Message from President Tony Tan

2012 President’s Science And Technology Awards

I congratulate the winners of the 2012 President’s Science and Technology Awards for their contributions to scientific research and development and distinguished achievements in their respective fields. This year’s winners have all demonstrated the spirit of innovation, admirable passion and commitment, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. All of them have made important discoveries, raised the bar for scientific excellence in Singapore, and made significant positive impact on Singapore’s economy and society.

The outstanding accomplishments of this year’s President’s Science and Technology Medal winner, Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, are indicative of the value and impact of R&D. As the Executive Director of the Institute of Microelectronics, Professor Kwong has been credited for advancing Singapore’s semiconductor industry towards a new phase of complex, high-value manufacturing and research and development (R&D).

A strong advocate for cultivating industry collaborations, Professor Kwong has been instrumental in forging strategic research partnerships and anchoring global industry leaders to Singapore. He has also raised the strategic competencies of the semiconductor industry in developing the next-generation products for quick deployment to the market. Singapore is recognised as a country of choice for global semiconductor R&D today because of contributions made by visionary leaders like Professor Kwong.

Amid increasing global competition, Singapore looks towards the future with optimism and confidence. We remain committed to sustaining our investments in R&D and creating a conductive environment to drive innovation and knowledge-creation. Through our investments in R&D, Singapore aims to produce innovative and impactful solutions that will not only solve Singapore’s challenges and make life better for Singaporeans, but also develop solutions that are applicable and useful to other countries.

Our scientific talent will continue to be the bedrock of Singapore’s R&D enterprise. I therefore urge all research scientists in Singapore to persevere in the meaningful work they are doing, and continue to strive towards excellence in their scientific research. By remaining focused on their goals and working with one another, I am confident that our research scientists will scale greater heights in scientific success and help to build Singapore as a Research and Innovation hub.

Tony Tan
President
Republic of Singapore