Yuri Anisimov, October 2015

Ability Factors Pte. Ltd.

Notes for a weary pedestrian. Non-

comprehensive, informal and biased

Strong Government

No corruption in a corporation

Lots of money and investments

Society is highly sophisticated

People are highly educated

Pace of change and development phenomenal

Diversity of race, religion and culture

Thinking of Singapore as a company building a brand,

rather than the country that it really is, sometimes

helps to make sense of it

Price factor: people will pay good money for a good

product when the benefit is tangible, or linked to

privilege and aspiration; there is a cultural aversion to

paying for ideas, expertise and consultants of all kinds

Singaporeans consider foreigners’ tenure temporary,

yet their presence is welcomed and work appreciated.

Approach as an opportunity to boost the local economy

and to achieve your goals

National Research Foundation (NRF)

Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO)

Cybersecurity Programme Office (CSPO)

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL)

Infocomm Development Authority (iDA)

Infocomm Investments Pte Ltd (IIPL)

Media Development Authority (MDA)

SPRING Singapore

Ministry of Communications & Information (MCI)

Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI)

Ministry of Education (MOE)

EDB – Economic Development Board

Monetary Authority of Singapore

Land Transport Authority (LTA)

National University Singapore (NUS)

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

National University Health System (NUSH)

Nanyang Technology University (NTU)

Nanyang Technopreneurship Center (NTC)

Singapore Management University (SMU

Singapore Business Federation (SBF)

Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)

DBS Innovation Group

Incubators and Accelerators

Jurong Town Consultants (JTC)

ST Engineering Group of Companies

Multinationals – Dassault, HP, EMC, AWS, NVIDIA, IBM, MICROSOFT

Singapore established as an R&D hub, committed to boost R&D and sustain competitive edge of economy. Consistent investing in a long and uncertain process

First National Technology Plan adopted in 1991 with total R&D expenditure S$760M; in 2010 - S$6.5 B

Allocation:

1991-1995 – $2 billion

1996-2000 – S$4 billion

2001-2005 - S$6 billion

2006-2010 - S$13.9 billion

2011- 2015 - S$16.1 billion In 2015 budget NRF was topped by $1 billion

R&D and Industry

1. Financial Sector

2. Transport Logistics

3. Energy

4. Biomedical sciences

5. Electronics

6. Engineering

7. Chemicals

A*STAR , 2002, renamed from National Science and Technology Board, established in 1991

RIEC , 2006, The Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council was set up to provide overall strategic direction for Singapore’s R&D, chaired by the Prime Minister; advises the Cabinet on national research and innovation policies and strategies.

NRF - The National Research Foundation formed under the Prime Minister’s Office to support the RIEC in through the development and coordination of national policies to grow Singapore’s R&D capabilities.

Initially R&D capabilities resided in research institutes and the universities

Modern Singapore established a R&D ecosystem comprising:

Public sector research institutions (A*STAR RIs)

Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) including the universities, polytechnics, Research Centres of Excellence (RCEs)

International institutions under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE)

Hospitals and academic medical centres, and corporate R&D laboratories.

Singapore’s universities were transformed to become more research-intensive under a holistic R&D framework and strategy

NRF aims to develop Singapore to be among most research-intensive

and innovative countries through strong partnerships and

collaboration partners;

1. A*STAR, 21 public research institutes that conduct R&D with an industry

focus, and is involved in translating research outcomes into innovative

products and services.

2. SPRING Singapore focuses on the translational aspects of R&D and the

development of Small and Medium Enterprises.

3. EDB, Economic Development Board- the lead government agency that

works to attract multinational corporations and corporate R&D laboratories to

Singapore.

4. Institutes of Higher Learning under: • Ministry of Education (MOE): Autonomous Universities (the National University

of Singapore, the Nanyang Technological University, the Singapore Management

University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design) and the

polytechnics.

• Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals and academic medical centres, which engage

in translational clinical research

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean is the Chairman of the NRF Board. NRF is a department within the Prime Minister's Office, sets national direction for R&D by:

Developing policies, plans and strategies for research, innovation and enterprise;

Funding initiatives that strengthen research and scientific capabilities, and achieve economic and national impact;

Building up R&D capabilities and capacities through nurturing our people and attracting foreign researchers and scientists; and

Coordinating the research agenda of different agencies to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy.

NRF’s programmes and policies cover the entire RIE spectrum. The spectrum of activities by the various agencies and entities shade into each other.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), with its agencies, also covers the RIE range, although each agency would have a slightly different mandate.

SPRING focuses on the translation aspects of R&D and the building of local enterprises.

EDB is the lead government agency for planning and positioning Singapore as a global business centre and in creating value for investors and companies in Singapore.

The Institutes of Higher Learning under the Ministry of Education and the hospitals and medical centres under the Ministry of Health engage in basic to applied research as well as bringing innovations out of the academic and medical institutions.

NRF is the secretariat to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Prime Minister of Singapore, who appoints members to two-year terms. The RIEC comprises Cabinet Ministers and local and foreign members from the business, science and technology communities.

RIEC’s National budget for research, innovation and enterprise is the part of the RIE2015 S$16.1B plan

1. Continued emphasis on basic science and knowledge as the basis for future innovations.

2. Second, focus on talent attraction and development, positioning Singapore as a choice location for top researchers.

3. Emphasis on competitive funding as a means to select the best ideas.

4. Synergies between researchers across the public and private sectors. Funding to encourage public-private research collaboration.

5. Emphasis on industry-oriented R&D with economic outcomes

6. Support for commercialisation to spur the development of new products and services for economic and societal benefit.

Invest in new knowledge and ideas, seed the intellectual capital that forms the basis for future innovations. Tier 3 programme to fund programme-level research projects

ranging from S$5 million to S$25 million over 5 years.

Attraction and development of scientific talent to meet the needs of the research institutions. S$735 million for scholarships and fellowships for talent training both locally and overseas.

Competitive funding to spur innovation for further support and development. NRF Competitive Research Programme expanded to S$1

billion.

Synergies across our various R&D performers, funding priority to multi-disciplinary and collaborative efforts, including collaborations with corporate R&D laboratories. A*STAR’s Joint Council Office, received an expanded budget of

S$250 million for multidisciplinary research across the physical and biomedical sciences

Focus R&D on economic outcomes, greater support for private sector R&D, closer collaborations between public and private sector R&D, and added emphasis on commercialization. Support for private R&D - S$2.5 billion

New S$1.35 billion Industry Alignment Fund will encourage public researchers to work closely with the industry.

Support for scientists to take ideas from basic research through to commercialization, with the Innovation and Enterprise budget doubling to about S$1.08 billion.

RIE 2015 introduced a new S$1.6 billion White Space fund for responding to quickly to unanticipated challenges and opportunities. Open to proposals from all agencies

Singapore has benefited from the good investment in biomedical sciences, clean water and interactive & digital media.

Biomedical Sciences - Translational and Clinical Research (Nutrition and Medical Technology are the new areas) Established strong critical mass of basic science research

talent and capability, highly competitive in terms of research output and quality

Built up strong translational and clinical research capability to facilitate the translation of scientific discoveries f to bedside and to industries.

Enhanced industry engagements attracting more industry R&D activity and investment into Singapore;

Integrating basic, translational and clinical research activities to strengthen competitive advantage over other BMS research centres in Asia

Sustaining strengths in basic and translational research to develop novel capabilities to address unanticipated challenges and opportunities.

Singapore has benefited from the good investment in biomedical sciences, clean water and interactive & digital media.

Biomedical Sciences - Translational and Clinical Research (Nutrition and Medical Technology are the new areas) Established strong critical mass of basic science research

talent and capability, highly competitive in terms of research output and quality

Built up strong translational and clinical research capability to facilitate the translation of scientific discoveries f to bedside and to industries.

Enhanced industry engagements attracting more industry R&D activity and investment into Singapore;

Integrating basic, translational and clinical research activities to strengthen competitive advantage over other BMS research centres in Asia

Sustaining strengths in basic and translational research to develop novel capabilities to address unanticipated challenges and opportunities.

Interactive & Digital Media

IDM will be a fundamental enabler in the 21st century, is a key driver in Singapore's thrust towards an innovative global media city.

The development of the IDM sector requires the collaboration of a diverse range of public sector agencies, educational and research institutions, industry players and other stakeholders. Four key focus areas: 1. Education; 2. Animation, Games & Effects; 3. Media Intermediary ("Mediary") Services; and 4. "On-the-Move" Technologies.

The IDM R&D Programme is under the purview of the IDM Programme Office (IDMPO), which coordinates a nation-wide effort across various agencies and oversees R&D initiatives in the IDM space, while research on the use of IDM in Education is overseen by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Physical Sciences & Engineering research programmes in engineering and physical sciences - including mathematics, artificial intelligence, and computer science carried out mainly by the universities and research institutes in Singapore.

Science and Engineering Research Council

A*STAR’s Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) promotes public sector research and development in the physical sciences and engineering, by supporting world-class research in A*STAR institutes in a wide range of fields including data storage, materials, chemicals, and advanced manufacturing.

Local universities, research institutions and corporate research labs conduct talent programmes to attract and develop world-class scientists, both local and international, at all levels and in all areas of the R&D landscape.

National Research Foundation (NRF) Fellowship scheme is a key initiative to attract and root young scientific talent to Singapore. Open to all areas of science and technology, and scientists of all nationalities are welcome to apply. NRF Fellows are given complete independence and freedom to pursue their own research directions, free to choose the host organisation which they think is the best environment for their research.

The Returning Singaporean Scientists Scheme seeks to attract back talented and established overseas-based Singaporean researchers and provide them with the funding and opportunity to relocate their research to Singapore.

Ministry of Health - Biomedical research The Ministry of Health (MOH)‘s talent development programmes nurture a critical mass of clinician scientists in Singapore.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has channelled 10% of its Research Scholarship Block to support industry-relevant research training to encourage locally-trained scientists to stay and contribute to Singapore over the long term

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) - Undergraduate and

Graduate Research, pioneered a series of programmes to grow the local PhD

talent pool in the research institutes (RIs) and increase the enrolment of

Singaporean students in the engineering and science PhD programmes at the

local universities.

A*STAR works with the Ministry of Education, Science Centre Singapore,

schools and the scientific community to augment the capacity of educators and

scientists to mentor and guide students in research projects.

The Singapore Academy for Young Engineers and Scientists (SAYES) has been

established

Economic Development Board & Ministry of Education - Industry-relevant

research. - Industrial Postgraduate Programme to support the pipeline of

talent for industry. The programme supports the training of Masters and PhD

students working on industry projects, and is co-supervised by companies and

industries.

Industrial Postgraduate Programme, run by Singapore University of

Technology and Design (SUTD) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Great proportion of R&D funding available on a competitive basis, to support the highest quality research

National Innovation Challenge - R&D capabilities to tackle large, complex problems facing cities.

Competitive Research Programme (NRF), a competitive funding scheme offers different grant sizes (S$1 billion)

Open Collaborative Fund, jointly administered by A*STAR and MOH, S$590 million of competitive funding to support productive collaboration and integration across Singapore’s healthcare, academic and research institutions.

Strategy Directorate assesses and formulates research, innovation and

enterprise (RIE) strategies, policies and governance frameworks. The

Corporate Communications unit is responsible for public communications

and outreach.

Programmes Directorate develops and manages research and

development programmes, in partnership with stakeholders in

government, academia and industry.

Grant Management Unit manages key NRF programmes. It monitors

and assesses the outcomes of the programmes to ensure funds are used

effectively.

Corporate Services Directorate shapes the corporate policies to achieve

the goals: human resources, finance and administration, information

technology, facilities and infrastructure management.

Campus for Technological Excellence and Technological Enterprise

(CREATE) Directorate - planning, development and implementation of

CREATE programmes working with CREATE partners

Digital Economy Directorate and the Interactive Digital Media R&D

Programme Office - effective governance frameworks for research and

scientific programmes in the digital domain. Links between industry and

science, and catalyse innovation and enterprise in ICT sector.

Energy & Environment Research Directorate - R&D capabilities in the

energy and environmental sectors to meet national challenges.

Innovation & Enterprise Office - grow the innovation and enterprise

landscape in Singapore through a range of programmes that help start-up

companies commercialise new technologies (jobs for Singaporeans)

National Cybersecurity R&D Directorate - R&D expertise and

capabilities in cybersecurity. Promotes collaboration -agencies, academia,

research institutes and private sector for cyber infrastructure for Singapore.

Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Executive Committee (Exco) Planning &

Coordination Office - coordinated whole-of-government approach to

growing the BMS sector in Singapore.