SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF BIOMEDICAL ASIA 2004 AND BIOTECHNICA ASIA 2004 AT THE RAFFLES CITY CONVENTION CENTRE, ON TUESDAY, 12 OCTOBER 2004 AT 9 AM

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. It gives me pleasure to join you this morning for the opening of BioMedical Asia (BMA) 2004 and BioTechnica Asia 2004. The BMA conference is the centrepiece of a week of scientific, medical and partnering conferences in Singapore[1]. It also brings together, for the third year, leading researchers and CEOs in the field to share the latest developments and important trends in drug discovery and development. The BMA has indeed become a bit of a signature event, one that reaffirms Singapore’s growing role as a hub for the biomedical sciences.

Building on Our Strengths
2. The biomedical sciences are the forward thrust in Singapore’s strategy to move upstream - in other words, to move from being an efficient and reliable location for global manufacturing to being a centre for knowledge-creation and management. It is not a role that falls naturally on a nation of just 4 million people. But we have moved decisively in recent years to nurture and attract a critical mass of talent and companies engaged in the biomedical sciences. We have made early gains, in the top scientists that have decided to relocate to Singapore, the rapid growth of the pharmaceutical industry and the global companies that are setting up R&D centres here. But we are not in this as a short term play. The biomedical sciences are a major investment in our future, which will yield full reward over the next 10-20 years.

3. We have some strengths and advantages to build on.

Staying Open to Talent
4. Our first strength lies in the fact we are the most open city in Asia. Singapore is open to the cross-currents of global talent, beckoning and inviting scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Many of them have come to regard Singapore as their second home. We have to keep the factors that bring them in and make them want to stay - good science, a cosmopolitan environment, a pipeline of well-educated Singaporeans who are keen to pursue research, and above all a culture that looks up to top scientists regardless of nationality. This ability to pool together global talent, as we groom our own talent, is an absolute prerequisite for us to succeed as a hub for research and innovation.

5. Besides undertaking research here, we also welcome scientists to use Singapore as a meeting and networking point to review and discuss their work. These efforts are bearing results. In addition to the BMA, Singapore has hosted several significant international scientific conferences this year, including the first international conference for the Society for Biological Engineering, the Asia-Pacific Anti-Ageing conference and International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering conference. Come November, we will welcome the international human genetics community when we host the 5th Human Genome Organization (HUGO) Pacific Meeting at the Biopolis.

A Vibrant Manufacturing Centre : Moving Upstream into R&D
6. Our second advantage in the biomedical sciences is our links to global industry. We are already a centre for high-value manufacturing, and have a global reputation in manufacturing that we can build on as we move upstream into private R&D. Our high standards of intellectual property protection gives us an edge in Asia. Leading global pharmaceutical, biotech and medical technology companies are moving to use Singapore as a base for their R&D activities.

7. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will be setting up a S$62 million neurodegenerative diseases R&D centre here, its first Asian pre-clinical research facility. Glaxo joins other pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly and Novartis that have chosen to set up corporate research centres in Singapore. Other entrants include ES Cell International Pte Ltd (ESI), the human embryonic stem (hES) cell therapy company, and the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute which will focus on the investigation of higher brain functions such as intellect and awareness. Another recent example is Isis Pharmaceuticals, the American biotechnology company, which will set up its first overseas research facility in Singapore.

A Collaborative Environment
8. Our third advantage in Singapore lies in our ability to create an integrated and collaborative environment, across scientific disciplines as well as between research institutions, universities, hospitals and industry. Collaboration is de rigeur in all cutting edge research today. A*Star and our Singapore universities are charting new frontiers in interdisciplinary research. A good example is bio-imaging, an advanced and increasingly vital tool in non-invasive diagnosis of disease, which entails collaboration between biologists, engineers, physicists and doctors. A*STAR intends to establish a Bioimaging Consortium in Singapore, that will pool and coordinate the bioimaging work in our research institutes, universities, hospitals and disease centres. Singapore is well-placed for collaborative research of this nature, given our compact scientific community and the good track record we have already accumulated in integrative work.

9. Another area of collaboration is in the development of local capabilities in translational medicine. The Centre for Molecular Medicine, which was launched in January this year, will bring basic and clinician-scientists together to work on specific clinical problems. It will seek to increase the throughput of basic research findings which lead to clinical applications. To further encourage such translational research, the Clinician-Scientist Investigator Award was launched to help support doctors keen on pursuing research to set aside dedicated time for this purpose. Funding will also be provided to junior clinician-scientists to help kick start their research careers.

10. Collaboration between our public research institutions and private industry are another advantage that we will build on. The latest example of this is the new Chemical Synthesis Laboratory that A*STAR will establish in the Biopolis. The new Laboratory will develop a critical mass of capabilities and activities in synthetic chemical research, that will help attract global drug companies and support their R&D efforts in Singapore. It will also train postdoctoral fellows and other highly skilled researchers to support industry, especially the drug development and chemical companies. And like other labs and research institutes here, the Chemical Synthesis Laboratory will aim to be a magnet for top scientific talent to come to Singapore.

Nurturing Human talent
11. This brings me to the fourth strength that we have to build on, which is education and the nurturing of Singapore’s own human capital. It is the most important factor for the long run, and will determine if we succeed in securing Singapore’s foothold in the biomedical sector, and the knowledge-based industries more generally.

12. Our strong foundation in the sciences and mathematics gives us real advantage. 70% of our secondary school leavers go into science & technology-related courses in our universities, polytechnics or Institutes of Technical Education.

13 Our ranking amongst the top in major international comparisons like the Third International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) is well known[2]. What is less well recognised internationally but equally striking is the fact that it is not just our boys but our girls who do very well in maths and science. There was no significant difference in the performance of Singaporean boys and girls either in Maths or Science in the TIMSS study. This is unlike many other countries – indeed, half the other countries in the study – where the boys performed significantly better than the girls in Science (these countries include the US and the UK, as well as countries that do well in Science like Korea, Taiwan, Russia and several Eastern European countries). It is also unlike Israel, where the boys do significantly better than the girls in Maths. So it is no surprise in Singapore that almost half (49%) of women entering university choose undergraduate courses in science or technology. This is well above the numbers seen in any other country. Nor is it surprising that a large proportion of A*STAR’s scholarship holders in the biomedical sciences are women.

14. But we have to build on our strengths in education if we are to take Singapore upstream. We are retaining the fundamental advantages of a competitive, national system of education, while seeking to create new strengths. We are creating a more flexible system and providing more choice to the individual student, so as to encourage him or her to find their own talents and interests and to develop them to the fullest.

15. We want to develop a zest for enquiry and experimentation among our young. One example is the outreach programme which allows for over 1,000 secondary and junior college students to conduct experiments at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, over a three-day stint, in place of their usual classes. The programme builds on our revisions to the school science curriculum to provide students with basic skills in scientific investigation.

16. But at the core of what we are doing is a shift towards new methods of learning. We want to nurture students who are not just good at recalling the right answer, but are keen to discover a new answer, or suss out for themselves workable alternatives in situations where there is no right answer. We are moving in steps towards these new methods of learning, from young, so that we nurture the skills and habits of mind that will gradually transform our economy. So that we nurture Singaporeans, in each generation, who are not only good at executing tasks well and reliably, but who have the appetite and knack for creating new ideas, exploring new applications and venturing into new markets.

17. We have to try every way of nurturing these new skills and habits. It means, for example, giving our budding scientists enough of a dose of the humanities when they are in school, because it is in the humanities like History, Literature and Social Studies that you have to deal with ambiguities and think hard about situations which are not given to any single, correct answer. And it means creating for our students an environment that spurs them to seek new knowledge tenaciously, not just for its economic benefits but because it helps to advance society and better the human condition. Finding new treatments and cures for previously fatal diseases, for instance. So at this conference, when an eminent researcher such as Dr Jaap Goudsmit speaks on poverty-related communicable diseases, or when Sir David Lane talks about new treatments for cancer, they also serve, wittingly or otherwise, as role models for our students.

Conclusion
18. Let me just conclude by saying that I am confident that the building blocks that we are putting in place, as we develop integrative science and tie up collaborations within the scientific community and with industry, as we nurture human capital, and as we attract talent from across the world, will lead to a vibrant environment for the development of the biomedical sciences. It is an exciting new endeavour and a major investment in the future of Singapore. The momentum is picking up, and we are gradually seeing the emergence of a critical mass of activity in drug research and development.

19. It is timely that this year’s BMA focuses on the Science behind the Drug, as Singapore strives to enhance its scientific capabilities. I wish all of you fruitful discussions.

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[1] The BMA conference is preceded by the National Healthcare Group (NHC)’s Annual Scientific Meeting from 9-10 October. It will be followed by the Biomedical Asia Partnering Seminar on 14 October, and Singhealth’s Annual Scientific meeting from 15-17 October.

[2] Singapore was ranked first in Mathematics and second in Science in TIMSS (1999).