Speech By Deputy Prime Minister and Minister (Trade) Gan Kim Yong at the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce Awards 2026

1. Good evening to all of you.

2. I am very happy to join you tonight for the 10th edition of the SICC Awards.

   1. First, congratulations to all of you on this important milestone, and thank you for bringing together our local and international business communities for nearly 190 years.

3. I would also like to thank all the judges for your hard work. Congratulations too to all the finalists and award recipients tonight.

4. These Awards recognise different forms of innovation. But they are built around one simple idea: some of the best solutions emerge when organisations bring different capabilities together.

5. This is even more relevant today.

6. Businesses are operating in a much more complex environment.

   1. Technology is advancing rapidly, especially with AI.

   2. Supply chains and trading relationships are being reshaped by geopolitical tensions.

   3. Companies are having to decarbonise, while remaining competitive.

   4. While protectionist measures are rising, new sources of growth are emerging across different markets and sectors.

7. No company can develop every capability it needs on its own. Increasingly, success will depend not only on what capabilities you have, but also what capabilities others have that you can tap on.

   1. A large multinational may have technology, capital and global networks, but it can still benefit from the specialised knowledge and agility of a local enterprise or startup.

   2. A company may have a promising idea, but need research expertise to develop it, an experienced partner to commercialise it, or an overseas partner to bring it into new markets.

   3. And as technologies become more complex, companies will increasingly have to work with universities and research institutes, training institutions as well as Government agencies to develop the capabilities and people that they need.

8. This is why collaboration is becoming an increasingly important engine of growth. And it is also where I believe Singapore has an advantage.

Bringing different capabilities together

9. As a small economy, our strength has always come from being open and connected to the world – bringing together people, businesses, capital and ideas from different places.

10. We want Singapore to be a place where different capabilities – from local and international firms, large companies and startups, industry and research – can come together to solve problems, develop new capabilities, and create solutions that they could not produce as effectively on their own.

11. This requires us to strengthen collaboration at several levels.

12. First, between companies.

13. Our multinational companies and large local enterprises are important sources of technology, expertise and access to global markets. Our SMEs and startups bring their own strengths, including specialised capabilities, entrepreneurship and the ability to move quickly.

14. This is the thinking behind programmes such as the Partnerships for Capability Transformation, or PACT, which supports partnerships between companies to develop suppliers, co-innovate and pursue new opportunities together.

15. But the most successful partnerships cannot be created by Government programmes alone. They work because businesses see a shared opportunity, bring complementary strengths to the table, and invest the time and effort needed to make the partnership succeed.

16. Second, we need stronger collaboration between businesses and our research and innovation ecosystem.

17. Singapore invests significantly in research and innovation. The knowledge created needs to be translated into solutions that businesses can use and take to market.

18. This means connecting companies more closely with our universities, research institutes and Institutes of Higher Learning – so that promising ideas do not remain in the laboratory, but can be tested, commercialised and scaled.

19. It also means developing people alongside technology.

    1. As companies adopt AI, automation and other new technologies, workers need to acquire new skills and use these tools effectively.

    2. Technological progress must produce stronger companies, better jobs and new opportunities for our people.

20. Third, collaboration must increasingly take place across borders.

21. For Singapore companies, internationalisation is not an optional extra. Our domestic market is small, and companies with ambitions to grow will eventually need to venture abroad.

22. But entering a new market is challenging, and even more so to do it alone. Companies need partners who understand local customers, regulations, supply chains and business conditions.

23. At the same time, international companies based here can draw on Singapore’s ecosystem and use Singapore as a base to develop solutions for the region and beyond.

24. This is why the new Best Cross-Border Collaboration Award is particularly relevant. It recognises something fundamental about Singapore: our ability to connect ourselves to opportunities beyond our shores, and this ability has allowed us to create value for Singapore and Singaporeans.

From collaboration to impact

25. The SICC Awards bring these different forms of collaboration to life.

26. Over ten editions, the Awards have grown from two categories to five – covering technology, the workplace, scalability, sustainability and now cross-border collaboration.

27. The SICC Awards recognise not just good ideas, but partnerships that have turned different capabilities into tangible business outcomes.

28. Just as importantly, the learning does not end tonight. Through initiatives such as Collaborate to Innovate, other businesses can learn from the experiences of the winners – including the challenges they encountered, how they overcame them, and what made their partnerships work.

29. Ultimately, the purpose is not simply to celebrate five successful collaborations. It is to encourage many more.

Looking ahead together

30. Ladies and gentlemen, Singapore’s economy has succeeded because we have remained open to ideas, businesses and people from around the world, while continually developing our own capabilities at home.

31. That remains our approach today.

32. My congratulations once again to all the finalists, and to the winners whom we will recognise later tonight.

33. I wish SICC continued success, and look forward to many more collaborations emerging from this community in the years ahead. And I certainly look forward to next year’s 190^th anniversary celebration.

34. Thank you, and have a great evening.