Speech by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Finance, at the President’s Science & Technology awards (PSTA) 2017 ceremony on 13 November 2017, at the Istana

President Halimah Yacob

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening to everyone.

Welcome to the President’s Science & Technology Awards (PSTA) ceremony.

Tonight marks the 9th year of the PSTA, but is a first in several ways. 

• Firstly, this is the first PSTA graced by Singapore’s eighth President, Madam Halimah Yacob.
  • Thank you, President, for your support for research excellence in science and technology, and for your encouragement as we seek to inspire young minds.
• Tonight is also a first for this year’s awardees, to be accorded Singapore’s highest honour for their work.
  • Each has achieved some kind of first: whether they are the first to have a particular insight; first to apply their insight in an impactful way; or, first to bring others to work together in a new way.

Education, R&D and innovation

Research and innovation are matters of personal fascination for me. How can we make sure that research and development lead to benefits for all? How can we apply scientific discovery and innovation to make breakthroughs in all fields? How can we inspire our young to pursue these subjects?

When I was at the Ministry of Education, I felt strongly about Science, Technology, Engineering & Math, or STEM subjects, and I was keen for our schools to have applied learning programmes.

• STEM education centres on ideas, inquiry, and innovation. These are instrumental to life, and can be applied to many other fields.
• The Applied Learning Programme emphasises the application of creativity, thinking skills, integrating knowledge across disciplines, and applying them in real-world settings.
  • In these programmes, students could do many exciting things, from building robots to running small start-ups.
  • You can see that spark in the children’s eyes when new worlds of possibility open up. My hope is to see that spark in every child’s eyes.
  • I was very glad that recently, I was told that I started it in Secondary Schools, but then, some Primary Schools have decided to also adopt it, and we are seeing it even in younger ones.

Innovation continues to feature prominently in our work with the Committee on the Future Economy, and now, the Future Economy Council. 

Over the years, we have worked to develop a well-rounded innovation ecosystem.

• We are today a vibrant R&D hub with a strong core of research performers and diverse capabilities.
  • The Government has committed $19 billion to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan.
  • Our research scientists and engineers number more than 30,000.
  • Excellent science should translate into positive outcomes for Singaporeans and for the world. For example, A*STAR’s Future of Manufacturing initiatives bolster Singapore’s competitiveness in manufacturing and technology innovation. A*STAR and its partners are also growing our local biotech ecosystem, successfully bringing two publicly-funded drug candidates, the ETC-159 and ETC-206, to clinical trials.
  • These efforts uplift the capabilities of our local companies, and enable them to create value that benefits Singaporeans and people around the world.

In the CFE, one of the insights that emerged from consultations with industry and unions is this: to compete today – whether as a worker, a company, an industry or an economy – we need to be relevant, to create new value. 

• We need to have innovation capabilities across every part of our economy, so that our companies and people can carve out new business models, apply deep skills, and create value.
• The Industry Transformation Maps are our integrated approach to develop innovation, internationalisation and digitalisation capabilities. And the Global Innovation Alliance will link up our institutions and companies with partners in innovation hubs overseas.

PSTA Recipients

When I visit our companies to learn about their transformation journeys, I see that same spark in their eyes that I saw in our students. For many, that spark comes when they realise, “I have what it takes to achieve my vision.”

• And I go back to the question: What does it take to create that spark?
• Besides the investments, infrastructure, and initiatives, it comes down to inspiration. Inspiration comes when someone shows us that there are greater possibilities beyond us, and that we have much more potential within us.

Tonight, we celebrate our research scientists and engineers for their spirit of discovery and experimentation, and their pursuit of scientific excellence to benefit society.

• My hope for our awardees is that you will go on to greater heights, and continue to benefit and inspire many. 
• I hope that you will count amongst your greatest achievements those times that you spark that moment in someone else to become a scientist or researcher.

President’s Science and Technology Medal

This year’s President’s Science and Technology Medal, the nation’s top scientific honour, is presented to Professor Edward Holmes and Professor Sir David Lane.

Professor Edward Holmes is a leader in translational and clinical research, whose work has helped to build Singapore’s biomedical sciences ecosystem.

• He played a major role in designing and implementing research programmes such as the National Medical Research Council Translational & Clinical Research Flagship Programme, which brings together investigators from across the biomedical ecosystem to address health problems facing Singaporeans.
• Professor Holmes also helped develop a pipeline of clinician scientists in Singapore, and award schemes that boost the training and recruitment support for Singapore’s clinician scientists.

Professor Sir David Lane, whose accomplishments have had a far-reaching impact on cancer therapeutics and research, has focused on developing Singapore’s R&D culture and infrastructure, and attracting scientific talent.

• He was closely involved in anchoring industry partners here, such as Chugai Pharmabody Research, who is now working with A*STAR to co-develop an antibody treatment against dengue.
• Professor Lane was also instrumental in the landmark discovery of the p53 cancer gene in 1979, and in the subsequent research that brought p53 from basic discovery through to the clinic. Professor Lane founded and heads the A*STAR p53 Laboratory, a global leader in the field.

President’s Science Award

This year’s President’s Science Award recipient is Professor Gan Wee Teck from the National University of Singapore.

• Professor Gan is internationally recognised for his work on the Langlands programme and the Gan-Gross-Prasad conjecture, which has helped to link the two mathematical fields of number theory and representation theory. His work forms a basis on which others in the mathematics community can formulate further theories and solutions.

President’s Technology Award

The President’s Technology Award is awarded to Professor Ng Wun Jern from the Nanyang Technological University for his outstanding work in environmental engineering.

• Professor Ng’s work in the development of transient-state cyclic sequencing batch reactor technology has helped position Singapore as a global leader in cyclic bioreactors. It has allowed the full-scale deployment of three generations of space-saving wastewater treatment systems in Singapore and the region. The technology has also been re-engineered to produce and recover useful chemicals for agriculture.  
• Professor Ng is also a serial entrepreneur, having established a cluster of companies to put his research findings to active use.

Young Scientist Awards

The Young Scientist Awards recognise young researchers with the potential to reach greater heights.

• The award is awarded to Dr Li Jingmei, under the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Category, for her research on mammographic density and women’s health.
• Under the Physical, Information & Engineering Sciences Category, awards are presented to Dr Gao Weibo for his research on quantum information and quantum photonics; and to Dr Justin Song for his research unveiling novel electronic properties of quantum materials.

Conclusion

Earlier, I said that tonight is a night of several firsts. I hope tonight will be a first in one more way.

• I hope these awards and your stories will create that first spark of inspiration for many young minds, to embark on their own journey of learning and discovery. So that they may go on to inspire others.

So my heartiest congratulations to all our award recipients. And thank you, President, for gracing the occasion.

Thank you, everybody!