SPEECH BY MR LIM HNG KIANG, MINISTER FOR TRADE & INDUSTRY, AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDS DINNER, ON THURSDAY, 21 AUG 2008, AT 1900, AT RAFFLESCITY CONVENTION CENTRE
Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR
Your Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Evening
I am happy to be here with you this evening to celebrate the success and achievements of 17 outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to Singapore and the world through research and development.
In particular, I would like to commend two very outstanding individuals who have been awarded the National Science and Technology Medal, the highest honor in science and technology that Singapore confers to individuals. I am sure they are not strangers to you:
Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Acting President of the National University of Singapore, Deputy Chairman of A*STAR and a member of the Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee; and
Mr. Say Kwee Teck, Senior Vice-President of Research & Development Engineering at Seagate Technology International.
Prof Tan and Mr. Say have, in their various capacities, made exceptional, distinguished and sustained contributions to R&D. They have also played a strategic role in developing Singapore through the promotion and management of R&D.
Prof Tan is a key driver in the second phase of Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences initiative. The early success of BMS Phase II can already be seen from the recruitment of top international clinician scientists as well as the international competitiveness of our Translational and Clinical Research flagship programmes. Prof Tan was also a member of the Bioethics Advisory Committee that developed three landmark reports which addressed potential ethical, legal and social issues arising from research in the biomedical sciences in Singapore.
I also applaud Mr. Say, who has made significant contribution through his work in Seagate Technology International. Under Mr. Say’s leadership, the Seagate Singapore R&D team, which is the only one Seagate has outside of the United States, has grown from an initial eight-man team to the current strength of 288.This is a big team by Singapore’s standards and has created products totally independent of the US R&D team. I understand from EDB that it considers the Seagate Singapore R&D team to be one of the best that Singapore has to offer.
Prof Tan and Mr. Say’s contributions, which span the course of many years, are indicative of how far we have come in R&D since the 1970s.R&D then was confined to what the MNCs were doing in Singapore as an extension of their successful manufacturing operations here.
Today, Singapore is making significant strides in R&D. Now, R&D expenditure has increased by almost 67% since 2000 to exceed S$5 billion in 2006.The government has also committed to achieving a Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D of 3% of GDP by 2010.The huge commitment at the national level to develop and advance R & D in Singapore is also evident with the $13.5 billion to be invested over a five year period from 2006 to 2010.
The progress of R&D in our public research institutes has been very encouraging. Data Storage Institute (DSI) has played a pivotal role in moving the data storage industry up the value chain. At one point, one in two disk-drives worldwide was made in Singapore. However, with the production of disk-drives being moved to lower cost countries, DSI promptly reinvented itself to capitalize on its cutting-edge expertise to manufacture high-end high value-added enterprise drives. Today, seven out of 10 enterprise drives are made in Singapore. The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) which, like DSI, was established in the 1990s, also helped Singapore upgrade the semi-conductor industry from assembling transistors to producing high-end 12-inch wafers, thus developing and transforming the entire wafer fab industry in Singapore.
Today, many MNCs such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novartis and Rolls Royce, have also established research centers here. In addition, GSK, Novartis, Genentech and Lonza have announced their decision to site a total of five major biologics manufacturing facilities amounting to about US$1.5 billion in Singapore. This is encouraging. It is yet another vote of confidence in Singapore’s stable socio-political environment, our strong legal system and our robust Intellectual Property framework.
R&D in Singapore has branched out over the years to become what it is today. Besides continuing to focus on traditional industries, the key strategic thrusts of our R&D efforts in Biomedical Sciences (BMS), Interactive Digital Media (IDM) and Clean Energy remain unabated. In BMS, A*STAR and the Ministry of Health are working closely to drive the translational and clinical research efforts, linking up the basic research capabilities with the clinicians in the hospitals and medical schools. In the areas of IDM and Clean Energy, the various government agencies, including A*STAR, have been collaborating with the private sector to contribute towards the development of these industries.
A*STAR continues to play a critical role in research in Singapore. Combined, the capabilities of A*STAR’s research institutes span the full spectrum of biomedical, and physical sciences and engineering research capabilities. A*STAR is well-poised to drive and transform research in Singapore, and take it to the next level to shape the future of Singapore in science and technology.
Stepping Up to the Next Phase of R&D
We all know that the process of knowledge creation is very complex, and ideas and solutions come from multiple sources instead of from one single source. Hence, the way to go for any innovative economy to succeed is to step up collaboration across government agencies and industry as well as integration across disciplines. The opening of Fusionpolis in October this year would help us move in this direction.
Fusionpolis as the Crucible of Integrated Research
The move to Fusionopolis, the science and technology research powerhouse, will bring six of A*STAR’s science and engineering institutes together under one roof by 2011.With the host of capabilities housed close together, opportunities are aplenty for research institutes to work together to foster an integrated approach to R&D.
In fact, the process of integration had already begun. A*STAR’s Science and Engineering Council (SERC) has been giving greater focus to fostering multi-disciplinary research in the last few years. Among the key multi-disciplinary programmes that have been rolled out are energy technology research, future living (HOME2015 and Mobile Media) and medical technology. At the same time, SERC is also seeding new and exciting capabilities in Singapore through research programmes in cognitive systems and atomic-level assembly.
In addition, with the co-location of public research institutes and private sector companies in Fusionopolis, we can be sure that there will also be opportunities for researchers from both sectors to meet, come together to share insights as well as dream up new and wonderful ideas, to keep themselves current and relevant. In fostering collaborations with one another, researchers from both the public and corporate labs will be able to discover innovative solutions to technological and lifestyle challenges faced by society, as well as create future industries.
The close proximity between Fusionopolis and Bio polis, the biomedical sciences hub, will provide immense opportunities for the integration across the spectrum of capabilities in biomedical sciences, and physical science and engineering. Multi-disciplinary research of this nature will no doubt open up new knowledge spaces, spawn more innovations and effectively drive the R&D industry to greater heights. To further facilitate inter-disciplinary research between researchers from the biomedical sciences, and the physical science and engineering research institutes, I understand from A*STAR that it has set up a Cross Council Office, and that to date, four proposals have been awarded research grants.
Ultimately, we need research talent, i.e. people who will create knowledge and generate ideas to keep R&D at the cutting edge. Our winners of the NSTA awards tonight epitomize the very best research talent whom Singapore hopes to attract more of and provide the environment for them to excel.
We all know that knowledge-creation and value-generating R&D activities go where there is research talent and technological expertise. Hence, it is paramount that we create an environment conducive for these knowledge-creators, and one that will continually attract such talent to Singapore. One of the ways we are doing this is by offering an open and supportive environment for research, and for businesses to implement ventures and projects speedily and efficiently. We have processes in place to help researchers bring their products and technologies to market. We have excellent laws to ensure that intellectual property is protected. However, we should not rest on our laurels. We need to continue to work even harder to ensure that Singapore maintains its competitive advantage – to be the Number One place for talent and business to go to, and to stay for the long haul.
It gives me great pleasure now to congratulate all the winners here tonight. They are role models of innovation, courage and perseverance. They have pushed the boundaries of science and technology to contribute to a deeper understanding of what might appear to some as esoteric subjects.
This is so in the case of Associate Professor Christian Kurtsiefer [pronounced as coot – see - fur] and his team from the National University of Singapore, who worked on the experimental falsification of Nobel Laureate Tony Legget’s model in quantum theory. The innovative way in which the group conducted the experiment would change the course of research. The judging panel specially noted that there are currently only two groups in the world capable of conducting the experiment. One is the long-established group in Vienna, and the other is this team led by Prof Kurtsiefer.
The second winner is Prof Mohan Balasubramanian from Temasek Life Sciences. His research in understanding the cell division process in yeast contributed to answering fundamental questions on cytokinesis, specifically the decision to divide, the machinery involved and the determination to divide during cell cycle. Prof Balasubramanian’s work has potential healthcare applications in the field of cancer study and in the discovery of novel antibacterial compound.
The winners have also shown us that their outstanding contributions to R&D often result in significant technologies with industrial applications. Their exceptional research directly contributes to the Singapore economy. This is exemplified by Dr Patrick Lo Guo-Qiang and his team from the Institute of Microelectronics, and Dr Yong Ming Shyan and his team from the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology.
The work by Dr Lo and his team on silicon nanowires represented a quantum breakthrough in the nanotechnology field. The team has also published numerous papers, obtained four patents and won the prestigious IEEE George E. Smith Award in 2007.While others like the Lieber group in Harvard conducted research in this area and could fabricate nanowire structures using chemical methods, Dr Lo’s team is decidedly more superior in that it uses a standard CMOS [pronounced as see-moss] process to achieve this. This demonstrates the breakthrough achievements of Singapore in the semiconductor field.
Next, is the breakthrough in forging technology by Dr Yong Ming Shyan and his team. The technology invented by this group substantially reduces the number of steps used as compared to traditional cold forging processes, resulting in significant time and cost savings. Their technology has drawn significant attention from a number of MNCs as well as local companies, and has the potential to retain high value manufacturing activities in Singapore.
Last but not least, the winners of the Young Scientist Award 2008 – Dr David Chen, Dr Wang Hongyuan and Dr Liu Bin – deserve mention for their outstanding research work. Dr Chen is presented the award based on his research on synthetic chemistry and chemical biology, and application to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. Dr Wang has gained recognition among her peers for her research on neural stem cells self-renewal and, differentiation and study on brain tumors. And, Dr Liu Bin’s achievements lie in her research on polymer chemistry and the application of polymers in biosensors and solar cells.
To conclude, I would like to thank each of you, the winners of this year’s National Science and Technology Awards for your outstanding work and for placing Singapore on the global scientific map. Your efforts and hard work have contributed to our R&D strategy to attract more R&D investments, generate high-value jobs and sustain our economic growth. Congratulations to all award winners and I wish all of you an enjoyable evening. Thank you.