Annual Report April 2023 - March 2024

Message from the Chairman and CEO

"Impact through Innovation" encapsulates our continued journey this past year towards being a strategic innovation engine for Singapore. Our researchers and partners continue to pursue scientific and technological excellence, and translating these into practical solutions that address national challenges, foster economic growth and improve lives.

Strengthening online safety has emerged as a critical national priority. To bolster Singapore’s defences, we established the Centre for Advanced Technologies in Online Safety (CATOS) with support from the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF). CATOS is at the forefront of developing robust capabilities to combat online harms, content manipulation, and AI-generated threats. These efforts complement existing regulatory efforts and ground-up initiatives, ensuring Singapore users are safeguarded in the digital realm.

Strong partnerships are pivotal in translating scientific breakthroughs into impactful solutions for Singapore and Singaporeans. Through the SingHealth-A*STAR Healthcare Translation Partnership, we are collaborating with the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) on terahertz imaging for eye disease detection. Furthermore, we are working alongside SERI to advance AI research to improve ophthalmological care for patients.

We established five new deep tech translation platforms and initiatives to catalyse key sectors in Singapore’s economy. The National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre (NSTIC) will boost R&D in flat optics and silicon photonics, allowing enhanced performance and efficiency for semiconductor devices. The Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi) will position Singapore as a regional leader in RNA drug and vaccine development and grow our RNA manufacturing capabilities. The MedTech Catapult will build ISO13485 facilities to accelerate the development of novel science tools and medical devices, and grow a robust MedTech ecosystem for Singapore. The RoboCluster initiative by National Robotics Programme (NRP) will enhance robotics R&D in manufacturing, logistics, facilities management, and healthcare. The AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the Manufacturing Sector, jointly developed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and A*STAR, will convene stakeholders from industry, research, and the startup scene to develop AI-enabled solutions that address use cases, with plans for expansion to other sectors. This is how A*STAR will support Singapore in pushing the frontiers of innovation across the economy.

We continue to build the national talent pipeline through scholarship programmes that have developed over 1,800 R&D talents since 2001.

We would like to express our deep appreciation to previous Chairman, Ms Chan Lai Fung, who stepped down in October 2023 for her leadership and dedication to helping A*STAR fulfil its mission, and her tireless support of research and innovation in Singapore. Looking ahead, we will continue to harness our collective strengths across research institutes, centrally facilitated programmes and national programmes to deliver increasing impact, at scale and at speed.

Past Annual Reports

• A*STAR Annual Report 2022 - 2023 [11.23MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2021 - 2022 [4.3 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2020 - 2021 [10.6 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2019 - 2020 [5.88 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2018 - 2019 [21.4 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2017 - 2018 [8.27 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2016 - 2017 [3.23 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2015 - 2016 [2.32 MB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2014 - 2015 [767 KB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2013 - 2014 [698 KB]
• A*STAR Annual Report 2012 - 2013 [985 KB]