Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Singapore Office Opening Ceremony held at the Creation Theatrette, Matrix Level 4, Biopolis Friday 18 September 2009 10.00 am Congratulatory Address by Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman, A*STAR **************************************************************************************************** His Excellency Makoto Yamanaka, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore; Dr Koichi Kitazawa, President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency; Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, A very good morning to all of you. To our Japanese friends who have flown in from Japan for this event, welcome to Singapore and Biopolis. I am very happy with the opening of the JST Singapore Office and would like to offer a few words of congratulations on this very special occasion. As the world second largest economy, Japan has established herself internationally in Science and Technology, having 14% share of the world s expenditure on R&D. The Gross Expenditure on R&D by Japan in 2006 at US$185 Bn or 3.61% of her GDP is more than that of Germany (US$83 Bn or 2.51% of GDP) and France (US$53 Bn or 2.12% of GDP) combined. Page 1 of 5
As all of us go about our daily activities, we benefit from a lot of Japanese technologies, which are themselves translation of Japanese R&D. These range from our digital cameras that can capture the image exactly at the moment when you are smiling, to the cars that we travel in that can envelop you in a concert hall effect. It therefore comes as no surprise that Japan has the highest number of Nobel laureates (last count 16) in Asia. There are many things that Singapore can learn from Japan the relentless pursuit of excellence in science and technology, the ability to understand the needs of society and provide innovative solutions to improve quality of life, and just as importantly, the willingness to collaborate and share your knowledge and experiences as part of your contribution to the region and the world. In return, I believe there are some things that Singapore can share with Japan such as how Singapore has significantly internationalized our R&D enterprise. For instance, in A*STAR, we have more than 2,000 scientists and more than half of them are from over 50 different countries. Many of these international scientists are world-class. They include 1 Nobel Laureate; 10 who are members of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO); 5 Fellows of Royal Society of the UK; 3 who are members of the US Academy of Sciences and many more who are members of prestigious scientific societies around the world. In addition, we have also been able to create an R&D environment where a rich spectrum of capabilities from biomedical sciences to physical sciences and engineering Page 2 of 5
are collocated together in the world class infrastructures of the Biopolis and Fusionopolis. At the same time, you also see researchers from both the public and private sector working in the same building, but more pertinently, having many opportunities to have chance encounters that are quite important to seed successful research collaborations or even inspirations. This can be in Starbucks, in the lifts or in Wine and Water after office. But, both Japan and Singapore recognize that while it is important to internationalise our R&D endeavours, we need to do more. In particular, we also need to build strong connections and collaborations with other R&D communities around the region and the world. In this regard, A*STAR is delighted to have close collaboration with the Japanese R&D community. Page 3 of 5
We are familiar with MEXT and METI and agencies such as JST, JSPS and NEDO as well as research organisations such as Riken, National Institute of Material Sciences (NIMS) and Japanese universities. As a matter of fact, Riken has an office in Biopolis since April 2006 while Waseda has just opened the Waseda Bioscience Research Institute (WABIOS) earlier in the week. Together, we have held topical seminar and workshops, exchanged scientists, researchers and students through various programmes, and have embarked on joint projects of common interests. The collaborations that we have established spread across different levels and we are beginning to enjoy the fruits of these efforts. JST s presence in Biopolis can only serve to reinforce the strong ties that we currently enjoy and will have a positive impact on our collaboration going forward. As a matter of fact, A*STAR signed on MOU with JST in March this year to be part of the strategic International Cooperative Program. The SICP would facilitate the exchange of scientists and researchers between both organizations. The JST Singapore Office will also provide a convenient point of contact for your other partners in Singapore and in the region. Page 4 of 5
I was told that the Singapore Office might be made responsible for JST s bilateral relationship with South Africa for a simple reason that there is a direct flight from Singapore to Johannesburg. Given that Singapore is a very well connected air-hub, I believe you can do a lot with your Singapore office then. On this note, let me offer my heartiest congratulation to Dr Koichi Kitazawa and JST as you affirm your commitment to R&D collaboration in Singapore and in the region. I am confident that your presence in Biopolis will further strengthen the already strong ties that exist between the R&D community in Japan and Singapore. Thank you. Page 5 of 5