Singapore Plans $4.6B R&D Investment

Hard evidence of the increasing global research competence discussed in the Thursby's paper above was provided last week when the Singapore Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI) announced plans last week to commit $7.5 billion ($4.6 billion US) over the next five years to sustain innovation-driven growth through economic-oriented R&D. All figures below are in U.S. dollars.

To help Digest readers to appreciate the size of the commitment, Singapore had an estimated population of 4.4 million residents in July 2005, which would rank it 25th among U.S. states -- comparable to Colorado, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina or Kentucky in population size.

MTI’s R&D plans are set out in the Science & Technology Plan 2010 (STP2010), released Feb. 16 by Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang. STP2010 is part of the Singapore Government’s overall strategy to make significant investments in R&D in the next five years, so as to increase national spending in R&D to 3 percent of gross domestic product by 2010. The National Research Foundation will coordinate the research of different agencies within the larger national framework, as well as develop policies and plans to implement the strategic thrusts for the national R&D agenda.

The national government's investment is distributed through the two lead economic agencies for promotion of R&D: the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Economic Development Board (EDB). Of the total, $3.3 billion would go toward promoting economically relevant public sector R&D by A*STAR. Another $1.3 billion would go toward private sector R&D investments by EDB.

STP2010 aims to sustain innovation-driven growth by strengthening R&D capabilities in both the public and private sector. This would be achieved through four key programs:

• Developing the research talent in Singapore. A*STAR will develop and sustain a substantial pipeline of research talent to meet industry needs. A*STAR aims to groom more of the brightest Singaporeans to pursue careers in research and assume leadership positions in the public research sector, and also to draw the best global talents to Singapore to meet its immediate needs for quality R&D manpower and to create a vibrant research community.
• Strengthening and deepening the nation's research capabilities. A*STAR will focus efforts and resources to build internationally competitive concentrations of R&D in areas that are most relevant to the development of key industry sectors. The Biomedical Research Council will focus on strengthening translational research at the “bench-bedside” interface to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical practice and transform the outputs of basic research into clinically useful and commercially viable applications. The Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) will focus on driving greater public-private joint R&D to support the upgrading of the key industry clusters of information and communications technology, precision engineering, and chemicals.
• Promoting private sector R&D. EDB will lead efforts to promote private sector R&D. With the support of A*STAR and universities and polytechnics, EDB will work to anchor more flagship R&D projects and attract more multinational companies to locate corporate R&D activities in Singapore.
• Providing infrastructure support. primarily through the development of Fusionpolis, where companies can co-locate and engage in R&D collaboration with the SERC research institutes for public-private joint R&D in the physical sciences and engineering. Fusionpolis, located next to the biomedical hub Biopolis, would be created as a vibrant hub for information, communications media and technologies. Fusionpolis would be part of a work-live-learn-play environment, where public research institutes, companies and corporate R&D co-exist. It would showcase next-generation applications, technologies and state-of-the-art prototypes.

Singapore's five-year S&T plan is available at: http://app.mti.gov.sg/data/article/2001/doc/S&T%20Plan%202010%20Report.pdf

Links to this paper and more than 3,000 additional TBED-related research reports, strategic plans and other papers can be found at the Tech-based Economic Development (TBED) Resource Center, jointly developed by the Technology Administration and SSTI, at http://www.tbedresourcecenter.org/.