Singapore commits S$19b into new research areas

THE Singapore government reaffirms the S$19 billion funding into four new research areas, supported by past investments.

This was unveiled at the 10th Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council Meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday.

The four technology domains in the RIE2020 Plan are advanced manufacturing and engineering, health and biomedical sciences, services and digital economy, and urban solutions and sustainability.

The latest is R&D on what is called Grid 2.0, the next generation grid system that will transform how energy is managed by consolidating gas, solar and thermal energy into a single intelligent network that is more efficient, sustainable and resilient.

About S$1.04 billion will be pumped into energy research (see amendment note).

PM Lee said: "Our research and development base is maturing. We have nurtured more research scientists and engineers and raised the quality of R&D in universities and research institutes. I'm encouraged that companies are investing more in research, innovation and enterprise activities and some have set up corporate laboratories. The 10th RIE Council has given us guidance to consolidate our gains and sharpen our focus on the four growth areas. We still have more to do, but we have made good progress."

Amendment note: An earlier version of this article stated that about S$375 million will be pumped into this area, referring to energy research. It should be S$1.04 billion.