Singapore's new tune
After more than two decadesof investing inlife science infrastructure, Singapore is now shifting its focus totranslational research with near-term commercial applications and clear economic outcomes. To do so, the country isallocating S$3.7 billion ($2.8 billion) between 2011 and 2015. Central to the effort will be the newly formed Industry Partnership Office, which is expected to serve as a one-stop shop for companies and academics looking to partner with various components of Singapore's life sciences network.
Historically, Singapore has had a strong basic research capability andmanufacturing presence in the biomedical space. In 2000, the government decided to up the ante and boost its intellectual capital in the life sciences with an initial five-year plan that called for expanding its research infrastructure.1 That entailed accelerating the country's efforts to attract scientists from abroad and building Biopolis, a complex of research institutes focused on biology, genomics, bioengineering, bioinformatics and bioprocessing...