DPM Heng Swee Keat at the International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies

Professor Hiroshi Amano, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2014
Professor Subra Suresh, President, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Professor B.V.R. Chowdari, President, Materials Research Society of Singapore and the
Organising Chair of the Conference
Professor Han Yafang, Secretary-General of the Materials Research Society of China,
and President of the International Union of Materials Research Societies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

I am happy to join you this morning at the International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies, or IC MAT.

This 10th edition of IC MAT shows the continued importance of materials science and engineering, and our collective efforts to better understand the science and the applications that we can make out if it in various fields.

So, let me congratulate the Materials Research Society of Singapore for hosting close to 3,000 delegates from so many countries in this premier international materials science and engineering conference.

Let me also extend a warm welcome to all delegates. And to our friends who have travelled to Singapore to join this conference, I wish you a fruitful stay in Singapore.

Throughout history, materials science has played an important role in advancing the development of civilisations.

Its importance is reflected in how we classify civilisations – by the stone age, the bronze age, the iron age, and so on. Each of these civilisations was characterised by a dominant material used and the way it shaped culture and technology.

Today, materials science has a wide range of applications in advanced knowledge-based economies, ranging from biomedical devices to energy conversion, defence applications and aerospace.

Now all of you are experts in this field. Let me share Singapore’s approach in our RIE efforts especially in materials science.

Importance of Basic Sciences to Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Ecosystem

First, Singapore invests in the basic sciences in our research, innovation and enterprise ecosystem. Research, innovation and enterprise have been central to the development of Singapore as a knowledge-intensive economy. Singapore is a small compact island with no natural resources.

Today, with rapid technological advancements, it becomes even more critical for Singapore to leverage technology and innovation to stay relevant.

Singapore started our first five-year National Science and Technology Plan in 1991. Since then, our investments have grown. 

Today, we are in our 6th five-year plan – the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 plan.

The government sets aside 19 billion Singapore dollars from 2016 till 2020 to invest in our research, innovation and enterprise efforts. This represents our commitment to funding capabilities in basic research to support our research intensive universities. This is a significant increase in funding of almost 20% from the previous five-year plan. We hope that this will catalyse private sector
R&D because a vibrant research, innovation and enterprise ecosystem is built on strong foundation in R&D in the basic sciences.

Since the beginning of our investments in science and technology R&D close to 30 years ago, materials science has been a priority area for Singapore. Today, it is one of our core strengths.

Our research scientists and engineers produce world-class research in 2D and nano materials for a wide range of applications in membranes, sensors, and microelectronics.These are important areas of materials science that can have important applications. Researchers in Singapore are applying them in areas such as solar cells, biological membranes, additive manufacturing and batteries.

I will add that it’s not just the investments in materials science. But it is also our investments in other areas of science and technology including digital technology and artificial intelligence because the convergence of these is what will create even bigger impact.

The high quality research and applications of materials science in Singapore have enabled us to attract talent from abroad to collaborate and innovate with us on new materials and applications

For example, Professor Sir Konstantin Novosolev, who has advised the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials in the National University of Singapore (NUS) since 2015, joined NUS earlier this year as Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. He is the first Nobel Laureate to take up a full-time appointment with a university in Singapore.

His appointment reflects Singapore's strong commitment to basic science research and novel research translation. Besides Professor Sir Novosolev, Singapore has also benefitted from our interactions and friendships with many other Nobel Laureates.

I am thus glad that the tradition of having Nobel Laureates present technical and public lectures continues this year at IC Mat. Professor Hiroshi Amano who is with us today, Professor Andre Geim who is also an advisor to the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials, Professor Fraser Stoddart and Prof Klaus Von Klitzing – will share their expertise with us.

These four Nobel Laureates have been interacting with Singapore’s material science community. They have spoken at previous editions of IC Mat. Some of them have also participated in the Global Young Scientists Summit held every January in Singapore, where young scientists have the opportunity to be mentored by Nobel Laureates and other eminent researchers.

Our budding scientists and researchers have always found these interactions stimulating and I trust that all of us here today will find your interaction with one another very fruitful. 

A Globally Competitive Manufacturing Sector Benefitting from Advanced Materials Capabilities

The second development that I would like to share is how Singapore’s manufacturing sector is benefitting from our advanced materials capabilities.

Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is being driven in part by advanced materials technologies and the convergence of various sciences and technologies. Singapore’s investments in advanced materials science R&D enables companies to draw on talent, and tap on innovative ideas to accelerate translation from basic science.

This is very evident in our manufacturing sector. Today, Singapore’s manufacturing sector is globally competitive. It is also our largest export sector, contributing around 20% of our GDP. We are able to achieve this because our universities and A*STAR research institutes are able to anchor R&D collaborations with global companies. Many global companies who choose to anchor their operations here are supported by our skilled engineers and scientists, and our respect for intellectual property. Please allow me to share some examples.

Last year, I launched the Applied Materials – NUS Corporate Laboratory, supported by the National Research Foundation. The partnership seeks to accelerate discovery of new materials for future generations of semiconductors that are smaller, cheaper, faster and more power efficient. Semiconductor giant Micron Technology announced last year that it would expand its cleanroom space in Singapore to develop future generations of 3D NAND flash with faster speed-to-market. Constant innovations in new materials that have higher resistance, stability and conductivity are critical for the development of 3D NAND technology.

Technology firm Dyson, better known for its bladeless fans, has also expanded its footprint in Singapore by building its first electric car manufacturing plant here.

At the heart of electric vehicles is the battery. As we know, battery technology is evolving rapidly – lighter, faster-charging and environmentally-friendly power sources are needed. For more than a decade, Singapore has invested in R&D to not only develop battery technology, but also lighter composite materials, efficient electric drive trains, and sensors that will feed data to the artificial intelligence systems of autonomous electric vehicles. Dyson’s decision to establish a manufacturing presence in Singapore is testament to the presence of talent and advanced technologies to support their requirements.

Dyson also partnered Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to open an engineering studio that will provide students with the opportunity to work with industry experts to develop solutions to real-world problems. This is Dyson’s first on-campus engineering studio in Asia. The strong academia-industrial relationships forged between research institutions and manufacturing companies supports translational research. This important link sees basic science being translated in innovative ways to deliver new, improved materials. This helps to keep Singapore’s manufacturing sector relevant.

Building and Strengthening International Partnerships to Seize New Opportunities

This brings me to my third point. While each country or each company invests significantly amount of resources, each is a small fraction of the global total. Science and technology is very much an international endeavour. Hence, international partnership is critical if we are to make an impact. Our universities and research institutes will build on their partnership and collaboration efforts with international faculty and companies to further strengthen the research talent pool and pipeline of innovative materials to be translated into novel products.

Partnership models such as joint research programmes, corporate laboratories, and technology consortia bring possible breakthroughs in this area of science.
The Materials Research Society of Singapore contributes to this effort by actively growing partnerships in materials science.

Today’s conference is an example of how we enrich our materials science community with new knowledge and new connections. The Materials Research Society is providing funding to support new materials science research collaborations between overseas researchers and NUS and NTU. Together, we can think of new ways to tap on science to develop innovative solutions, and help users adopt them, so that we can all benefit. I trust that the international conference can catalyse many partnerships. Singapore welcomes collaborations at all levels, from basic science to applied research, to technology demonstrations and start-ups.

Conclusion

Let me conclude. The world is changing rapidly. Technological changes can disrupt industries and create new opportunities. We can either sink under the waves, or ride the rising tide of technological advances together. By gathering the best minds from around the world, Singapore hopes to contribute to promoting global partnerships and creating exchanges on the science and innovation of materials science.

Thank you and I wish everyone a very fruitful conference.