Building the next chapter of scientific competitiveness

AS SINGAPORE celebrates SG60, it is an opportune moment to reflect on six decades of scientific and technological achievement and the challenges that lie ahead. We have built world-class universities, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and a research and innovation landscape that consistently ranks among the most competitive globally.

What underpins this progress is not funding alone, but the connective tissue that binds academia and the public and private sectors. When partnerships work, discoveries do not remain in journals; they move into hospitals, companies and communities.

Public recognition of our top scientific talent is not an afterthought – it is a catalyst that makes excellence visible and inspires the next generation who carry our scientific ambitions forward.

Delivering real-world results through integration

Singapore’s history shows the power of integration. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and Tan Tock Seng Hospital co-developed the Fortitude Kit in record time, moving from lab to front line and saving lives.

But this success has not always been replicated. In newer fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing, many startups still struggle to scale beyond pilots, and companies often cannot find the right talent or research partnerships. Promising firms such as Taiger built strong capabilities in natural language AI, but faced challenges moving beyond government pilots into sustainable growth.

This unevenness highlights the challenge of the next decade. As scientific advances become more complex, our continued competitiveness will not depend solely on funding but our ability to translate breakthroughs into impact. The next wave of frontier research, in areas such as embodied AI, which brings intelligence into the physical world, or AI for science, which uses algorithms to accelerate discovery, illustrates just how demanding and uncertain this new terrain will be.

Singapore recognises this reality. The Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan calls for greater integration across academia, government and industry, while the National AI Strategy 2.0 has committed over S$1 billion to support talent, infrastructure and industry adoption.

These efforts demonstrate strong intent, but their impact will ultimately be measured by real-world outcomes – whether research leads to solutions that improve lives and create value for society.

Creating a culture that encourages risk and collaboration

Singapore has built its reputation on stability, reliability and trustworthiness – qualities that are invaluable for attracting investment and serving as a test bed for new technologies. Yet frontier innovation requires a tolerance for risk and failure that does not come naturally in highly structured systems.

Anyone in research or entrepreneurship knows that the most promising breakthroughs usually come after multiple failures. If the penalties for failing are too steep, promising talent will either play it safe or take their ideas somewhere that embraces experimentation more openly.

We must actively nurture a spirit of bold experimentation. Recognising high-impact research and spotlighting those who embody curiosity, dedication and collaboration – for instance, through accolades such as the President’s Science & Technology Awards – reinforces a culture that values both creativity and careful execution.

That same spirit is vital if Singapore is to succeed in frontier domains such as embodied AI and AI for science. These are high-risk bets, but the potential payoffs could transform how we live and work.

This is the shift Singapore must now make: from measuring progress mainly in research outputs or startup numbers to judging success by how science improves lives and strengthens society.

Securing Singapore’s future in a changing technological landscape

Recognition, integration and culture together form the connective tissue that will determine whether Singapore’s research continues to deliver benefits for society. The challenge is not whether we can produce excellent science but whether we can translate it more consistently into outcomes that touch lives, strengthen resilience and create new value.

If we succeed, Singapore will set the benchmark for how small nations can thrive in a world defined by rapid scientific and technological change.

The writer is associate professor of electrical and electronic engineering at Nanyang Technological University, and recipient of the 2023 President’s Science & Technology Awards’ Young Scientist Award