Question:
Mr Leon Perera, Non-Constituency
Member of Parliament: To ask the
Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) how do the various economic
promotion agencies such as EDB, IES, SPRING, STB demarcate their roles with
respect to industry sector and the size of the company being supported.
Answer:
- The Government takes a holistic approach towards
economic planning and development, and fosters close collaboration among the
Government agencies and partners to implement our economic strategies
effectively and create good jobs for Singaporeans.
- Over the years, our economic agencies have developed deep
knowledge, specialised capabilities and networks, which allow them to support
our enterprises in their respective areas.
For instance, the Economic Development Board (EDB) focuses on bringing in investments and
strengthening Singapore as a global hub for business, while SPRING Singapore
and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore are the key agencies supporting our
local enterprises. Specifically, IE focuses on growing trade and overseas investments by
helping Singapore-based enterprises export and internationalise, while SPRING
focuses on building the capabilities of start-ups and small and medium
enterprises (SMEs).
- At the same time, the
various Government agencies work closely together to meet the needs of our
enterprises. For instance, while lead agencies have been appointed for each of the 23 Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), the ITMs
have been an important platform to bring together Government agencies and
non-Government stakeholders such as Trade Associations and Chambers, Institutes
of Higher Learning and training providers, to deliver integrated planning and
implementation efforts to address the specific needs of each industry.
- The
Government regularly adapts our programmes to better tailor to companies’
changing requirements. When necessary, we are also prepared to restructure in
order to better serve Singaporeans and our enterprises as the economic
environment and business needs evolve.
As highlighted by the Committee on the
Future Economy (CFE), Singapore’s next phase of growth will require stronger
Singapore companies that are more innovative, nimble, and better connected to
global markets. The capacity to
innovate, harness new technologies, scale up and internationalise are
increasingly intertwined for all companies regardless of size or stage of
development.
- Hence, to better
support our companies in this dynamic economic environment, we recently
announced the merger of SPRING and IE to form a new government agency,
Enterprise Singapore. Enterprise Singapore will build on the strengths of
both agencies and integrate its knowledge of industries with its network
of local and overseas partners, to comprehensively support our local
enterprises in their efforts to innovate and internationalise.
- Enterprise Singapore and EDB will form two critical and complementary government
agencies that will help formulate and implement strategies for the development
of industry clusters and enterprises in Singapore. Both will work closely together to drive
more collaboration between multinational corporations, innovative start-ups, as
well as enterprises of all sizes, to reinforce each other’s strengths, enhance
the competitiveness of our industries, and develop Singapore into a global
trading hub.