SPEECH BY MR HENG CHEE HOW,MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE LAUNCH OF UK-SINGAPORE PARTNERS IN SCIENCE CAMPAIGN, 26 NOVEMBER 2004, 11.15 AM AT BIOPOLIS, MATRIX AUDITORIUM
Your Royal Highness,
Your Excellency, Mr Alan Collins, The British High Commissioner,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
1 It gives me great pleasure to be with you at the launch of the UK-Singapore Partners in Science campaign, which is being held on the same day as the official opening of GlaxoSmithKline’s preclinical research facility, and the British High Commission’s Science and Technology Office here at the Biopolis.
2 Singapore and the UK have enjoyed a long standing relationship, which grew out of our historical links. Over the years, our bilateral relations have strengthened and our economic linkages have grown deeper. Total bilateral trade between Singapore and the UK amounted to S$12.4 billion in 2003. Today, the UK is Singapore’s 4th largest investor in the manufacturing sector . Many British companies use Singapore for high value activities, especially in Manufacturing, R&D and Regional Headquarters services. They include Glaxo SmithKline, BP, Shell, Rolls Royce, Exel Logistics & Reuters.
3 In the area of science and technology, there is on-going research collaboration between A*STAR’s research institutes and UK universities and corporate research labs. These include projects in fields such as Chemical Synthesis, Computing, Genetics and Molecular Biology. For example, the Institute of High Performance Computing is working with Rolls Royce PLC to explore state-of-the-art visualization and simulation techniques in designing turbine engines. The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and the University of Newcastle are jointly researching the role of a protein involved in the death of nerve cells. The list goes on and will continue to grow.
4 We have also established joint talent development programmes with the UK. For example, A*STAR and the Imperial College London signed an MOU earlier this year that allows Singaporean students under the A*STAR Graduate Scholarships Scheme to undertake research and training in A*STAR research institutes while pursuing a PhD with the Imperial College. The scholars will be attached to a research laboratory at the Imperial College for up to one year after completing their studies.
5 The UK and Singapore share a common passion for biotechnology. The UK is the world’s 2nd largest biotechnology hub with an impressive list of 480 bioscience companies, and the UK pharmaceutical industry is the world’s 3rd biggest exporter of medicines, accounting for around 10% of the world market in value.
6 Singapore’s vision is to be the Biomedical Sciences hub in Asia, and Biomedical Sciences is one of our fastest growing sectors. The industry’s manufacturing output reached S$11.3 billion in 2003, a 15.9 per cent increase over the previous year. The industry contributed close to 5 per cent to our GDP in 2003, and employs more than 7,500 people. Further, our manufacturing output target of S$12 billion set for 2005 will be achieved this year, ahead of time. This is all the more significant given that our national integrated Biomedical Sciences initiative was only launched in 2000. And barely a year since its opening, 90 per cent of the Biopolis has already been taken up. It is home to five public research institutes and several global companies, of which two, Paradigm Therapeutics and GSK are from the UK.
7 There is much that we can gain by collaborating. The Biomedical Science industry is a truly global industry because in an increasingly interconnected world, the global dimension of diseases and human ailments must become more pronounced. It is thus important that we strengthen our strategic international partnerships and alliances to move the frontiers of science and advance the quality of human health.
8 The launch of the year-long UK-Singapore Partners in Science campaign today testifies to our commitment to foster greater synergy and cooperation in scientific research among our research labs, institutes and companies.
9 I am confident that the coming year will be an exciting and successful one for the scientific community in Singapore and the UK.
10 Thank you.