Education and Research in Singapore Leong-Chuan Kwek IAS
The rising nations of the East [Not forgetting Australia and New Zealand] all recognize the importance of an educated workforce as a means to economic growth and they understand the impact of research in driving innovation and competitiveness. In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the higher education agenda in Asia s early developers Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan was first and foremost to increase the fraction of their populations provided with postsecondary education. Their initial focus was on expanding the number of institutions and their enrollments, and impressive results were achieved. Richard C Levin, Royal Society Address, 2010
..In the early stages of postwar Asian development, it was well understood that expanded access to higher education was a requisite for sustained economic growth. A literate, welltrained labor force was a key ingredient in transforming Japan and South Korea over the course of the past half century, first from agricultural to manufacturing economies and subsequently from low- to high-skill manufacturing. With substantial government investment, the capacity of the tertiary educational systems in both countries expanded rapidly. Richard C Levin, Royal Society Address, 2010
"The government's investment in R&D (research and development) has grown significantly, with S$16.1 billion set aside for research, innovation and enterprise for the current five-year period from 2011 to 2015. "This reflects the important role that research and innovation play in underpinning the competitiveness of our industries, catalysing new growth areas, and transforming our economy. Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Singapore
Leading Asian Nations in Science and Technology China India Japan Korea China Talent Determination Hunger Resources
Where We Are in South East Asia An Artificial Diamond Created By Stress SINGAPORE Indonesia 1.900,000 sq km 230 m people Malaysia 329,847 sq km 27.7 m people Singapore 710 sq km 5.0 m people
A Small State Can Survive and Thrive IFF Instinct for Survival Invest to Secure National Interests Agile Decide Quickly Implement Quickly Change Course Quickly Open to Talent Open to Investment Open to New Ideas Within Organizations Across Organizations Over Time Open Integrated
Resources of Singapore: Location, Land, People Limitations To Growth: Too Little Land & Too Few Babies Land = 710.4 sq km (22% reclaimed) People = 5.0m (3.3m citizens) Create More Space & Get the Most from Every Baby through Education!
2009 GDP AT CURRENT MARKET PRICES $265 Billion 10% 5% 20% Manufacturing Construction Utilities Trade 14% 5% Transport & Storage 1% Hotels & Restaurants Info Comm 12% 4% 2% 9% 18% Financial Services Business Services Other Services Industries Ownership of Dwellings 9
Transformation of the Economic System of Singapore Industry sophistication & value-add Knowledge + Innovation + Enterprise Driven by R&D Capital Intensive Skills Intensive Technology Intensive Labour Intensive 1960 1980 2000 2020 10
Growing Our Economy Our experiment to grow a new economic system based on R&D started with the set up of NSTB Mr Teo Ming Kian Permanent Secretary (National Research & Development) in 1991, and seriously linking R&D with technopreneurship in 2006 with the set up of RIEC/NRF. 11
National Research Foundation (NRF), a Department in Prime Minister s office (PMO) Established in 2006 Research, Innovation & Enterprise Council (RIEC) Cabinet Chairman RIEC Dy Chairman RIEC And Chairman NRF National Research Ministry of Foundation (NRF) Education Public Sector R&D Budget 2000 to 2005 = $6B 2006 to 2010 = $13.55B 2011 to 2015 = $16.1B Ministry of Trade & Industry A*Star EDB 12 Dy Chairman NRF
Overview of NRF Programmes 2006-2010 Strategic R&D areas New industries Biomedical Sciences TCR Environmental & Water Technologies (Clean Water, Clean Energy) Interactive & Digital Media Top-down Vibrant R&D-based innovation system for a knowledge-based economy Bottom-up Campus for Research Excellence & Technological Enterprise (CREATE) NRF Research Fellowship Competitive Research Programme Funding Scheme Research Centres of Excellence National Framework for Innovation & Enterprise NRF initiatives Increased R&D capacity & capabilities 28th Nov 2008 13
CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise) Microcosm of Future Economy Driven by Research, Innovation & Enterprise Top Foreign Universities Entrepreneurs Products + Services Innovators Researchers NUS, NTU, SMU & SUTD Industries Corporate Labs Polytechnics Research Institutes 14
Five research Themes of CREATE Human Systems System of Systems Urban Systems Energy Systems Environment Systems 15
Maximum Effect Comes from the Integration of Science & Technology, Knowledge, Organizations & People into Systems Science & Technology Organizations P E O P L E Knowledge 16 The Sharing of Knowledge of Our Researchers and Organizations to Move Research into Innovation in a new RIE Ecosystem in CREATE
MIT Infectious Diseases 17 CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise) Centre for Environmental Sensing & Modelling BioSystems Future Urban Mobility ETH Future Cities Laboratory Technion Regenerative medicine TUM Electromobility in Mega Cities Hebrew U Cellular and Molecular Mechanism of inflammation Berkeley Energy Efficient Buildings Ben Gurion U Energy and Water Management
Excellence Attracts Excellence Singapore s First Research Centre of Excellence, Centre for Quantum Technologies Established in 2007 @ NUS Our history (1998 2001) Heroic Years Research in quantum information science in Singapore was initiated in 1998 by local researchers Lai Choy Heng, Oh Choo Hiap, Kwek Leong Chuan, Kuldip Singh as a series of informal seminars at the National University of Singapore. The seminars attracted local researchers and resulted in the formation of the Quantum Information Technology Group, informally referred to in Singlish as "quantum lah" Singapore s Pioneers & Heroes in Quantum Information Technology
Source: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/singleview/news/research_and_development_usa_europe_and_japan_increasingly_challenged_by_emerging_countries_says_a_unesco_report/
Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) Source: singstat