Singapore Government Media Release

INTRODUCTION

We must position ourselves for this new wave. Our hope is to build the Life Sciences into the fourth pillar of our manufacturing sector and to achieve the same level of success as the other three pillars of electronics, chemicals and engineering. To achieve this, we need to lay a strong foundation covering many aspects, from resource allocation and changes in government policies, to education and research.

The development of the Life Sciences requires the efforts of many ministries to be coordinated including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Trade & Industry. In addition, especially in genomics and gene therapy, we will need to take into consideration the legal and ethical implications of the work that is done.

Unlike the IT and E-commerce, where the development time for new products can be counted in months, the Life Sciences requires time and sustained effort to yield results. We cannot expect quick returns. To provide leadership and ensure good coordination, a Ministerial Committee for the Life Sciences will be established under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan. Members will include the Ministers of Health, Education and Trade & Industry. By acting in a concerted manner, we will maximise our chances of success. The establishment of the Committee also sends a strong signal of Singapore’s strategic commitment to the development of the Life Sciences.

Assisting the Ministerial Committee is the Life Sciences Executive Committee, which is chaired by Mr. Philip Yeo, Chairman of the Economic Development Board. The panel draws senior members from the National Science & Technology Board, Jurong Town Corporation, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Ministry of Health, National Medical Research Council, Ministry of Education, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and the Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology. In fact, the Ex-Co, which has already been formed, had its first meeting this morning.

I am also happy to announce that Sir Richard Sykes, Chairman of Glaxo SmithKline plc and Dr Sydney Brenner, Director of the Molecular Sciences Institute, Inc, have agreed to serve as the Chairman and Co-Chairman of an International Advisory Council respectively. Both of them are good friends of Singapore and know us very well.

The Ministerial Committee and its Executive Committee will focus on three main thrusts of Life Sciences development: education, research and industry development. I will now touch briefly on each of these areas.

To prepare young Singaporeans for the Life Sciences, MOE will strengthen the teaching of life sciences subjects at appropriate levels in the school system. The intention is to kindle our students’ interest and encourage them to update themselves in a field which is changing by the day. MOE intends to achieve this through a review of the Biology curriculum and its delivery. This will be done within the framework of a balanced education. We need a spirit of inquiry, creative and critical thinking, laboratory skills and interdisciplinary work.

For the past 15 years, Singapore has invested in a number of research institutions and centres related to the Life Sciences. In the biomedical area, we have funded several research programmes in molecular biology, bioinformatics and clinical medicine. However, it is no longer enough to have research groups focused on specific areas. We need to encourage multi-disciplinary research programmes and multi-institutional collaboration cutting across the various disciplines – from basic biomedical research to informatics and engineering and even clinical research. We need to get our scientists, engineers, medical doctors and computer scientists to work together and integrate their efforts.

In this spirit of multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Singapore Genomics Programme, or SGP for short. This is a national initiative to spearhead research into human genomics, with particular focus on generating data reflective of the diverse ethnic composition in the Asia-Pacific region. By studying the genetic basis of diseases such as liver cancer and breast cancer which are significantly different in their incidence here, we may be able to find their causes at the molecular and genetic levels. It may then be possible to develop new diagnostic methods and treatments for such diseases.

In the US and UK, Life Sciences Research & Development is driven by both the public and private sectors. In Singapore, research activities in the Life Sciences have so far been concentrated in the universities, research institutes and hospitals. For the next stage of development, it is critical that we have a good combination of public and private R&D funding for the industry. Private R&D tends to be more focused because of its commercial orientation. We must encourage private sector R&D to be done here especially by world-class Life Sciences companies. We need a critical mass of such activities here for the industry to take off.

Concurrently, by having a vibrant Venture Capital industry and a conducive environment for biotech start-ups, we hope to grow our own indigenous life sciences companies which can compete internationally.

The Singapore government will immediately increase the R&D Fund for investment in the private sector which comes under EDB by S$1 billion. This will enable EDB to collaborate with world-class Life Sciences companies that are interested to carry out their research activities in Singapore.

Both EDB and NSTB will work closely together to promote and develop the Life Sciences in Singapore. The key is leadership. Mr Philip Yeo has agreed to devote much more of his time and energy to this important area. He has long been interested in the Life Sciences. I can’t find a better man to do this job. To free him from some of his responsibilities as Executive Chairman in EDB, I am appointing Mr Teo Ming Kian as Co-Chairman of EDB to assist him with effect from 1 August 2000. At the same time, Mr Philip Yeo who is now the Vice-Chairman of NSTB will become its Co-Chairman. In the coming months, NSTB will be reorganized. Some aspects of NSTB’s work in technopreneurship development will be corporatized to enable us to respond more quickly to market opportunities.

After the reorganization of NSTB, Mr Philip Yeo will be appointed its Executive Chairman on 1 Feb 2001 while retaining his role in the EDB as its Co-Chairman. Mr Philip Yeo has built up a remarkable network of personal relations with many of the most important CEOs in the world. It is a network which is of great value to EDB and to Singapore. At the same time, Mr Teo Ming Kian will be appointed Executive Chairman, EDB and will retain a perch at NSTB as Co-Chairman. In this way, we will provide for continuity of leadership and close coordination of EDB and NSTB.

Over the years, Mr Philip Yeo has not only established an international reputation for EDB, he has built up a strong organization and mentored many younger men like Mr Teo Ming Kian. By the generous offer of scholarships, Mr Philip Yeo has been able to fill a pipeline of capable younger officers many of whom were or are being trained in the Life Sciences.

The Life Sciences is a field that will open up new and exciting opportunities for Singaporeans. Because we recognised its potential some 20 years ago and acted on it, Singapore is now a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Asia. Our universities and research institutes, especially IMCB, have made good progress in some aspects of the Life Sciences. We also have excellent health care facilities and doctors. Upon this strong foundation, we hope to build a world-class hub for the Life Sciences, with capabilities in key areas. As for every other major field, we must scour the world for talent and ideas. If we succeed, the benefits to Singapore will be substantial.

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