Mr S Iswaran at the President’s Science and Technology Awards 2012

SPEECH BY MR S. ISWARAN, MINISTER IN PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE AND SECOND MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND TRADE & INDUSTRY AT THE PRESIDENT’S SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARDS 2012, 30 OCT 2012, 7.45PM, RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA CONVENTION CENTRE

President Tony Tan Keng Yam,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good evening to you.

I am pleased to join you at the President’s Science and Technology Awards 2012, and would like to thank President Tony Tan for gracing this evening’s ceremony.

Singapore’s Investments in R&D

Research and Development (R&D) is an integral part of Singapore’s economic strategy.  R&D drives innovation which enhances quality of life and creates value.  It is for this reason that Singapore has made steadfast investments in R&D.  In 1991, we launched the first 5-year National Technology Plan with a budget of S$2 billion.  Over successive Science and Technology Plans, the government’s commitment to R&D increased significantly to S$13.6 billion for the 2006 to 2010 tranche.  Two years ago, we embarked on another 5-year plan to further boost research, innovation and enterprise (RIE) in Singapore.  The plan will see the government investing S$16.1 billion between 2011 and 2015 in both basic and industry-oriented R&D.

The results of the Global Innovation Index published by INSEAD bears testimony to the growing maturity and recognition of the research landscape in Singapore.  This year, for the 2nd year running, Singapore has been ranked the most innovative country in Asia and the 3rd most innovative country in the world.  This is a significant improvement from 2010, when we were ranked 7th in the world.

Talent is a key pillar of R&D

Underpinning Singapore’s growth as Asia’s R&D and innovation capital is our scientific talent.  We remain committed to developing this talent pool.  R&D is an endeavour that thrives on diversity, collaboration and international networks.  Hence, our success is contingent not just on developing the local core of talent, but also ensuring that we continue attracting leading international scientists and researchers to work with their Singaporean counterparts.  We will continue to grow and support our scientific talent through fellowships, talent development programmes, scholarships and a variety of research grants.  Indeed, we have seen a continued rise in the number of PhD students in our universities, from less than 5,000 in 2007 to 7,700 in 2011, injecting new capabilities and dynamism into our R&D ecosystem.

Our efforts have resulted in a steadily growing number of people taking up good jobs in research-related fields.  We now have over 30,000 researchers, scientists and engineers (RSEs) employed across various industries and the public sector in Singapore.  As a percentage of our labour force, this RSE intensity is comparable to advanced economies such as Korea, Norway and Sweden.  I am confident that the research community in Singapore, in industry and the public sector, will continue to grow.

PSTA winners represent peaks of excellence

Tonight, we gather to honour four of our outstanding researchers with the nation’s highest scientific awards – the President’s Science and Technology Awards – and to celebrate their contributions in the field of science and technology.

These four individuals epitomise peaks of achievement in their respective fields resulting from their unwavering pursuit of scientific excellence.  They demonstrate a remarkable and resolute drive to seek, find and create knowledge, and an enduring commitment to scientific research and innovation.  At the same time, by forging meaningful and strategic collaborations within the research community and with industry, they have engendered positive outcomes for our society and the economy.

The recipient of this year’s President’s Science and Technology Medal is Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, the executive director of the Institute of Microelectronics (IME).  An excellent researcher in his own right, and an outstanding innovator, Professor Kwong is most deserving of this top award.  He believes that collaboration and learning are at the heart of innovation, and has been relentless, in fostering collaborations with industry, and redoubling IME’s efforts to enhance its R&D capabilities.  His efforts have contributed extensively to the semiconductor industry in Singapore and have been critical in attracting companies to invest here.

Under Professor Kwong’s leadership, IME has fostered strategic partnerships with over 50 multinational companies, ranging from multi-billion dollar Japanese conglomerates to Forbes 500 companies.  He was instrumental in forging the Applied Materials Inc. collaboration with IME to establish a joint Centre of Excellence in Advanced Packaging in Singapore.  This collaboration will enhance research capabilities in complex high value manufacturing, and will lead to the creation of quality jobs for Singaporeans in this field over the next five years.  This world-class facility will be the most advanced lab of its kind and will combine Applied Materials’ leading-edge technology with IME’s leading research capability in 3D chip packaging.  It will position Singapore as a global leader in semiconductor R&D, and is key to Singapore’s growth in this sector.

In addition, Professor Kwong has been tireless in his efforts to build collaborations and linkages among local and international companies, across the semiconductor supply chain, by establishing and overseeing key consortium programmes.  These consortium programmes enable companies to collaborate in pre-competitive R&D and are vital first-steps in catalysing new industry value-chains in Singapore.

The recipient of this year’s President’s Science Award is Professor Wang Yue from A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.  Professor Wang is also a firm believer in the importance of public-private partnership to extend the impact of his research.  Professor Wang is honoured tonight for his work on a virulent fungus, Candida albicans.  This fungus accounts for a high percentage of hospital-acquired infections around the world.  A large number eventually succumb to the infection.  So, Professor Wang’s groundbreaking research has an enormous impact on Singapore and the world.  He is now collaborating with the private and public sectors to develop diagnostics kits for detection, as well as therapeutic anti-fungal drugs for treatment of the infection.  These collaborations will significantly reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections, as well as improve the treatment outcomes for infected persons.

The duo who will receive this year’s President’s Technology Award, Professor Louis Phee from NTU and Professor Lawrence Ho from NUH, exemplify how convergence of capabilities can result in innovative solutions for society.  Although they are trained in quite different fields, Professor Phee, a research scientist and engineer, and Professor Ho, a medically trained clinician, worked together to make scar-free surgery a reality.  Their collaborative work resulted in the development of the world’s first robotic flexible endoscopy system, which enables surgeons to carry out operations without the need to make external incisions.  This means less pain and shorter recovery times for patients.  Both scientists have already carried out successful first-in-man trials in India and Hong Kong, including the removal of gastric tumours.  When this technology becomes commercially available in 2015, the impact on healthcare delivery for Singaporeans and the world will be profound.

Developing young talent

The success and contributions of the PSTA winners attest to the importance of our continued commitment to, and investment in, public R&D in Singapore.  To sustain the achievement of such peaks of excellence, we must nurture a vibrant community of promising young scientists and researchers pursuing novel ideas, and actively collaborating with local and overseas partners in the public sector and industry.

Therefore, in addition to honouring our four established scientists with the PSTA tonight, I am pleased to announce the three winners of the Young Scientist Awards.  These young scientists are below 35 years of age and have already shown great potential to be world-class researchers in their fields of expertise.  They are Assistant Professor Chen Wei from NUS, Assistant Professor David Lou from NTU and Dr Joel Yang from A*STAR.  I look forward to them scaling greater heights in their work in the years to come.

Conclusion

To all winners, I would like to extend once again my heartiest congratulations on your outstanding achievements.  You are an inspiration to your peers and to aspiring scientists in Singapore.  With your leadership in your respective fields, and with the continued contributions of past winners of these awards, Singapore’s research community will certainly continue to grow and bring about important social and economic benefits for Singapore and for Singaporeans.

Thank you.