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ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2021 - MARCH 2022

creating growth,
enhancing lives

For Singapore, Singaporeans and Science

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Message from the
Chairman and CEO

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FY2021 At a Glance

  • Undertaken with Companies

  • Industry R&D Spending

  • Supporting Local Enterprises’
    Productivity and Growth

    > 0% projects with SMEs
    and Start-ups
    > 0% projects with LLEs
    > 0 Research Scientists and Engineers seconded to industry
  • Advancing Quality Science

    1.5 A*STAR publications’
    average Field-Weighted
    Citation Impact
    in RIE 2025*
    *50 per cent more cited than expected according to the global average
    0% of our publications were amongst the top 10% of the world’s most highly cited
  • Contributing to Public
    Sector Transformation

    0 projects undertaken with
    public sector agencies
  • Strengthening Innovation
    and Enterprise

    PRODUCTISATION & SPIN-OFFS

    0 successful A*STAR Spin-offs

    Attracted

    > $ 0M of follow-on funding

    LICENSING

    0 licenses taken up by 79 companies
    > 0% to SMEs and spin-offs
  • Attracting and Building
    Pipeline of STEM Talent

    As at end FY2021, A*STAR has built a pipeline of

    > 0

    R&D talent through a suite of scholarships since 2001

    0

    A*STAR
    scholarships

    awarded
    in FY21

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

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01 Shaping a Sustainable Future
02 Advancing Scientific Discovery
03 Strengthening Food Technology & Innovation
04 Transforming the Future of Healthcare
05 Boosting Advanced Manufacturing
06 Pushing Frontiers of S&T
07 Nurturing Top Talent

A New Institute to Support Singapore’s Sustainability Goals

The Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²) aims to advance R&D in areas such as low-carbon technologies, carbon life cycle assessment, sustainable materials and green manufacturing processes using the latest digitalisation and automation tools. ISCE² is a re-organisation of the former Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences. It will partner academics, public agencies and the energy, chemicals and pharmaceutical industries to achieve Singapore’s sustainability goals, such as Singapore Green Plan and Zero Waste Masterplan.

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Established by A*STAR in 2022, ISCE² supports Singapore’s sustainability goals.

Launch of SMU-A*STAR Joint Lab in Social and Human Centred Computing

A*STAR and Singapore Management University (SMU) established a Joint Lab in Social and Human-Centred Computing, which will tap on computational methods and AI to understand and anticipate human behaviour, to help develop better technological solutions that can address national priorities

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Front row (L to R): Prof Timothy Clark, SMU; Mr Peter Ho, Social Science Research Council; A*STAR Chairman Ms Chan Lai Fung; A*STAR CEO Mr Frederick Chew

Back row (L to R): A*STAR DCE (Research) Prof Andy Hor, Prof Archan Misra, SMU; A*STAR ACE (SERC) Dr Lim Keng Hui

$30 Million Boost to Accelerate Food Start-ups

Temasek’s Asia Sustainable Foods Platform and A*STAR have committed more than $30 million over the next three years to the Food Tech Innovation Centre (FTIC), to help food-tech start-ups with their product and process development, especially in alternative proteins.

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Healthy Oat Cookies that Improve Blood Sugar Control

Nutriient, an A*STAR Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) spin-off, developed a clinically validated, low glycaemic index (GI) cookie premix made from plant-based ingredients. The ingredients in this oat cookie can potentially reduce blood glucose levels and improve gut health, providing a healthier alternative to regular cookies.

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Low GI oat cookies made by Nutrient, an A*STAR spin-off

Mental Health of Mothers Can Affect Changes in Babies’ Brains

Nearly 40 per cent of mothers had high levels of depressive symptoms, which were associated with changes in their babies’ brains. These findings form the basis for future plans to help women stay in good physical and mental health for motherhood, support the development of a healthier next generation, and reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity through sustained lifestyle changes.

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Tracking COVID-19 using the GISAID Database

A team from A*STAR’s BII has been helping to maintain the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database, which has so far seen over nine million Sars-CoV-2 virus genomes being shared globally. GISAID played a significant role in detecting the Delta and Omicron variant in Singapore and is continuing to track the evolution of COVID-19.

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The BII team posing with GISAID founder Peter Bogner (second from left) and GISAID Singapore team

Applied Materials and A*STAR Extend R&D Collaboration with New $286m Investment

A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and American chip-equipment maker, Applied Materials, have extended their research collaboration to 2026. The new investment will go towards upgrading the joint lab that was set up in 2011, to help accelerate materials, equipment and process technology solutions for hybrid bonding, as well as other emerging 3D chip integration technologies. The collaboration has helped build Singapore’s globally competitive advanced packaging capabilities, created new jobs and developed the local ecosystem.

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Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry (third from left) presided at the ceremony to kick off the third phase of the R&D collaboration between A*STAR and Applied Materials.

Integrating Recyclable Polymers into Thermoelectric Devices for Green Electronics

A*STAR researchers demonstrated the use of a recyclable polymer, vitrimer, to tackle the challenge of separating components during recycling of electronic devices.

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A Cluster of Neurons in The Brain May Be Causing Overeating

A*STAR researchers have identified a network of neurons in the brain that drives overeating in response to environmental factors, rather than genuine hunger. These findings could potentially change how we view and tackle health issues.

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National Research Foundation (NRF) Fellowship awardees

Two A*STAR researchers were each awarded a $3 million fellowship grant from NRF, which provides early-career researchers with opportunities to carry out independent research in Singapore.

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client-01
Dr Lum Yanwei
Assistant Professor, NUS
Scientist, IMRE
client-02
Dr Basura Fernando Chinath
Scientist, IHPC

National Research Foundation (NRF) Investigatorship awardees

Two A*STAR researchers were awarded the NRF Investigatorship, which provides opportunities for mid-career researchers and excellent Principal Investigators with a track record of research achievements, to continue pursuing ground breaking, high-risk research.

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client-03
Dr Fu Yu
Head of Brain Plasticity Group, IMCB
client-04
Prof Loh Xian Jun
Executive Director, IMRE