Mr S Iswaran at the Launch of the Advanced Digital Sciences Centre (ADSC)

SPEECH BY MR S ISWARAN, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE ADVANCED DIGITAL SCIENCES CENTRE (ADSC) ON 12 FEBRUARY 2009 AT 0940 HOURS AT GENEXIS AUDITORIUM, FUSIONOPOLIS

Dr Richard Herman, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

It is my pleasure to join you this morning at the launch of the Advanced Digital Sciences Centre (ADSC) here at Fusionopolis. We are delighted that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) has chosen Singapore as the location for its first research centre outside the US. This is a significant addition to our vibrant research and development (R&D) landscape. It is testament to the confidence that our partners have in Singapore’s long-term commitment to R&D.

Singapore must push ahead in Science, Technology & Innovation

We meet today against the backdrop of a global economic downturn. It is a period when attention is inevitably and necessarily focused on immediate priorities such as livelihoods and bottomlines. However, it is equally important that we look beyond short-term challenges and continue to undertake measures to sustain our long term competitiveness.

So, even as the Government has moved quickly with unprecedented measures in this year’s Budget to help Singaporeans keep their jobs and businesses to stay afloat, we have also allocated substantial resources towards building capacity for the future. It has also not escaped international notice that we have been able to finance, without any loans, both immediate relief measures as well as long term projects to develop capability and infrastructure.It underscores Singapore’s ability to commit and sustain fiscal resources for long term initiatives that are in our national interests.

For example, Singapore takes a long-term view towards R&D, as it holds the key to our long-term competitiveness as a knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy. Now more than ever, it is important that we continue to invest in science, technology and innovation so that we have the capacity to seize new opportunities when the global economy recovers.

Therefore, the national Budget for 2009 has provided for a top-up of $900 million in funds to develop capabilities for innovation and R&D, in both the private and public sectors. This steady commitment is important to ensure that we continue to draw researchers and their organisations to establish and embed their activities in Singapore, thereby making innovation pervasive throughout our economy.

Strengthening Singapore’s R&D landscape

Illinois’ decision to make Singapore the location of its first research centre outside the US is a mark of confidence in Singapore. It builds on the long-standing relationship we have that spans more than two decades.

Singapore will certainly benefit from the presence of a world-renowned institution like Illinois in our R&D landscape. Illinois brings with it world-class faculty, training, networks of international peers and industrial collaborators, and a long tradition of successful innovation. Its computer engineering and science programmes are top-ranked[1], and it has an excellent track record of training students who have gone on to start or lead high-tech, highly innovative firms such as Match.com, YouTube, PayPal and Lotus Notes. Certainly, the presence of Illinois will heighten the visibility of scientific endeavour in Singapore and attract international scientific talent to our shores.By emulating the high standards of research and education at the US campus, this Advanced Digital Sciences Centre will boost the opportunities for world-class PhD and post-doctoral training in Singapore.

Of particular significance is Illinois’ strong tradition in interacting with top industry players. Companies are highly discerning when deciding which academic partners to work with in areas that are core/fundamental to their longer term strategic plans. It is therefore noteworthy that Illinois has successfully attracted the likes of Boeing, IBM and HP Labs. This nexus between academia and industry is critical to ensure that R&D is translated into tangible value for society and the economy.

Developing world-changing technology

I am particularly excited by the focus on digital sciences at ADSC. The first research programme at ADSC will be in “Human Sixth Sense”, a joint programme between Illinois and A*STAR. The programme has the bold vision of enabling us to interact with the digital world in a manner as seamless and natural as the use of our other five senses. It complements Singapore’s thrust in the Interactive & Digital Media (IDM) space. The scope of work will be substantial, but the business opportunities arising from breakthroughs will be enormous. These include applications in wide-ranging areas such as remote physiotherapy, search and rescue operations, environmental protection and, certainly, gaming and entertainment.

SC’s location at Fusionopolis is a strategic decision which will allow for close research ties to be developed between Illinois and A*STAR researchers. The collaboration allows A*STAR to marry its strengths in areas like speech recognition and cryptography, with Illinois' world-class capabilities. This also means that Fusionopolis will anchor in one location a critical mass of researchers working on IDM research challenges.

In addition, the “Human Sixth Sense” programme will train at least 40 graduate students over the next five years to build a pipeline of talent to support the burgeoning IDM industry. Certainly, ADSC will deepen Singapore’s capabilities in digital sciences and significantly raise our value proposition in attracting world class research talent in this strategic field of digital sciences. In the longer-term, Illinois’ multidisciplinary tradition will in turn reinforce A*STAR’s plan to pursue multidisciplinary research at Fusionopolis, by integrating the wide spectrum of research capabilities – ranging from the biomedical sciences to science and engineering - at A*STAR research institutes.

Conclusion

Let me conclude by congratulating Illinois on the setting up of ADSC. I also commend A*STAR for its efforts in engaging Illinois to enrich Singapore’s R&D landscape.This is a win-win partnership that allows Singapore to tap on Illinois’’ strengths while allowing Illinois an entre into fast-growing Asia burgeoning with ideas, talent and opportunities. I look forward to the breakthroughs that will emerge from this partnership.

I wish you all the best in this new endeavour.

[1] Illinois’ undergraduate and graduate engineering programme was ranked 5th in the 2008 America’s Best Colleges edition of US News and World Report.