SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE & INDUSTRY AND EDUCATION, AT THE GET-UP SEND-OFF CEREMONY AT L4 MATRIX AT BIOPOLIS ON TUESDAY, 6 APRIL 2010, 1405 HRS

Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman A*STAR,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Afternoon.

Introduction

I am pleased to join you today at this send-off ceremony for A*STAR's Growing Enterprises with Technology Upgrade Programme, otherwise known as GET-Up.

SMEs’ Critical Role in the Singapore Economy

SMEs are the backbone of Singapore's economy, contributing to about 50 per cent of our GDP and employing more than half our workforce.Our SMEs are represented in diverse industry sectors such as Precision Engineering, Biomedical Manufacturing, Electronics, Logistics, Engineering & Environment Technology and Chemicals.

A common attribute of all our successful SMEs is their strong spirit of entrepreneurism and innovation. This spirit is essential to survive and prosper in a globalised and increasingly knowledge-based economy. One crucial way our local companies can remain competitive is by leveraging on technology and R&D.

Creating a culture of pervasive innovation among SMEs

In the past decade, many opportunities have been created for our SMEs to further develop their capabilities through R&D and technology upgrading.Innovation platforms such as the A*STAR Aerospace Consortium and the Centres of Innovation (COI) at our polytechnics, have been set up to promote public-private partnerships to create a pervasive culture of innovation among SMEs.Such initiatives have helped our SMEs move up the value chain and thus enhance their productivity and competitiveness.

Through GET-Up, SMEs have also been able to tap on support from A*STAR research institutes. A*STAR researchers can be seconded to SMEs to help improve production processes, develop new products and strategies and develop technology roadmaps. SMEs can also tap on A*STAR research institutes’ technical expertise and facilities.

Since 2002, the GET-Up Programme has seen over 300 research scientists and engineers help 297 SMEs to increase their productivity and competitiveness. Today’s send-off ceremony marks the secondment of 25 research scientists and engineers to 19 SMEs.These collaborations have produced many successful results. One example is Resin and Pigment Pte Ltd, a supplier and manufacturer of color and engineering polymer compounds.In order to stay competitive, the company decided to adopt innovative processes and build technical and knowledge capabilities through R&D.Under the GET-Up Programme, two Research Engineers were seconded to the company to help set up research and testing facilities as well as develop processes to manufacture new polymer materials.

As a result, Resin and Pigment increased its average monthly revenue by S$140,000 in 2009. It also successfully registered a product patent and clinched a business contract with ExxonMobil. The contract with ExxonMobil is also the first ever won by an Asian firm in the polymer compound business.

Bringing Polytechnics onboard the GET-Up Programme

Indeed, GET-Up has been very successful in gearing SMEs up for growth through the transfer of skills and expertise.Today, I am pleased to announce that polytechnics will be joining this programme as a strategic partner.

The polytechnics will contribute in three main ways. First, researchers from the polytechnics’ Centres of Innovation (COIs) will be seconded to SMEs on a full-time basis for up to two years to build up the SMEs’ research capabilities. Second, faculty from the COIs will provide consultation services to help SMEs develop their long-term plans to meet the needs of the market. And third, equipment and facilities at the COI will be made available for use by the SMEs.Going forward, opportunities to extend GET-Up to other clusters of expertise in the polytechnics will also be explored.

This is a mutually beneficial relationship for both the SMEs and the polytechnics.SMEs now have access to an even wider pool of technical personnel to help them increase their productivity and boost their competitiveness.For the polytechnics, participation in the GET-Up programme helps them keep abreast of the latest changes and developments in the industry.Faculty members will be able to deliver an up-to-date and industry-relevant education to their students.

Conclusion

In closing, I would like to offer my best wishes to the A*STAR research scientists and engineers who are about to be seconded to SMEs. You will have the unique opportunity to see at first hand the tangible benefits of how your skills and expertise can help our SMEs acquire a competitive edge in innovation and grow their businesses. I would also like to urge more SMEs to take advantage of the GET-Up programme by leveraging on the intellectual capital and R&D infrastructure available in A*STAR and the polytechnics. This will accelerate your innovation process and create next-generation technologies that will grow new business areas for your company. I wish you the very best.Thank you.