SPEECH BY MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR LIM HNG KIANG, AT THE OPENING OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATERIALS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES (ICMAT) 2011 HELD AT SUNTEC CONVENTION CENTRE ON MONDAY, 27 JUNE 2011 AT 9.15 AM

Your Excellencies,

Professor Albert Fert, the Plenary Speaker for this morning,

Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President, National University of Singapore,

Professor B.V.R. Chowdari, President, Materials Research Society (MRS) of Singapore and Chairman of ICMAT 2011,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

I am pleased to be here for the opening of ICMAT 2011 and I extend a warm welcome to all of you, especially our friends from overseas. ICMAT 2011 is the sixth in a series of conferences organized by the Materials Research Society (MRS) of Singapore. Since its inception in 2001, ICMAT has established a strong reputation as a home-grown multidisciplinary academic conference with a track record of attracting Nobel Laureates as plenary speakers. ICMAT has also evolved into one of Asia-Pacific’s largest international academic conferences focused on materials research and sciences.

The 2009 edition was a resounding success. ICMAT clinched the Association Conference of the Year Award at the Singapore Tourism Board’s 2010 Singapore Experience Awards, and this is a tribute to the MRS’ excellent organizational skills in delivering a high caliber event to its members. This year, as we have heard, more than 3,000 delegates from all over the world are gathered here to discuss and exchange the latest ideas, challenges and breakthroughs in materials science and technology.

R&D is the cornerstone of Singapore’s transformation into a knowledge- and innovation-based economy. The Government has made significant investment in R&D since Singapore’s first National Technology Plan in 1991. Over the past 20 years, we have built up a critical mass of capabilities. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) established Bio polis and Fusionopolis, which are co-located at one-north. These are research hubs for biomedical and, physical sciences and engineering respectively.

Through the efforts of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Ministry of Education, our autonomous universities, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), have been transformed into globally-competitive, research-intensive universities. A new university, the Singapore University of Technology and Design, established in 2009 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zhejiang University, will further strengthen our university research landscape. In July this year, the NRF will launch its new CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise) Centre. This center will host research centers by top international universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Swiss Federal Technology Institutes.

To further boost research, innovation and enterprise (RIE), the Singapore Government is investing 16.1 billion Singapore dollars over five years, from 2011 to 2015.This RIE2015 plan is expected to bring about scientific excellence and talent, greater economic outcomes and solutions for challenges which Singapore faces.

Under RIE2015, greater funding support is provided for multidisciplinary, breakthrough science. Multidisciplinary and collaborative efforts are encouraged as new ideas and discoveries are often made at the intersection of different branches of knowledge. A key thrust of this plan is the continued attraction of talent and development, so as to position Singapore as a choice location for researchers.

On generating greater economic outcomes, the RIE2015 plan provides stronger support for our scientists to take their ideas from basic research through to commercialization. For instance, grants may be disbursed to support entrepreneurs in prototyping and test-bedding new products and services, and to provide seed funding for growing technology enterprises.

R&D will also help address some of the challenges that Singapore faces. We apply a collaborative innovation approach through fostering greater synergies between researchers across the public and private sectors. The 450-million-dollar Co-Innovation Partnership Programme will help private enterprises collaborate with the public sector to develop innovative solutions for specific needs in the public sector.

Materials Science is a key research area underpinning a diverse suite of technologies in various industry sectors from electronics, computing, telecommunications, energy and the environment, to healthcare. The technological advances that have transformed our world over the last 20 years have been based on key research done in the area of materials science. Last year’s Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of Manchester University to honor their groundbreaking work on Graphene. A flat sheet of carbon just one atom thick, Graphene is the thinnest, strongest material ever discovered to date. The potential applications for Graphene are widespread as this material can be used for touch screens, solar cells and even DNA sequencing. I am sure many of you here today are monitoring closely the various research done on Graphene, and I understand that Andre Geim will be here during ICMAT 2011 to deliver a plenary lecture on this subject.

A*STAR has also recently initiated an Industrial Consortium for Nano imprinting (or ICON for short). ICON is a multi-agency effort with support from the Economic Development Board, International Enterprise Singapore and SPRING Singapore. This consortium brings the industry together to explore key potential applications for Nano imprinting technology in areas such as optical instruments, biomedical devices, consumer products and even construction materials. A*STAR has also initiated efforts in a Printed Electronics research programme to develop novel materials for photovoltaic, electronic displays and energy storage. These are some examples of research in advanced materials, and I am sure you will learn much more in the series of symposia in ICMAT 2011.

Conferences such as ICMAT play an important role. Apart from showcasing the latest scientific breakthroughs and Singapore’s conducive environment for R&D, it also helps to focus minds on developing solutions for global challenges that require multidisciplinary and collaborative efforts. Breakthroughs in these areas will deliver significant economic and societal benefits.

On this note, I wish all delegates a fruitful exchange of knowledge and ideas. Thank you.