DPM Teo Chee Hean at the Commonwealth Science Conference 2017 Opening Ceremony

His Royal Highness, Duke of York, 
President of the Royal Society, 
High Commissioners,  
Academy Presidents and Representatives, 
Speakers and Delegates,  
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,   
Good evening. 

A warm welcome to Singapore, and to the second Commonwealth Science Conference. 

Our Science and Development Journey 

Many of you are here for the first time. Some of you are also old friends of Singapore. I wish all of you a pleasant stay. We are a small island-state of 716 square kilometres, about half the size of Greater London. We are situated at the cross-roads of the major trade routes between the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. Our forefathers came from across Asia - the archipelago around us, China, India - and the Arabian Peninsula to Singapore to trade and make a living. Today, we are a multi-racial and multi-religious country of 5.6 million. 

With no natural resources, we have relied on developing our human capital since independence in 1965. From a labour-intensive economy, we moved on to capital and skill-intensive industries. We have also been investing in R&D to build a strong scientific and technology base as knowledge and innovation have become more critical for the future economy.

We embarked on our first 5-year National Science and Technology Plan in 1991, with a budget of USD 1.4 billion. We are now in our 6th 5-year plan and have expanded this to include Research, Innovation and Enterprise, or “RIE” in short. Our RIE Plan from 2015 to 2020 has a budget of USD13 billion and addresses four key priority areas - Health and Bio-Medical Sciences, Urban Solutions and Sustainability, Services and Digital Economy, and Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering. These areas reflect our economic and societal needs, and are domains where we have begun to build up a critical mass of research and innovation capacity.

These areas also map well with the four themes which we will be focussing on during this Commonwealth Science Conference, namely sustainable cities, low carbon energy, emerging infectious diseases, and our oceans. We look forward to a good exchange of ideas and experience with our Commonwealth friends to develop greater knowledge and seize the opportunities in these areas.

With no natural resources, we have relied on developing our human capital since independence in 1965.

DPM Teo

Partnering in Research with the Commonwealth 

First, Sustainable Cities. The global urban population is expected to grow rapidly from 7.5 billion today to 9.7 billion by 2050 . About two thirds of the developing world will be in urban cities across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Countries in the Commonwealth are experiencing this urbanisation phenomenon as well. Sustainability issues such as urban congestion, access to clean water, clean air and good public health are challenges which we all face in common. We made early choices to take a sustainable path as we developed, and have invested in R&D to address these challenges.

Take water for instance, we would have been the most water-stressed country in the world according to the World Resources Institute if things were left to nature. Research into water technologies is therefore a strategic priority. We have closed our water loop through Water Reclamation Plants to treat used water for potable and industrial use.

In 2006, the National Research Foundation committed S$470 million to develop innovative water technologies. We are making steady improvements in increasing the efficiency of membrane-based technology to remove dissolved salt and minerals. We will make further R&D efforts to halve the energy used for desalination, for instance through using electric fields and biomimetic membranes. These innovative technologies improve sustainability and have contributed to the growth of a vibrant water sector of more than 180 companies and 24 research centres. Our researchers from the Nanyang Technological University, and the Singapore-ETH Centre’s Future Cities Laboratory will have the opportunity to discuss some of their programmes with you tomorrow.

Second, Low Carbon Energy. We have limited land area, with no large scale wind, hydro, biomass, or geothermal energy to tap on. Several Commonwealth island states in the Caribbean and the Pacific are in a similar situation. Solar is our only viable source of renewable energy. 

Our Clean Energy Strategic Research Programme has been progressing well. Since 2007, we have been making investments in solar energy research - raising solar module efficiencies using advanced perovskite materials, improving forecasting of solar irradiance to help balance both supply and demand on the grid, and using 3D urban models to better understand the most efficient places to install solar panels. We are also looking at vertical spaces and building façades given the high-rise building density in our urban environment, as well as having solar PVs floating reservoirs. Such efforts will help Singapore achieve more than 1GWp from solar power, which is about 15% of our peak electricity demand. It will be very useful to exchange ideas during this conference on how to efficiently tap low carbon renewable energy in our various countries.

Third, Infectious Diseases. Like many other countries, we are concerned about the spread of anti-microbial resistant organisms. With rising global temperatures, the World Health Organisation is expecting that over 3 billion people will be exposed to the risk of tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue. Outbreaks such as Ebola and Yellow Fever could also spread globally within a very short time with air travel.

We have experienced outbreaks of SARS, dengue and more recently the Zika virus. We have thus adopted a targeted approach to focus on areas including antimicrobial resistance, and bacteria-carrying mosquitoes which disrupt their reproduction cycle. Our scientists have conducted gene sequencing, identified the unique Zika strains in Southeast Asia , and are working with the international scientific community to better understand Zika’s effects. We hope to develop more effective solutions to manage and control such infectious diseases. Commonwealth countries can share information on outbreaks and collaborate to accelerate gene sequencing and identification of emerging diseases that affect our populations.

Fourth, the oceans.As the second busiest port in the world with links to over 600 ports in 120 countries, we are in a unique position for scientists and researchers to study the impact of commercial shipping on ocean ecology.

One important area of research is the effect on the marine eco-system by alien pathogens carried by ships sailing from one region to another. As a signatory of the International Maritime Organisation’s Ballast Water Convention, we have a tight regime to manage the discharge of ballast water. We are partnering MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University on research into environmental monitoring and emerging contaminants. 

With global warming, rising temperatures also impact oceanic and reef systems which provide a valuable food source for many countries. We have started a marine science R&D programme at the National University of Singapore on areas such as algal blooms and coral reef systems as bio-monitors of rapid environmental changes. We look forward to working together with researchers in other countries to enhance resilience in adapting to global climate change.

Singapore has benefited tremendously from our international partnerships.

DPM Teo

Having a Global Impact 

These four themes address challenges that affect all nations. We need to share ideas to collectively address these global issues. This Commonwealth Science Conference is a good platform to encourage dialogue among the scientists and researchers from the 52 Commonwealth countries, and to nurture future science and technology leaders among us. 

Singapore has benefited tremendously from our international partnerships. Our National Research Foundation stands ready to work with the Royal Society to facilitate exchanges and further develop partnerships with the Commonwealth scientific and research community to develop new solutions that will have a global impact. 

I wish you a fruitful Commonwealth Science Conference, and hope that you will have further opportunities to return to Singapore in the future to further your scientific research. Thank you very much.