Japan 3.15 2003

US 2.68 2003

Korea 2.63 2003

Denmark 2.62 2003

Switzerland 2.57 2000

Singapore 2.25 2004

Netherlands 1.84 2003


* In 2004, there were 87 RSEs per 10k labour force.To allow for international comparison, “researchers”(FTE) is used instead of “RSEs”. “Researchers”includes degree and non-degree R&D personnel, andpost-graduate students, while “RSEs” includes only

degree R&D personnel.


Fig 11-4: Number of researchers(Full Time Equivalent) per 10k labour force

FTE per 10k

Country labour force Year

Finland 159 2003

Sweden 106 2003

Japan 101 2003

Singapore 98* 2004

US 91 2002

Denmark 90 2003

Korea 66 2003

Switzerland 62 2000

Netherlands 45 2003

Fig 11-5: A*STAR indicators

Projected Target

Indicators for A*STAR (2001-05) (2006-10)

Human Capital Development

1. Number of PhD studentstrained and graduated

215 220

2. Number of RI staff spunout to locally-basedindustry as RSEs

706 835

Intellectual Capital Development

3. Number of primary patentapplications 850 1,100

4. Number of paperspublished (in sciencecitation and engineering

5,727 7,940

index journals)

Industrial Capital Development

5. Number of projects withindustry

952 1,120

6. Industry funding ($m) 143 197

Fig 11-6: EDB indicators

Actual Target

Indicators for EDB (FY01-05) (FY06-10)

1. Total Research $8.5 bil $9-10 bilInvestment (TRI) ($1.7 bil p.a.) ($1.8-2 bil p.a.)

2. No. of large R&Dprojects (definedas projects >=$50 mil TRI)

40 45

3. No. of RSEpositions created 6,449 7,500


COMPOSITION OF S&T2010 COMMITTEE

Prof Tan Chorh ChuanProvostNational University of SingaporeandDeputy ChairmanA*STAR

Prof Chong Tow ChongExecutive DirectorScience & Engineering Research CouncilA*STAR

Assoc Prof Kong Hwai LoongExecutive DirectorBiomedical Research CouncilA*STAR[to April 2005]

Assoc Prof Lam Kong PengActing Executive DirectorBiomedical Research CouncilA*STAR[from April 2005]

Mr Ng Wai ChoongDeputy Secretary (Industry)Ministry of Trade and Industry

Mr Laurence LienDirector (Economic Programmes)Ministry of Finance

Mr Ko Kheng HwaManaging DirectorEconomic Development Board

Mr Tan Chek MingAssistant Managing Director (ClusterDevelopment)Economic Development Board[alternate member]

Mr Loh Khum YeanChief ExecutiveStandards, Productivity and Innovation Board

Mr Boon Swan FooManaging DirectorA*STAR

Mr Teoh Yong SeaDeputy Managing DirectorA*STAR

Prof Lam Khin YongExecutive DirectorA*STAR Graduate AcademyA*STAR

Mr Chan Yeng Kitthen Deputy Secretary (Policy)Ministry of Education[to December 2004]

Ms Chang Hwee NeeDeputy Secretary (Policy)Ministry of Education[from January 2005]

Prof Kandiah SatkunananthamDirector of Medical ServicesMinistry of Health[to October 2004]

Assoc Prof Chew Suok KaiDeputy Director of Medical ServicesMinistry of Health[from November 2004]

Mrs Tan Ching Yeethen Chief ExecutiveInfocomm Development Authority[to December 2004]

Mr Chan Yeng KitChief ExecutiveInfocomm Development Authority[from January 2005]

Dr Tan Geok LengChief Technology OfficerInfocomm Development Authority[alternate member]

Composition of S&T2010 Committee 59

SECRETARIAT/CONTRIBUTORS

Ms Cheryl Chung Ms Bernadette FoongSenior Officer DirectorPolicy Planning Science & Engineering Research CouncilA*STAR A*STAR

Ms Amy Ho Mr Ho Cheng HuatHead Senior Vice PresidentPolicy Planning IP ManagementA*STAR Exploit Technologies

A*STARDr Hazel KhooDeputy Director Dr James LingBiomedical Research Council Programme DirectorA*STAR GET-Up

Science & Engineering Research CouncilDr Terence Loke A*STARDirectorPolicy Planning Mr Suresh SachiA*STAR Director

Legal/Exploit TechnologiesDr Vincent Soh A*STARHeadScience & Engineering Research Council Ms Emily TanA*STAR Senior Vice President

CommercialisationMr Norman Tan Exploit TechnologiesSenior Officer A*STARA*STAR Graduate AcademyA*STAR Ms Joyce Tong

HeadMr Chalathorn Vashirakovit FinanceSenior Officer A*STARScience & Engineering Research CouncilA*STAR Dr Andre Wan

DirectorMs Charmaine Wee Biomedical Research CouncilSenior Officer A*STARCorporate AffairsA*STAR Mr Chew Ming Fai

Assistant HeadMr Toh Wee Khiang Enterprise Ecosystem PolicyDeputy Director Enterprise Ecosystem & PlanningEnterprise Ecosystem Policy EDBEnterprise Ecosystem & PlanningEDB Mr Dheeraj Chhabra

Assistant HeadMr Bernard Nee PlanningDeputy Director Enterprise Ecosystem & PlanningPlanning EDBEnterprise Ecosystem & PlanningEDB Mr Tan Choon Shian

DirectorEnterprise Ecosystem PolicyEnterprise Ecosystem & PlanningEDB


Dr Woon Kin ChungGroup DirectorEnterprise Capabilities and EnterprisePromotionSPRING

Ms Sharon ChangHead (Policy, Research & Statistics)Enterprise Capabilities GroupSPRING

Ms Yena LimDirectorResource DivisionMinistry of Trade and Industry

Mr Ong Pang ChanSenior Assistant DirectorResource DivisionMinistry of Trade and Industry

Mr Lim Tze JiatAssistant DirectorResource DivisionMinistry of Trade and Industry

Ms Choy Sauw KookDirector (Enterprise Competencies &Resources)Enterprise Capabilities GroupSPRING

Ms Serene KohHead (Enterprise Technology & SupportServices)Enterprise Capabilities GroupSPRING

Mr Chan Boon FuiDeputy DirectorResource DivisionMinistry of Trade and Industry

Mr Ng Pei MinSenior Assistant DirectorResource DivisionMinistry of Trade and Industry


FORESIGHT AND TECHNOLOGY SCANS

A key component of the S&T planningprocess was the Technology Foresight andScan to identify driver applications anddisruptive technologies over a 10-15 yearhorizon and develop roadmaps that willguide science & engineering research to2010. Technology Scan Panels were setup for each area, jointly led bychairpersons from the universities, the RIsand government agencies, in consultationwith local and international technicaladvisors. The RI Executive Directors andchairpersons of these Panels weremembers of a collective ForesightCommittee, which had the task ofidentifying, in consultation with visionaries,overarching “themes” or key problemswhich will direct the Tech Scan andRoadmapping effort. SERC set up thirteensuch Panels in 2004. Their compositionsare as follows:

Exploiting NanotechnologiesChairpersons:Prof Lai Choy Heng, National University ofSingapore (NUS)Dr Lee Nam Sua, Defence Science &Technology Agency

Resource Team Members:Prof Jackie Ying, Institute of Bioengineeringand Nanotechnology (IBN)Dr S N Piramanayagam, Data StorageInstitute (DSI)Dr Li Kebin, DSIDr Zhong Ziyi, Institute of Chemical andEngineering Sciences (ICES)Dr Li Er Ping, Institute of High PerformanceComputing (IHPC)Dr Peter Moran, Institute of MaterialsResearch and Engineering (IMRE)Dr Tung Chih-Hang, Institute ofMicroelectronics (IME)Mr Stephen Wong, Singapore Institute ofManufacturing Technology (SIMTech)Mr Peter Anthony Collier, SIMTechA/Prof Christian Kurtsiefer, NUSA/Prof Zhou Wei, Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity (NTU)Mr Koh Wee Leong, Economic DevelopmentBoard (EDB)Mr Lim Yee Gee, Infocomm DevelopmentAuthority (IDA)Mr Kenneth Low, Exploit Technologies(ETPL)Mr Tim Harper, CientificaMr Chin Sai Kong, SERC

Information StorageChairpersons:Prof Chong Tow Chong, SERCProf Low Teck Seng, Republic Polytechnic

Resource Team Members:Lim Swee Nian, EDBDr Thomas Liew, DSIDr Yeo You Huan, DSIDr Mansoor Jalil, NUSDr Jie Wei, IHPCDr Chia Ching Kean, IMREMs Angela Chee, ETPLMr Tng Tai Hou, ETPLMr Rajinder Singh, CiscoDr Vincent Soh, SERCMr Chew Shee Hoe, SERCMr Lim Yueh Ping, SERCMr Irwan Karin, SERC

SemiconductorsChairperson:Prof Yoon Soon Fatt, NTUDr Tan Khen Sang, IME

Resource Team Members:Dr Tan Khen Sang, IMEDr Balasubramanian N, IMEDr Mahadevan Iyer, IMEMr My The Doan, IMEDr Chia Chin Kean, IMREDr Chi Dongzhi, IMREDr Bai Ping, IHPCDr Shi Luping, DSIDr Xu Baoxi, DSIDr Wei Jun, SIMTechA/Prof Choi Wee Kiong, NUSAsst. Prof Yeo Yee Chia, NUSAsst. Prof Wang Hong, NTUMs Serena Teo, EDBMr Gong Xuesong, ETPLMs Ng Puay Hua, ETPLMr Low Joon Kiat, SERC

Advancing Science through the GridChairpersons:Prof Lawrence Wong, Institute for InfocommResearch (I2R)Prof Francis Lee, NTU

Resource Team Members:Dr Ong Eng Hong, SERCDr Pang Hwee Hua, I2RDr Terence Hung, IHPCSimon Lim, EDBRaymond Lee, IDADr Lee Hing Yan, National Grid OfficeJon Lau, National Grid OfficeChong Thong Tiong, National Grid OfficeA/Prof Teo Yong Meng, NUS


Information ManagementChairpersons:Mr Wong Lim Soon, NUSMr Tan Yang Meng, DSO National Laboratories

Resource Team Members:Mr Ong Eng Hong, SERCMr Kee Chin Siang, ETPLMr Tng Tai Hou, ETPLMr Robert Deng, Singapore ManagementUniversityMr Pang Hwee Hwa, I2RMr Leong Mun Kew, I2RMr Susanto Rahardja, I2RMr Alvin Kam, I2RMr Yau Wei Yun, I2RMr Simon Lim, EDBMr Raymond Lee, IDAMr Paul Shew, IDA

Harnessing BroadbandChairpersonsProf Lye Kin Mun, SERC / I2RDr Tan Geok Leng, IDA

Resource Team Members:Ms Elaine Wong, SERCMr Tan Chong Jin, SERCMs Angela Chee, ETPLMr Jim Wu, ETPLMr Vivek Singh, I2RMr Gerard Ang, I2RMr S V Rao, I2RDr Francois Chin, I2RDr Lin Fujiang, IMEDr Zheng Yuanjin, IMEMr Lim Hong Khiang, EDBMr Ralph Foong, EDBMr Ling Keok Tong, IDAMr Lim Hoon Tong, IDADr Albert Lu, SIMTechDr Zhang Yaojiang, IHPCDr Teng Jing Hua, IMRE

Intelligent Systems and SensorNetworksChairpersons:Prof William Soh, NTUProf Lee Seng Luan, NUS

Resource Team Members:Mr Eng Soon Khai, EDBDr Winston Seah, I2RDr Henry Lee, I2RDr Ngoh Lek Heng, I2RMr Hui Wing Cheong, IMEDr Jiang Ridong, IHPCDr Liu Jun, ICESDr Akkipeddi Ramam, IMREDr Guo Guoxiao, DSIDr Bi Chao, DSIDr Gong Zhiming, SIMTechMr Tng Tai Hou, ETPLMr Alan Ng, ETPL

Mr David Woon, A*STARDr Javier Ibañez-Guzmán, SIMTechProf Lee Seng Luan, NUSProf Soh Yeng Chai, NTU

Niche Opportunities in ManufacturingChairperson:Prof Tony Woo, NTUProf Loh Han Tong, NUSResource Team Members:Mr Alan Ng, ETPLDr Sze Tiam Lin, ETPLDr Liu Zhejie, DSIDr Roland Lim, SIMTechDr Lim Beng Siong, SIMTechMr Goh Kiah Mok, SIMTechDr Lin Weidong, SIMTechMr Chua Tay Jin, SIMTechDr Anton Aendenroomer, SIMTechDr Peter Lendermann, SIMTechDr Zhang Wenzu, IHPCDr Adrian Burden, IMREDr P S Suresh, ICESMr Reginald Wee, EDBMr Jimmy Ng, IE SingaporeMs Lynette Cheah, SERC

EnergyChairpersons:Dr Keith Carpenter, ICESA/Prof Ho Hiang Kwee, NTUResource Team Members:A/Prof Tseng King Jet, NTUDr James Highfield, ICESProf Ng Kim Choon, NUSDr Tuti Mariana Lim, NTUDr Vincent Soh, SERCMr Chalathorn Vashirakovit, SERCMs Lynette Cheah, SERC

Engineering Science in MedicineChairpersons:Dr Patrick Tan, NCC-GISProf KC Lun, NTUResource Team Members:Mr Chan Weixuan, SERCMr Kwan Meng Hui, ETPLMr Koh Choon Heng, ETPLMr Liu Bo, DSIMr Hong Minghui, DSIProf Vladimir Brusic, I2RDr Ng See Kiong, I2RDr Michael Chai, I2RDr Zhang Daqing, I2RProf Reginald Tan, ICESDr Margam Chandrasekaran, SIMTechDr Lu Chun, IHPCMr Levent Yobas, IMEDr Li Jun, IMREMr Abel Ang, EDBDr Vincent Chan, NTUMr Royston Low, TIF Ventures


Environmental TechnologiesChairpersons:Prof Chan Eng Soon, NUSMr Joseph Hui, National Environment Agency

Resource Team Members:Dr Chen Chilong, DSIDr Lou Jing, IHPCDr John Yong, SIMTechDr Li Jun, IMREMr Goh Chee Kiong, EDBMr Desmond Low, EDBMr Teo Boon Chuan, EDBA/Prof Song Lianfa, NUSA/Prof Jeffrey Obbard, NUSA/Prof Liu Wen-Tso, NUSA/Prof Stephen TAY, NTUA/Prof Karina GIN, NTUDr Wong Fook Sin, NTUDr Tan Yi, NTUDr Tuti Lim, NTUMs Goy Hsu Ann, SERC

Frontier in ChemicalsChairpersons:Prof Lee Hian Kee, NUSProf Raj Rajagopalan, NUS

Resource Team Members:Ms Fong Wai San, SERCMr Mok Chee Liang, EDBMr Paul Liu, ETPLDr Wu Ping, IHPCDr Zheng Jian Wei, IHPCDr Jin Hong Mei, IHPCDr Mike Loh Foo Chan, IMREDr He Chaobin, IMREDr Alan Sellinger, IMREDr Low Hong Yee, IMREDr Anbanandam Parthiban, ICESDr Chew Wee, ICESDr Ilya Lyapkalo, ICESDr David Foo, ICESDr P K Wong, ICES

MaterialsResource Team Members:Dr Mark Auch, IMREDr Chen Zhikuan, IMREDr Mike Loh, IMREDr Low Hong Yee, IMREMr Steven Tong, SIMTechDr Wong Chia Woan, IMREDr Yao Kui, IMRE

With inputs from:A/Prof Lim Chwee Teck, NUSA/Prof Ma Jan, NTUDr Vincent Soh, A*STARMs Tan Le-Shon, A*STAR

Others PanelsA*STAR MNC Panel – A*STAR engagedindustry in discussions on the keydevelopments, trends and issues that bore onpublic policies and programmes in the area ofscience, technology and innovation. The panelmembers are:

1) Mr Jen Kwong Hwa, Managing Director,Micro Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd

2) Mr Atsushi Kawai, Managing Director, OkiTechno Centre (Singapore) Pte Ltd

3) Mr Mourad Mankarios, Chairman andCEO, Philips Electronics Singapore Pte Ltd

4) Mr Jeffrey Tan, President, MotorolaElectronics Pte Ltd

5) Mr Thomas Frischmuth, ManagingDirector, Siemens Pte Ltd

6) Mr Kay Das, Director R&D Asia Pacific,STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

7) Mr Lim Shao Bin, Director for InformationSolution Systems, Sony Electronics AsiaPacific Pte Ltd

8) Mr Goh Ah Bee, Managing Director, LeicaInstruments Singapore Pte Ltd

9) Mr Haruki Yoshiura, Managing Director,Mitsui Phenol Singapore Pte Ltd

S&T Infrastructure Panel – The Paneldeliberated on how public R&D infrastructurecould be better shared by Singapore’s researchcommunity. Composition of the panel is asfollows:

1) Prof Jackie Ying, Executive Director, IBN(Chairperson)

2) Prof Lee Soo Ying, Dean, School ofPhysical and Mathematical Sciences, NTU

3) A/Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar, Vice Dean ofResearch, School of Materials Engineering,NTU

4) Prof Lim Hock, Director, TemasekLaboratories, NUS

5) A/Prof Ren Ee Chee, Deputy Director, GIS;and Director, BSF

6) A/Prof Victor Wong, Deputy Director, BSF

7) Dr Lee Loke Chong, Deputy Director,SIMTech

8) A/Prof Alfred Huan, Laboratory Manager,IMRE

9) Dr Narayan Balasubramanian, LaboratoryHead of SPT, IME

10) Mr William Lau, Director, Directorate ofR&D, DSTA

11) Dr Tan Geok Leng, Chief TechnologyOfficer, IDA


12) Dr Madesh Choolani, Consultant andAssistant Professor, Department ofObstetrics & Gynaecology NUS(representing National Healthcare Group)

13) Prof Malcolm Paterson, Scientific Director,Singapore Health Services

RI-University Panel – The Panel deliberatedon the key issue of building collaborativepartnerships between the Universities and theA*STAR RIs. The panel members are:

1) Prof Barry Halliwell, Executive Director,NUS Graduate School of IntegrativeSciences and Engineering, NUS

2) Prof Lim Hock, Deputy Director, Office ofResearch, NUS

3) Prof Chew Yong Tian, Deputy Director,Office of Research, Department ofMechanical Engineering, NUS

4) Prof Tony Woo, Vice President ofResearch, NTU

5) A/Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar, Vice Dean ofResearch, School of Materials Engineering,NTU

6) Ms Rachel Foo, Senior Finance Executive,Higher Education, MOE

7) Mr Timothy Sebastian, Director, A*GA,A*STAR

8) Dr Andre Wan, Director, BMRC, A*STAR

9) Dr Rajendran Thampuran, Acting Director,SERC, A*STAR

10) Dr Lim Juay Yong, Deputy Director, BMRC,A*STAR


ABBREVIATIONS

A*GA A*STAR Graduate Academy

A*STAR Agency for Science, Technology and Research

BERD Business Expenditure on Research and Development

BMRC Biomedical Research Council

CAGR Cumulative Average Growth Rate

EDB Economic Development Board

ETPL Exploit Technologies Private Limited

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GERD Gross Expenditure on Research and Development

IES International Enterprise Singapore

IP Intellectual Property

KPI Key Performance Indicator

MCRD Ministerial Committee for Research and Development

NRF National Research Foundation

NTP National Technology Plan

NSTP National Science and Technology Plan

OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment

PRO Public Research Organization

R&D Research and Development

RI Research Institute

RIEC Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council

RISC Research Incentive Scheme for Companies

RSE Research Scientist and Engineer

S&T Science and Technology

SERC Science & Engineering Research Council

SPRING Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board

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