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Of the two Research Centres of Excellence (RCEs) to be set up,
the Cancer Research Centre of Excellence at National University of Singapore (NUS) headed by the director Daniel Tenen (above) would use a total of S$256 million over seven years.-- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
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SINGAPORE will pump in over $1 billion for the next phase of its research push to take it to the next level, and commercialise it fast.
Close to one-third of the amount goes into research to protect against major killers - cancer, as well as nature's triple threat of earthquakes, volcanoes and global warming.
The rest is being divided into two areas - grants and schemes to help take good research to market, and a new campus housing the world's top research centres at the former Warren golf course.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced these initiatives on Friday, following a two-day meeting of the high-powered Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), its third in Singapore.
PM Lee, who chairs the council, said research would continue at full strength, in tandem with the development of the scaffolding and infrastructure to make innovation second-nature here.
'To develop a dynamic economy with a vibrant entrepreneurial sector, we need to make innovation a pervasive culture. We must generate and exploit a continuing stream of new ideas, especially from R&D,' said Mr Lee.
'We have already made a strong start promoting R&D. Now we are taking the next step to create an innovation-driven economy.
This framework will reinforce Singapore's standing as a vibrant R&D hub, and help to make us a centre for innovation and enterprise.'
To grow innovation and enterprise through academic entrepreneurship in Singapore, the RIEC approved a five-year (2008-2012) budget of S$350 million to support initiatives set out under the NFIE.
While the NFIE will help push innovation as a driver for economic growth, the RIEC noted that it was important to continue to strengthen Singapore's research capabilities.
Two new Research Centres of Excellence (RCEs) - the Cancer Research Centre of Excellence, to be based at NUS, and the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), to be hosted at NTU - will be set up.
A total of S$256 million has been committed to the Cancer RCE over seven years, with S$172 million from NRF and the Ministry of Education.
For the EOS, S$287 million has been committed over a 10-year period, with S$150 million from NRF and MOE.
The council, at the end of its meeting, also endorsed the development plan for the Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE) to house research centres of top universities from around the world.
A sum of S$360 million has been set aside for the design and construction of CREATE, which will pioneer the use of energy efficient technologies for buildings in the tropics.
The RIEC will meet in 2010 for its fourth meeting in Singapore.
Read also New $256m centre to carry out next generation cancer research
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