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SINGAPORE: The high-powered Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) is meeting for the second time to discuss the future for Singapore research.

The council, chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, will mull over how to allocate funding for research that can result in applications which will benefit the Singapore economy.

Also on the agenda are plans for increasing human capital in research institutions here to grow the R&D ecosystem.

The council started its meeting on Wednesday.

PM Lee and the members of the council are expected to announce the results of their discussions at the end of their meeting on Friday.

Singapore's research industry got a $1.4 billion boost when the council first met last July.

The money would fund research programmes in three strategic areas: phase two of biomedical sciences, environmental and water technologies, and interactive and digital media.

Another $1 billion was also allocated to set up international research centres in Singapore.

At its latest meeting, the council is expected to look at research breakthroughs to boost Singapore's economy.

It has already approved steps in this direction for the biomedical sciences, through what is known as translational research which brings basic discoveries from labs to patients.

Yeoh Keat Chuan, EDB's Executive Director (Biomedical Sciences), said: "We focused a lot of efforts in terms of building up the foundation for research over the first five years of the biomedical sciences initiative. So that's basic research. Now we need to find some way of translating this to the clinic, because at the end of the day, this is what biomedical sciences is about - delivering healthcare, quality care and products to the patients."

The council also wants to boost the number of researchers working in Singapore and it is looking at a research fellowship scheme aimed at attracting young PhDs with post-doctoral experience.

This will also encourage more companies to base in Singapore.

Mr Yeoh said: "The factors for companies looking at Singapore as a base for research would be intellectual property rights, (and) infrastructure, but really, the availability of human capital is the most essential ingredient."

To attract and retain talent, he noted that Singapore has brought in leading researchers from all over the world like Sir David Lane, Edison Liu, Ed Holmes, Judith Swain and Jackie Ying.

"They're all here. They serve as role models to the growing base of scientists that we have," he said.

On infrastructure, he said: "We have created world-class infrastructure, in the form of Biopolis with the latest equipment and technology."

Local biotechnology firm CyGenics welcomed RIEC's plan to look at a research fellowship scheme.

CyGenics' CEO, Steven Fang, said: "The talent pool for most biotech companies, if not all, including ourselves, is the human capital. We hire from a vast number of countries including the US, Australia, China and India. We do that out of necessity. If there is a local talent pool or a programme that would allow and facilitate us to bring these talents in, that would definitely be a great boost." - CNA/ir

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