Case Study on Singapore:

 

Recognizing R&D as a driver for growth, Singapore has developed an extensive R&D infrastructure and talent pool, which was further augmented by attracting and retaining a world- class talent pool of scientists and engineers, who bring a wealth of skills and experience from around the globe.

 

The focus on R&D was given a boost in 2005 with the debut of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) headed by the Prime Minister. By 2008, the total number of research scientists and engineers in Singapore per 10,000 workforce was 104, among the highest in the world. Going forward, the government has announced its aspiration to increase Singapore R&D spending to 3.5% of the national GDP by 2015, up from the current level of about 3%. One of the major initiatives championed by RIEC is the Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), which will house research collaborations between elite universities like MIT, ETH, and Technion labs, and their Singapore counterparts.

 

This joins an existing base of 14 public research institutes (RI) under

the Agency of Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), of which

7 are dedicated to research in the physical sciences and engineering

. A Nanofabrication and Characterization facility, which includes a

clean room with the full range of state-of-the-art nanofabrication

equipments, was also set up to support researchers of all

backgrounds, fostering a culture of interaction and innovation.

Having drawn a strong pool of foreign talent and businesses to

conduct research, extend important business units, and grow new

businesses, Singapore aims to build nanotechnology as the horizontal

technology foundation upon which many of the industry verticals in

Singapore can leverage. Singapore also recognize that, to achieve

nanotechnology’s full potential, close partnerships between R&D,

industry, and consumers are not just desirable but crucial.

 

Hence, to further collaborations between industry and public research institutes, Singapore launched the Industrial Consortium on Nanoimprint (ICON) in August 2010. ICON’s focus is to enhance the commercial readiness and adoption of Nano imprint technologies through collaboration between RIs and industry at the pre-competitive stage. This initiative was well received with six companies participating in the first project in anti-reflection surfaces. Other project being planned includes engineered anti-bacterial surfaces.

 

These collaborations definitely allow firms to tap capabilities from outside their organization and to stretch their finite R&D funds to achieve greater outcome in less time.