Robotics, startups primed for leg-up

SINGAPORE'S robotics and innovation ambitions are getting a massive boost, with Budget 2016 putting innovation centre-stage and offering more targeted support for vogue sectors.

A sum of S$450 million will be set aside in the next three years for the National Robotics Programme, a multi-agency initiative to promote robotic technologies across industries.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said: "Robotics can enable us to work more effectively in a tight labour market (and) create more high value-added jobs."