SINGAPORE - Singapore can serve as a testing ground for computer scientists and engineers from all over the world to try out new tech ideas, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday.

Speaking at a dinner to kick off the Smart Nation Innovations week, Mr Lee said that Singapore's compact size and proven ability to scale new projects makes it suitable for prototyping and test-bedding innovations.

If the ideas work in Singapore, they can then be adapted and applied to other contexts, he added.

Pointing to successful ventures such as electronic road pricing and water technologies, Mr Lee said Singapore is embarking on its Smart Nation journey with the same determination to produce useful solutions.

In November last year, Mr Lee launched Singapore's Smart Nation initiative, including setting up a Smart Nation Programme Office that will be headed by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and explore ways to use technology to achieve social and economic objectives.

His sales pitch yesterday for Singapore as a destination for tech innovation was made to more than 200 top founders, investors and corporate bigwigs from the United States, Europe and other parts of Asia.