RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

The OCC is responsible for communicating, protecting and maintaining the institute’s corporate image, identity and branding which is crucial to the relationship-building process with our international scientific colleagues, collaborators, governments, employees, suppliers and contractors, and the general public. To this end, the OCC manages and executes the external and internal communication channels that flow through the institute, such as the corporate website, intranet, corporate brochure and other corporate paraphernalia. As the GIS logo is our most valuable visual asset and brand identity, we oversee its proper use and deployment.

The OCC manages and maintains good relations with the media. We write and publish press releases, and handle media conferences and media interviews to garner record positive media mentions. We organise, manage and handle all of the institute’s corporate and ministerial visitors, both local and overseas.

The OF aims to provide value-added and quality financial/accounting services to support GIS in its bid to foster world-class scientific research and development.
Some of the activities handled by OF are:

• Provision of timely and accurate monthly financial reporting
• Monitoring of the availability of funds (funds management)
• Monitoring of cash flow
• Management of treasury function
• Preparation of yearly financial budgets
• Preparation of project management reports and maintenance of the project system in the SAP (Systems Applications and Products)
• Processing of timely payments to vendors and staff
• Management of fixed assets

Grants & Research Partnerships (GRP) provides pre- and post-award administrative support for competitive research grants received from both local and overseas funding agencies. This includes liaising with the major funding agencies on the funding opportunities, grant procedures and guidelines, and working closely with the principal investigators to ensure compliance with the grant terms, and the smooth execution of the funded projects at every stage of the grant lifecycle. In addition, we are responsible for fostering public sector partnerships through the establishment of research collaboration and other related agreements, and oversee the protection of GIS's intellectual property and showcasing these technologies for translation and further development with our industry partners.

The OHR is responsible for recruitment, staff remuneration and benefits, organisation development, training and coaching, performance management, policy management, and employee relations.
Advocating for both the institute as well as for our staff members, we work in close tandem with the human resources of A*STAR and with our scientific foci and non-scientific offices to achieve a job-match for all staff, in order that each individual may be incorporated well into the fabric of the GIS outfit and contribute effectively towards the overall success of the institute.

The OP is responsible for all purchasing matters and is the central archival of purchasing-related contract documents. Specifically, we handle the raising of purchase orders, and tenders for big ticket items, through the Systems Applications and Products (SAP) system to external venders. We also support web orders to the A*STAR Biopolis Shared Facility (BSF) Supply Centre. Our purchasing workflow strictly adheres to the A*Star Financial Policies & Procedures (FPP).

The Office of Research IT is responsible for the infrastructure, network and hardware that are required for GIS to operate as a world-class research institute. Our activities range from end-user computing (hardware deployment, installation, troubleshooting) to connectivity (wired, wireless, server access) and managing large-scale computing environments (high-performance clusters, storage drives, data centre). We support resources that are used for scientific analysis in national programmes and large scale international collaborations.

The ORPM plans, organises and manages the institute’s corporate events such as international scientific conferences and symposiums. It also provides resources and support to maintain a scientific library as well as e-journal subscriptions for research references. The ORPM evaluates and awards external sponsorship requests.

The ORPM promotes and maintains a conducive work environment for all members of the GIS family. This includes sourcing for and maintaining the landscaping and artwork within the premises of the institute. We also provide reception and administrative support, and maintain the boardroom and meeting rooms, refreshment requirements, and pantry and stationery supplies. We source for suitable accommodation and flight requirements for the institute’s international visitors.

GIS applies our state-of-the-art genome technologies to develop novel diagnostics and pioneering medicines. In this context, the TBD provides a pathway for managing academic/business-related matters and business operations, to ensure strategic alignment with our partners. We serve as a dynamic bridge between the GIS laboratories, academic partners and industry to make certain that promising new technologies and findings are translated into successful products and services that benefit society, both in Singapore and worldwide. This is achieved by: building research collaborations with industry around our research projects; fostering collaborations with clinicians and researchers; stimulating technology development and innovation within the GIS and securing all necessary protection of the resulting intellectual property; licensing agreements, establishing new ventures and building value around GIS innovations; and reaching out to external funding bodies both in Singapore and overseas. We oversee and manage our flagship programmes in diagnostics for pathogens and cancer, cancer treatment and in personalised genomic medicine, and also continue to evaluate and search for promising opportunities arising from scientific projects within the GIS or with academic, industrial, biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners.

Alex TAN Zhenpeng
Director, Tech-Biz Development
Email: alex_tan_zhenpeng@gis.a-star.edu.sg