APPENDIX C. SINGAPORE SITE REPORTS (APRIL 1996 VISITS)

Site:

Singapore National Science & Technology Board (NSTB)
Singapore Science Park, 16 Science Park Dr., #01-03 The Pasteur, Singapore 118227

Participants:

David Lim Dah Chee, Manager, Manufacturing Technology Group
Low Kiam Cheow, Manager, Electronics/MicroE/Elect Systems
Loh Oi Kang, Senior Officer
Robert Chen

Mission and Strategy

The National Technology Plan (NTP) was established in 1991. The goal is to upgrade technology in support of upgrading industries to increase GDP. NTP objectives were:

• To create a world-class industry and service cluster.
• To develop core competence and technologies to support higher value-added activities.
• To improve competitiveness through innovation and economically relevant R&D. The NSTB provides the primary link between NTP's key initiatives and this economic upgrading. To support NTP objectives, the NSTB initiatives include:
  • Encouraging private sector R&D through loans and grants.
  • Identifying and recruiting the manpower and technologies needed to build long-term sustainable advantage in R&D.
  • Supporting and financing institutes and centers to meet the R&D needs of companies.

Key Elements of Presentation

R&D expenditures have increased dramatically in all sectors. Primary R&D policies include:

• Match R&D investments in areas of competition.
• Share risks with industry to encourage company R&D.
• Establish specialized research institutions focused on industry clusters and generic technologies.
• Develop research manpower.
• Deepen capability in identifying industry relevant technologies.
• Foster culture of technology innovation and entrepreneurship. A new 5-year plan was to be finalized in July of 1996. It is expected that the next five years of NTP funding will exceed the current five-year budget of $1.27 billion. Strategies include:
  • provide incentives and other assistance to private sector
  • develop technology and knowledge infrastructure
  • develop R&D manpower
  • support commercialization

Key Elements of Tour

Measures used by the NSTB to evaluate progress in implementing the NTP include:

• R&D spending targeted at 2% of GDP (GERD/GDP)
• (Research Scientists & Engineers) per 10,000 labor force
• Private sector share of R&D (target is half, or 1% of GDP).

Key Results

The progress at the end of 1994 against these objectives was:

• R&D spending of 1.13% of GDPC (GERD/GDP).
• 477 RSEs per 10,000 labor force.
• Private sector share of R&D spending was more than 64.5%.

Conclusions

In support of Singapore's objective to become the regional hub, or gateway, for R&D in electronics:

• Singapore is graduating 3,500 engineers and scientists each year from the local universities.
• In the electronics area, NSTB funds the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) to support the development of integrated circuits and micro-machining, and GINTIC Institute of Manufacturing Technology to support manufacturing automation and integration.