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Contents
ETPL keepsakes
Pg 52 - 53
Scholarship
keepsakes
Pg 54 - 57
Corporate
keepsakes
Pg 58 - 59
The Scrapbook
Youth Science
keepsakes
Pg 40 - 43
BMRC keepsakes
Pg 44 - 47
SERC keepsakes
Pg 48 - 51
The Board and
More
A*STAR Board
of Directors
Pg 60 - 61
Biomedical
Sciences
International
Advisory Council
Pg 62 - 63
A*STAR Graduate
Academy
International
Advisory Panel
Pg 64 - 65
About SERC
A*STAR's Science &
Engineering Research
Council
Sam sets forth and
relates to her Kind
of Life
Pg 22 - 31
About Home and
Heart
Tian's Sunday nights
thinking of Home...
Pg 32 - 35
Sam shows and tells
what Home means...
Pg 36 - 39
A*STAR Senior
Management
Pg 66
Directors of
A*STAR's
Research
Institutes
Pg 67
2003-04
Calendar
Memories...
Pg 68 - 77
Special Thanks
It’s been real fun,
Scholars!
Pg 78
Financials
Financial
Statements
Pg 79 - 100
The Journals
About A*STAR's
Chairman
I'm me, says Tian
Pg 4 - 7
Sam says,
"Don't mess
with me!"
Pg 8 - 11
About BMRC
A*STAR's Biomedical
Research Council
Tian keeps track
of his Kind of Life,
scanning the future
Pg 12 - 21
Introduction
Getting to Know You
... and meeting
Sam and Tian
pg 2 - 3
2
Introduction
Getting to Know You,Getting to Know All About You…
ARE you humming that ever-engaging tune? Are you also wondering whywe say “Getting to know you” the reader? Aren’t you supposed to be gettingto know about us? After all, this is A*STAR’s annual report for the financialyear from April 01 2003 to March 31 2004.
Yes, of course, we are going to tell you about A*STAR. To make it morepersonal, we will be telling you about our activities and aspirations throughthe journals of two A*STAR Scholars.
Meet SAM , an Overseas PhD Scholar researching Multimedia Forensicsat Columbia University, New York. Sam is short for Samantha. She hasher own views about what A*STAR Chairman Philip Yeo has been saying:“Woman scientists in Singapore are an advantaged group!” What does sheplan to do about that assertion? Research it, naturally.
Also meet TIAN . (No “Tian, Tian lye” wisecracks, please, because he’s areally cool dude.) He is a National Science Scholar gearing up for hisMaster of Engineering so that he can go on to do a biomedical PhD. Nokidding, a trained engineer morphing into a biomedical scientist. Hisresearch area will be Tissue Engineering, working with skin stem cells.
Are these two guys for real? Mainly “Yes!” with a bit of “No”. They arecomposite characters formulated for the purpose of getting real-lifeinformation across in an appealing manner. But they are based on realpeople, on seven living A*STAR Scholars whose identities will be revealedin page 78.
So read this Yearbook in the same mode in which you would watch adocu-drama. It’s reality told with a bit of dramatic licence. Then, to checkon reality and get more details, visit A*STAR’s website: www.a-star.edu.sg.After getting to know all about us, you may want to apply for an A*STARScholarship. Then we will get to know about you!
SAMA*STAR’s Science &Engineering ResearchCouncil Scholar
3
T IANA*STAR’s
Biomedical Research
Council Scholar
Going for the "ransom note" look. The style to use if
ever I need to send a love note. Not so mushy!
QUOTES
from Chairman
Philip Yeo
“I am a 50% nationalist and 50% internationalist.Must develop and nurture our 50% of Singaporetalent.”
“We have about 2,000 scientists, most of themnon-Singaporean. Barely 400 are Singaporean.Eventually we want 2,500, half Singaporean, halfinternational, and 500 of the total being graduatestudents in our labs. The international scientistsshould be of all colours, from different countries.Only their grey matter is the same colour. Rightnow, with NSS* and OGS* and AGS*, we havemore than 480 Scholars. We’re on track towardshaving about 1,000 Singaporean PhDs by 2010.In addition to our Scholars, there are manystudents who study on Papa and MamaScholarships. So there are enough Singaporekids doing Science. Those who are in NUS* andNTU* can come to us to do their PhD when theygraduate. We have a large-enough talent pool.Getting 1,000 Singaporean PhDs is no problem.”
(*NSS: National Science Scholarships. OGS: OverseasGraduate Scholarships. AGS: A*STAR Graduate Scholarships.NUS: National University of Singapore. NTU: NanyangTechnological University.)
4
TIA
N
I’m me, man!
I want my place
in Biopolis. Not only because
I’m Singaporean, but also
because I’ll make a great
scientist. Competition from
non-Singaporeans?
No worries!
MORE from
the Chairman
Wah lau, don’t
play, play!!!
“In the 2003 A-level batch are many kids with four As, A for
General Paper and three S-papers with distinction. Those who
want to do the PhD wouldn’t want to go into banking or the
Admin Service. They are a different species. For them and
their parents, our Scholarships are very prestigious, the terms
very attractive. We are giving them an eight-year scholarship
with a six-year bond. Most of the other scholars here do three
years for their Bachelor’s, some do one year more for the
Master’s, and still have a six-year bond. This year (2004) we
have 70 kids taking up BS-PhD scholarships under NSS.
Fourteen other talented young people will do the OGS and
nine others the International Fellowship. In addition, 61 are
taking up the AGS. That’s a total of 154 scholars!
“We’ll publish the Chairman’s Honours List every year. It will
be extended. The kids who do well should be recognised. I
was told by some visiting UK Parliamentarians at our Biopolis
that I was promoting elitism. My response: every society needs
an elite, like every train needs a locomotive. The key is to
make sure that the elite feels a sense of responsibility towards
the rest. Endowed with better innate capabilities, you have a
responsibility. And we’re funding you. You have a responsibility
to take care of the rest of society. When the elite is selfish
and self-centred, that’s the worry. So we need to ensure that
our Scholars have a sense of responsibility.”
“Our NSS are of the best quality. That’s why we highlight the
Chairman’s Honours List. Those on the List have a GPA (Grade
Point Average) of 4.0. They are our key Scholars. We want to
focus on such people and grow the group. A GPA of 3.8 is a
very high standard. Most US graduate schools take a GPA of
3.6. We set a high benchmark. Don’t forget, we’re paying a
stipend during their PhD years and also giving them a job
afterwards. So we want to make sure our Scholars are the
best. We tell Scholars who are below GPA 3.6: ‘Sorry,
no PhD’.”
Gee, what a heavy
responsibility!
5
6
From: tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: de man’s hi standards!
Date:12 May 2004 12:13:14 GMT+08:00
To:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!
Awake? Here in the eastern US of A, I still can’t get used to this ‘sg’ server’s
Singapore time. Afternoon back home, not yet midnight here. Too early for
bed…
Never mind that. Have you been reading all those quotes from A*STAR’s
Chairman? On the website. If you have, you would have noticed that he
keeps saying “the key is talent” and “we need a diversity of talent”. He
seems obsessed that way.
He also states more than once that high standards have been set for A*
Scholars. I remember being wowed by the NSS propaganda, so I joined
the queue. Got in. Happy, cool and all that! Otherwise might never have
met you, Sam. : )
Chairman says: “Scholars who are below GPA 3.6: ‘Sorry, no PhD’.” Gotta
make sure I’m ahead in the queue.
Good night. tian
From: samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: Re: de man’s hi standards!
Date: 12 May 2004 12:46:53 GMT+08:00
To:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
_______________________________________________________
Tian... Here you don’t want to say “join the queue”,
unless you want to come across real geeky. Say “join
the line”…
To get to go on to PhD, it’s not just a matter of physically
rushing to the head of the line. Being first with an
application to the Scholarship guys don’t count.Sure, I’ve been reading the Chairman. Have also been
listening to him on various occasions. Take note of
what he says. He’s got this quirky, jerky manner of
speech. But he’s serious! Check out more of his
thoughts (attachment). Be a research leader, Tian!
Good night… SamAttachment:
7
A*Chairman, he
says. . .
On Diversity of Talent: “We have to compete, so we makeSingapore the Global Talent Hub in Asia that is English-speaking.Our competitors are the USA, UK, Canada, Australia/New Zealand.When we recruit foreign scientists, diversity of talent is veryimportant. Search the whole world for English-speaking peopleinterested in coming here. We should not care whether they arefrom Ukraine or Canada or Latvia. But no monolingual Mandarin,Tamil, Hindi. I visited a lab at Scripps Research Institute in LaJolla, California. The Professor is Greek Cypriot. His lab hasAustralians, Germans, Koreans, Japanese, Indians, Chinese,Czech. It’s totally international.”
On Assimilation of Talent: “Assimilation starts when they areyoung. I asked this girl who came from Swatow and joined oneof our schools in Sec 3: ‘How was your first year in Singapore?’‘I had a tough time, my English was poor,’ she said. Now she hasscored A for GP. There is a boy who volunteered for NationalService and became an infantry officer. The key for us is to bringin assimilable people. So our labs must be diversified in theirscientific talent and must also be English-speaking.”
A Winning Organisation!
On Winning over the Winners: “The brightest young people wantto join a winning organisation. Once you have a reputation forbeing good, people will join you. It’s more than pay. It’s the factthat you’re among the best. Why do top UK and US universitiesattract excellent students? Not because those universities givemore pay or more allowances, but because the bright youngstersknow they can be among the best in their domains. The key istalent. Plus the ability to train the talented. I tell our talent: ‘I’minterviewing you, because I want you to be a future researchleader. I’m not giving you a scholarship so that you can be a test-tube cleaner’. I know they can’t all be leaders, but the majoritywill be leaders.”
SAM
8Must ch
eck this out!
Would love to have
the Chairman
proven 100% accu
rate. . .
A* Chairman Philip Y
eo, he says
“When our Scholars finish their PhD/postdoc, they’re 28, 29. You
ask them to get married and have their first baby at 30? That’s
crazy! Childcare benefits are given to women up to age 30; they
should be given up to at least 35. If you are having a child after
35, there are worries about Down’s syndrome. I’m interested in
this predicament, because half our Scholars are female. I have to
fight for them. Singapore has a good gene pool. But Singaporeans
are getting married later. We have to find other ways of enlarging
and diversifying our gene pool.
“Some 20% of our NSS are foreign students. They have studied in
Singapore schools and are Permanent Residents who want to
become Singaporeans. A girl I interviewed – she‘s from Swatow –
speaks perfect Teochew, but now her English is typically
Singaporean. She scored all As and got accepted by the top schools
in the US. These are the bright kids we want to attract to our
secondary schools. They will enlarge our talent pool. In sufficient
numbers, they will make up for the shortfall in the number of
Singaporean babies.”
“In Singapore, the girls and women are more than equal. They
don’t have to do National Service. That means they finish their
education ahead of the men. The females get scholarships. Where
else in Asia do females have such advantages? In some Asian
countries, there are very few woman scientists. Woman lab
technicians, yes, many.”
9
There they go again. . .- Girls wanna have funand an inspiring career.Marriage can wait, man. . .
More power to her!
Don’t you agree,
Chairman?
Looking forward to that,Chairman. . .
“When I meet woman scientists overseas, non-Singaporeans, I emphasise thisto them: ‘Come and do your research in Singapore. If you have children, you canemploy a maid whose pay is subsidised by tax deductions.’ Where else can theyenjoy that?”
“I’m making efforts to include more ladies on our top panel of Scientific Advisers.So far there are two women in Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences InternationalAdvisory Council (IAC). We’re adding one more, making it three. Eventuallyat least one-third of the IAC members should be woman scientists. They arerole models for our female Scholars.”
“I tell our female Scholars: ‘You’ll be away for eight years.
I don’t care who you come back with — pink, blue, yellow,
green. Just make sure that he’s got a brain. As far as I’m
concerned, if our girls come back with foreign spouses who
are as smart as they are, why not?”
“Now which scholarship interviewer would be concerned with suchan issue? It’s a real concern for me. Have a career and great science,of course. But also have a life outside the lab! A few of the girls I wasinterviewing were horrified. Why wasn’t I asking about grades? Thoseissues have been taken care of elsewhere in the selection process.I’m more interested in the critical intangibles, the stuff of character.The other day I was asking three girls in separate interviews whatkind of man would interest them. One said she would like someonekeen on the Sciences. The second one said she would be too busystudying. The third one said it did not matter what he was like, ‘I’llretrain the guy!’ She actually said that!”
From: tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: alert, alert, foreign postdocs!
Date: 14 May 2004 10:13:14 GMT+08:00
To:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!
You’re doing your PhD and then your postdoc. Have you seen A*STAR’s
international flyer welcoming foreign Postdoctoral Fellows to Singapore?
See attachment if you haven’t. Tell me what you think, OK?
Too early to wish you ‘good night’. tian
Lack of diversity is often a problem.
I ’ve learnt that now that I ’ve lived abroad. . .
10
From: samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: Re: alert, alert, foreign postdocs!
Date:14 May 2004 10:31:59 GMT+08:00
To:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sgThanks, Tian… I have not seen the flyer. Have been expecting it,
though.
You know Chairman has this Little Book of Talent that he and his
senior guys carry with them on their overseas trips. They want to
keep in touch with us, especially you younger ones, the NSS. “Our
job is to keep in touch with our Scholars,” he said in last year’s
Yearbook. Did you see that?So they meet us whenever they’re in town. We get free food. Some
yummy, some OK only. We also get to meet fellow Scholars in the
‘neighbourhood’ we don’t normally interact with. You know, so near
and yet so far.The Chairman said at one of those meetings (words to this effect,
jotted down soon after the lunch): “We send our Scholars to many
places outside Singapore. That’s essential. The other thing I’m doing
is attracting foreign PhDs to come and work in Singapore. We offer
them work back home, our home, for two or three years as postdocs.
It’s not employment, it’s training — and networking for our own people
as well. The foreign postdocs work in our labs, together with our
people. They add to the diversity we must have.”I look forward to the continuing interaction with and
networking with good scientists from all over the world…
It’s not too early for me, so ‘good night’... Sam
11
12
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:the future, OUR future
Date:16 May 2004 12:41:13 GMT+08:00
To:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!
Good news from home!
Remember that shocker from Chairman Philip Yeo? He said something
like A*STAR can't guarantee us Scholars a future, or even a career.
Horrors!!! Spoilt our lunch with him. It's all up to us, the man said. But
what's my future, man? I wanna know. Your future, too, Sam!
See attachment for the good news. :) Good night. tian
Pages from the journalof Tian, A*STAR’sBiomedical ResearchCouncil Scholar
Mum’s
favo
urite s
ong
Que s
era, s
era
Whateve
r will
be, w
ill be
The f
uture
’s no
t
ours
to se
e
ps Dad’s favouritestar is still Doris
Day! Doris who?
TIA
N
13
BMRC Boss says...
BMRC Executive Director, Associate Professor Kong Hwai
Loong told some journalists the other day (got transcript
from my Inside Source):
"There's a great future ahead for our Scholars. Right now we
depend a great deal on help from foreign talent. That is a
necessary thing. I support the recruitment of foreign talent
from diverse sources. It is very important to achieve Chairman's
goal of getting the 50/50 balance, pro-local, pro-foreign. We're
beginning to achieve that, slowly. With the returning Scholars,
that is definitely possible.
"What that means is that the Scholars have very valuable, very
exciting jobs waiting for them. We have a broad spectrum of
biomedical opportunities for them. The returning Scholars will
be carefully mentored. We push them along their careers as
quickly as their potential allows. And we don't just hope, we
fully expect some of them to take over the leadership at the
highest levels of the research institutes in years to come."
14
From:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: the future, OUR future
Date:16 May 2004 12:57:39 GMT+08:00
To:
tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Tian...
I wasn't horrified by what the Chairman said. It was a
reality check for us. But I'm glad that you're reassured by
the news from home. I'm convinced that we have a great
future with A*, but with one proviso: barring major economic
and other disasters.Good night. Don't stay up all night again. Not good for
your health and alertness. Sam...
15
THOUGHT: Wow, we'll have our own CSI!
NOTES: 2 Big Deals @ BMRC
1. Close Encounters of the Right Kind between basic scientists and
clinician scientists.
Prof Kong said: "We can take pride in saying, with the completion of Biopolis,
that our basic science capability is quite solid now. We are very competent
in many domains of basic biomedical science. But that in itself is not the
endgame. Our endgame is to translate that into improvement of human
health. We will take full advantage of that translation process for commercial
exploitation where appropriate. Reaching out to the clinical community is
absolutely essential."
NOTES: BMRC taking three initiatives:
(1) Setting up the Centre for Molecular Medicine. Announced in October
2003. Officially launched in January 2004. CMM housed temporarily in
Biopolis. Eventually it will be moved to Kent Ridge. Its first programme:
regenerative medicine (using stem cells to replace damaged tissues).
(2) Launching the BMRC-NMRC National Grant Call on May 03 2004.
(NMRC = Health Ministry's National Medical Research Council.) First time
two Research Councils under two Ministries working together to launch
joint grant call. (The other is the Trade and Industry Ministry.) More money
for research community outside A*STAR.
(3) Launching the Clinician Scientist Investigatorship second half of 2004.
That's CSI! It will have two schemes: a Senior scheme that will pay, over
five years, the salaries of senior doctors who are also researchers; and a
Junior scheme that will give three years' support, including research money,
to up-and-coming doctor-researchers.
THOUGHT: No aliens and music from Outer Space with
this. But it sure sounds like pushing the limits!
16
THOUGHT: Ms Ong my General Paper teacher at JC would
be so proud of me now. No longer multisyllabic phobic!
2. Going into Project Omnipotent and sorting out (gulp air) Intercellular
Communication.
NOTES: Something BMRC wants to emphasise this year – a Bioimaging
Programme. To coordinate and enlarge the Bioimaging work now being done
in pockets in Singapore. Bioimaging uses advanced imaging and computational
tools to show us – visually – biomedical processes and disease states. That
visual input provides a lot of information. It allows us to make science less
deductive and more directly observational. Bioimaging has a spectrum ranging
from molecular imaging - being able to see actual molecular structures –
through a middle range which is animal imaging. Those two processes likely
to take place in Biopolis. The other end of the spectrum is clinical imaging,
done in hospitals. BMRC plans to support that through funding.
Bioimaging brings together different disciplines with total disregard for
boundaries: doctors, biomedical scientists, engineers, physical scientists and
chemists. Even astronomers, if they were available, would be useful contributors
in this effort. Why astronomers? Because of their expertise in checking out
signals in the universe. Astronomers use signal strength and computational
algorithm to decide which signal is from a planet and which is just noise.
So they are very good at sorting out all the background noises and identifying
the key target. In biomedicine we pick up a lot of mixed signals from inside
the cell and those passed between cells, but researchers and clinicians are
interested only in particular entities. Bioimaging allows us to zero in . It's in
all fields of medicine and it's omnipotent!"
17
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:can die one!
Date:19 May 2004 12:05:35 GMT+08:00
To:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!
Did you realise that the day of reckoning has finally dawned for the
first batch of National Science Scholars? No more dithering. No more
"maybe this, maybe that" and no more "no worries, can decide later,
lah, got time, what". It's time to make the career choice! :(
BMRC's ED sent a message to the BS-PhD pioneers who are moving
on from the Bachelor's this month to graduate school in September.
He says that it's an important milestone. I can tell you it's also a scary
fork in the road.
Prof Kong says: "On the personal level, having slogged through three
years, you have to ask yourselves whether you are prepared to go
for the PhD. My advice to you starts with the conceptual: graduate
studies are quite different from Bachelor's. For a Bachelor degree,
you attend classes in a big group, you feel a sense of belonging to
a cohort, you move together, you more or less move along with the
tide. But PhD studies are very much individualistic. It's the pursuit of
excellence in the specific domain you've chosen. Your PhD project
must address a new question that nobody has an answer to at this
time. Because you are at that pinnacle level, at that cutting-edge
level, you are by definition solitary in the pursuit. That's why it is very
important for the student to have a change in mindset, to become far
more self-motivated and very clear about the desired future."
Self-motivated: no problem. Clear about the desired future: getting
clearer, but reassurance now and then needed. I know that, from now
on, it depends a lot on just two people. Previously we had a bunch
of tutors. The two guys I will have to entrust myself to are the PhD
supervisor here and a mentor back home. The mentor, Prof Kong
says, will link the Scholar back to Biopolis. "When you are in the lab
by yourself, you may lose your bearings, wondering why you're here
in the first place," the ED says, "unless you have a good supervisor
and a good mentor." Gotta get the right ones! Or can die one.
Has it been like that for you, Sam? Good night, sweet dreams. tian
18
From:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: can die one!
Date:19 May 2004 12:27:27 GMT+08:00
To:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sgTian... That's your idea of a "good night, sweet dreams" message? It's not
exactly bedtime reading, you know. OK, answering your question... Yes,
it has been as you anticipate. It's not that scary once you've hitched your
wagon to A*. It is working out very well for me.You know, the kids taking up National Science Scholarships must be aware
of the tough reality of scientific research. They must not allow themselves
to be seduced by just the glamour of those sexy A* Scholarship ads. And
don't be dazzled by success in getting the NSS, or in making it to the
Chairman's Honours List. (Really hope you make that this year, Tian!)
Don't stay up all night again. Good zzzz... Sam
I hope so, too!
19
NOTE: BIG milestones for BMRC!
The ED says: "An even bigger milestone with our Scholars is this, we're beginning
to see a few PhDs and postdoc fellows who have finished their studies overseas.
They were funded by us midway through their studies and they are beginning
to come back. Now we have a handful of them. Next year maybe two or three
dozen. After the massive exercise of sending people out, we are getting the
flowback."
THOUGHT: Prof Kong wonders whether guys like
Sam can integrate into the framework of research
at Biopolis. He calls it "the key question": how do
we bring people, who have spent a number of
years overseas, back into our cultural fabric of
Singapore and the micro-fabric of Biopolis? He says:
"So connectivity with our Scholars, meeting their
expectations is an important exercise. That is why
our Scholarship unit, the Council and A*STAR HR
have to work hand-in-hand to fully realise the
potential of our Scholars."
Feeling right royal, reading that!!!
20
THOUGHT: What would my primary school teacher say now, I wonder.
NOTE: Its time has come! 1 + 1 = 3, yes, yes, yes
NOTES: Assoc Prof Kong, BMRC Executive Director, is also A*STAR's Deputy
Managing Director (Integrative Sciences).
The 1 + 1 = 3 Man says it again: "I want to use Bioimaging as a platform to
really bring BMRC and the Science & Engineering Research Council together.
The boundary between them now is arbitrary and artificial, as I indicated in an
editorial in EXPLOSION. Many of our scientists in SERC – for example, those
in microelectronics – have all the computational and electronic capabilities that
are needed for Bioimaging."
It's time for a Joint BMRC-SERC Workshop
A* will hold a Joint BMRC-SERC Workshop. All the 12 research institutes will
present their work with the objective of answering the question: how our work
may be of interest to people from other RIs, especially those from the other
Council? "I want to wear my DMD Integrative Sciences hat and integrate the
work of the two Councils," says Prof Kong.
Moving into largescale coordinated science!
A*STAR's past year has seen the maturation of human capital. The other very
important development is the move into largescale coordinated science – the
Joint Workshop, the joint National Grant Call, the Clinician Scientist
Investigatorship. Instead of just projects, A* is going macro, moving towards
largescale coordinated science. That calls for quite a different skill set
altogether.
21
THOUGHT: Wouldbe lovely if Sam andI could work closelytogether in the samelab one day soon!
Bioimaging is interdisciplinary, integrative and innovative. The ancient definition
of 'bioimaging': the use of the microscope, first utilised hundreds of years
ago. In the last 10 to 20 years, Bioimaging has exploded into a completely
different sphere. In many of the clinical trials now, the US Food and Drug
Administration is increasingly saying: Do not just tell us that you suspect this
or you suspect that; we want images to prove it. So imaging has become an
important surrogate endpoint in clinical studies. In the past, medicine relied
a great deal on deduction. You observed this phenomenon, therefore you
deduced that the truth was this. But now you can actually see what's going
on at molecular level.
A*STAR's advisers in Bioimaging are Sir George Radda and his Oxford colleague
Professor Kieran Clarke. They use MRI to image the hearts of mice. A mouse
heart is the size of a peanut, 1.0cm across. It beats at 600 times a minute.
Those guys can image that, beat by beat – at that speed! "Bioimaging is a
field that Singapore is well poised to take advantage of, because of our strong
engineering sciences," says Prof Kong.
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:same lab one day?
Date:23 May 2004 12:14:55 GMT+08:00
To:
samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!Hope you're still awake. I so look forward to your responses
that it's impossible to go to sleep without seeing your reply first.
You must have heard about Integrative Sciences and Bioimaging.
Think we can work together in the same lab one day? :p
Won't say "good night" yet. Reply if you're still awake. tian
22
Pages from the journal of
Sam, A*STAR’s Science &
Engineering Research
Council Scholar
Emerson says:
"Hitch your wagon to a star. Let us
not fag in paltry works which serve
our pot and bag alone."
From:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: same lab one day?
Date:
24 May 2004 06:44:18 GMT+08:00
To:
tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Tian... Sorry I couldn't reply last night. Hope you got to sleep.
Why not? There's more than a good chance... You can't have
Integrative Sciences without a combination of Physical scientists
and Biomed types. You yourself are moving from Mechanical
Engineering to Tissue Engineering. That's an integrated discipline.
You can regard yourself as Engineering's gift to Biomedicine. (But
don't even think of claiming you're God's gift to women!)
Take care... Samtian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg on 23 May 2004 12:14:55
GMT+08:00:Hey, Sam!
Hope you're still awake. I so look forward to your responses that
it's impossible to go to sleep without seeing your reply first.
You must have heard about Integrative Sciences and Bioimaging.
Think we can work together in the same lab one day? :p
Won't say "good night" yet. Reply if you're still awake. tian
Ah, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), m
y
favourite Philosopher! What he means, I re
ad,
is that "all of us need high ideals, a
commanding sense of purpose, great
ambitions". Th
at's why I hitched on to A*STAR.
Instead of getting hitched before my PhD.
SAM
23
From:
samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: Re: Re: same lab one day?
Date:
24 May 2004 11:28:19 GMT+08:00
To:
tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Tian...
My area of research is Multimedia Forensics. As you know,
it's very easy now to manipulate digital images. The problem
I am focusing on is finding ways to detect malicious digital
image manipulation or image forgeries, such as on a photo
montage, assuming that the digital watermarking technology
is not available. An infamous image forgery incident in the
US recently was the composite image of John Kerry, the
Presidential candidate potential, and Jane Fonda, the
actress and one-time anti-war activist.
You bet. There are lots of cross-discipline applications for
such detection capabilities. I also hear that SERC is focusing
on initiatives to get scientists from different disciplines to
work together.
I'll say good night now... Sam
From:
tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: Re: same lab one day?
Date:
24 May 2004 10:44:18 GMT+08:00
To:
samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!A plain 'sorry' isn't going to cut it, as they say here
n America. I waited and waited and waited for your
reply last night. No sleep! But no worries. I'm cool.
When you've completed your PhD, will you
be going into Integrative Sciences, you think?
Still early. Reply tonight, OK? tian
24
Lament: Will miss Singapore Arts
Festival again. Sigh...
Drool: Will make the Durian
season. Cheers! (Don't mean the
Durians on the Bay.)
No Big Deal: Missing the Great
Singapore Sale. It's OK.
SERC Morsels: Bite into 'em!
Professor Chong Tow Chong, SERC's
Executive Director shared with us the
Council's three main thrusts this
year: Human Capital development,
Intellectual Capital development and
Industrial Capital development.
25
Human Capital
So cute! Prof Chong said he was told to sell koyok, to attract students
to SERC Scholarships. He was and still is Executive Director of the
Data Storage Institute. He also took charge of SERC from late-2003.
This is what he told us: "A*STAR's Chairman said I needed to sell my
own koyok. 'You have to talk to the students to interest them in your
area,' he said. So SERC's key executives went into a one-day retreat.
How do we reach out not only to first-degree holders but also to JCstudents? The key, we concluded, was in working with A*GA (A*STAR
Graduate Academy) and intensifying talks to students."
Ah, so, this is how they psycho people!
Prof Chong also said: "We want to highlight the fact that we have
39 Singaporean PhDs joining our population! We have no problems
getting scientists from China, India and other countries. But we need
more Singaporeans."
Yes, we keep hearing that. I wonder how our fellow-scientists who are not Singaporeans feel about that.Hope they don't feel hurt. A* is going for a 50-50mix of Singaporeans and foreigners. Must help toreinforce this message!
More from Prof Chong: "SERC's challenge: How to get more JC studentsinterested in doing PhDs in the Physical Sciences and Engineering?The Biomedical Sciences, being new to Singapore, have been getting
a lot of publicity and generating much interest. So we tell the students:
'Yes, BMS is the new area, but Singapore still needs the Physical
Sciences and Engineering. We cannot afford to neglect those domains'."
And we won't. Happily, Prof Chong was also able to report:"This year we have selected 33 NSS Scholars, compared to 23 lastyear. Our NSS Scholars have very good grades,too." High five!
26
More SERC Morsels: Yes, bite into 'em!
(Continuing...) Prof Chong shared with us SERC's three main thrusts
this year: Human Capital development, Intellectual Capital development
and Industrial Capital development.
Intellectual Capital
So leading-edge, exciting, modelling after DARPA! According to Prof
Chong, SERC used to be mainly a funding agency in its collaboration
with the universities. A funding agency normally does not cultivate
a close relationship with the outside research community. The approach
was entirely bottom-up. Professors submitted their research proposals
and SERC looked at the areas, sent the proposals for review, and
if OK funded them. The proposals covered wide-ranging fields, like
Physics, Chemistry, Materials, Civil Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering. The wide range was quite difficult to handle.
Can see the problem: so many areas, so which onesto emphasise with public funding?
Last financial year SERC introduced a new way of funding the
universities. Instead of just one grant call, it streamed the exercise
into two types of grants. One of them is the Investigator-led Proposal.
Pretty much the same as before, still bottom-up. The other is a
directed grant call, the Thematic Strategic Research Programme.
It's 'Thematic' because SERC is defining the area. "We studied a
few overseas models," Prof Chong said, "now we more or less follow
the DARPA approach. (That's Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency in the US). We sent the concept to the research community,
inviting proposals for topics. The result was quite a surprise! We got
lots of interesting proposals, over 80. We convened a local panel,
"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams
go, life is a barren field covered
with snow. Hold fast to dreams for
if dreams die, life is a broken
winged bird that cannot fly."
– Source Unknown
27
Nanoflower
mainly from the universities, with only two SERC officers serving as
secretariat. We classified the 80-plus topics under eight themes.
For each theme we conducted a two-day workshop. The eight
workshops were held over three months. At each workshop there was
a panel of overseas experts. Altogether more than 1,000 participated
in the theme workshops. They were quite exciting for the research
community."
Bet they were! I would have volunteered to be agofer at those workshops...
After the workshops, each theme was evaluated. Should we proceed?Among the criteria was this very important consideration: Can we getthe best out of it for Singapore? The intellectual property that comes
from publicly funded research counts a lot. Using this approach,
A* is seeding knowledge generation. The knowledge will form the
core competencies of the research institutes. Maybe not now, but in
three to five years, according to Prof Chong. SERC selected four
themes that it is funding in a big way. "With those projects, we will
also be getting people from different disciplines to work together,"
he said.
So many opportunities and facilities - and alsofunds! At international seminars and conferences,we scientists in Singapore are envied for thosereasons.
The four themes are Nanoelectronics, Ultra-wide Band
and pervasive computing (a la Matrix?), Integrated
Manufacturing and Service Systems (applying
information technology in manufacturing) and
Polymer and Molecular Electronics and
Devices (using substrates for specific display
purposes).
Wow, as the ED says, it's allvery exciting! Can't wait tostart work back home...
28
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Mouth-watering...
Date:
26 May 2004 12:28:00 GMT+08:00
To:
samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!Did you get the delicious plate of chilli crab I sent earlier
today? ;)OK, lah, it was in jpeg format. Not dripping wet and messy
with mouth-watering smell. Will treat you to a real 3-D chilli
crab back home.Enjoy! tian
29
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: Re: Mouth-watering...
Date:26 May 2004 12:47:09 GMT+08:00
To:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!Will happily read the attachment right now.
Really sweet dreams. tian
From:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: Mouth-watering...
Date:26 May 2004 12:45:19 GMT+08:00
To:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Thanks, Tian... For the pic and the promise of a treat. I love
chilli crab, man!
Talking about mouth-watering... Wow, so much is happening
at A*. I love it here in New York, but I often wish I were
home and in the action... But, when I'm home, I'll be longing
to be out here again... Must always travel, I promise myself.
You Biomed guys are always saying you want your research
to benefit humanity. Read about some initiatives at SERC
to help the smaller Singapore companies. That way we help
to boost the economy for the betterment of society. See
attachment for some wholesome bedtime reading.
Sweet dreams... and "hold fast to your dreams for if dreams
die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly"... Sam
30
They call it the 'SERC Inc. Approach'A collaboration between two SERCresearch institutes and an industrialcompany: the Institute of Microelectronicsand the Institute for Infocomm Researchworked with Toppan Electronics Co(Singapore) Pte Ltd, a wholly ownedsubsidiary of Toppan Printing. Theirinvention: an original RFID chip Tesstar
(trademark pending) and peripheraldevices. Applications will include entryand exit control systems.
Industrial Capital Development
Professor Chong Tow Chong, SERC's Executive Director told us:
"SERC launched the GET-Up* Scheme last year (to help boost the global
competitiveness of local technology-intensive companies, the Growing Enterprises).
We made cold calls to like 450 small and medium-sized enterprises. Since January
2004, we have made some changes to our approach. We now look at the totality
of an industry, not just the SMEs. They are only a part of the value-chain. Most
SMEs here are not doing their own thing. They are supporting bigger industries.
The big manufacturers are the MNCs like Hitachi, HP, Philips and Seagate.
They employ a lot of people. They need strong supporting industries."
Obviously GET-Up is still key. But by visiting the big companies first, we get to
know their needs. We also learn from them the new projects that they are bringing
into Singapore. Prof Chong cited the example of smaller form factor hard drives
for the iPod. (Love the never-
ending music!) "The SMEs that have been
supporting the MNCs with the bigger form factor will have to go down to the smaller
form factor," he said, "and that is not just a matter of shrinking the size. There are
lots of other issues. So we'd better prepare the supporting industries so that they
can continue to support and service the manufacturers."
Another plus:some MNCs go so far as to hand over lists of their suppliers, the
local enterprises. SERC's approach to the SMEs can be more focused. Its reps
can say: "We're here, because your customer thinks we can help you". That opens
doors!
Prof Chong also told us that SERC is repositioning its research institutes: "The
thinking started last year. We are beginning to implement plans this year. SERC
is a matured Council. By 2005 the Physical Sciences and Engineering research
in Singapore would have had 15 years of public funding. It is time to review and
reposition. We want to ensure continuing value in return for the funding."
And also much value-add! The Scholars
are beginning to
come home.
(*GET-Up: Growing Enterprises with Technology Upgrading Programme)
31
Looking ahead to Fusionpolis
By the end of 2005 or early 2006, this
state-of-the-art, stylishly designed building
will house SERC HQ and some of the
Council's research institutes. Fusionpolis
will be very close to Biopolis. Very much like
Biopolis, it will house both public research
laboratories and private sector facilities. A
fusion of IT, communications and media,
and also of people's visions, ideas, initiatives
and endeavours.
HOM
E
Hey, Sam!
Sunday nights I always think of home. Don’t know why. Tonight it’s extrasensoryextension thinking. Thoughts of parents and siblings and Dad’s signaturedish (Penang laksa, Singapore style) led on to thoughts of Biopolis backhome and then to you here in the States. Almost added “…with me”. Butyou’re in Columbia, I’m in MIT. As you said, “so near and yet so far”.
When I was being interviewed by the Chairman for the NSS, I asked himwhere I would come back to. I knew what I would come back to: life as ascientist, researching in both the Physical Sciences and Biomedical Sciences.My kind of life! But where would I be working? Chairman said: “Biopolis, ofcourse! It will be ready long before you finish your PhD.”
Sure enough, Biopolis was up and running when I went home last winter.You know that A* brings NSS guys home every year, summer or December,to keep us grounded in Singapore and to work in the labs. What a treat, this“home leave”! We’re the envy of most other scholars. Because of these tripshome and the fact that ours is the highest-level scholarship — all the wayfrom first degree to PhD.
In Biopolis one day, I ran into the Big Man himself. He was giving a bunchof A-level kids an exclusive Chairman’s tour. “Come join us,” he called outto me. The kids were NSS applicants. They must have been taken aback,getting a VIP tour before the Chairman’s grilling. Hope the sightseeingrelaxed them. I would have preferred the tour after that all-important interview.
Hope you see this soon and reply soonest. tian
TIA
N
From: tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sgSubject: my kind of lifeDate: 30 May 2004 10:06:29 GMT+08:00To: samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Pages from the journal of Tian,
A*STAR’s Biomedical
Research Council Scholar.
32
Finally,
we’re home
!
…Chairman Philip Yeo exclaims when asked
about Biopolis. It has been home to A*STAR
since its official launch on October 29 2003.
A*STAR’s home will be complete when Biopolis’
other half Fusionpolis is built and ready for
SERC research institutes to move in. Now all the
BMRC RIs are in Biopolis together with A* HQ
and BMRC’s and SERC’s command centres.
From:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: Re: my kind of life
Date:30 May 2004 11:01:19 GMT+08:00
To:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Tian… Your father can cook? Penang laksa? That’s not a simple
preparation. I’m impressed. But I’m suspicious about the “Singapore
style”. What’s that? Our fellow Scholars from Malaysia always laugh when
we say “Singapore laksa”. They claim the lemak* laksa is either Johor or
Melaka, not ‘Singapore’.I think I know why Chairman took the trouble to show the kids around
Biopolis. It’s the world’s first integrated, purpose-built biomedical research
hub. Overall, imagine the impact on the kids… Become an A* scientist
and work in a special environment…Kids apart, I’m told that Biopolis has been getting some high-powered
visitors from many countries. Eminent scientists among them, Nobel
laureates included. An American professor told me after he returned from
a visit to Singapore: “Your A*STAR Chairman says: ‘People now know us
for our Science’. He’s right, increasingly so. Singapore will earn its place
among the world’s scientific nations.”That’s branding by word of mouth, Tian, the best kind. Biopolis is the icon
of this happy development. When Fusionpolis is ready, the icon will be
doubly prominent.This reply soon enough for you? Don’t get too demanding… Sam
(*Lemak is a Malay word that describes the creaminess of soup and gravy cooked with
coconut milk.)
33
34
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject:Re: Re: my kind of life
Date:30 May 2004 11:11:33 GMT+08:00
To:
samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Hey, Sam!
Yes, I'm pretty excited about Biopolis. Wonder how it w
ill have
developed/matured by the time I eventually head back. One of my
professors told me about her visit to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s
new Biochemistry building. She was impressed by the well thought out
layout. They sought suggestions and advice from the researchers working
there. Must have been the same for Biopolis, and now for Fusionpolis.
We scientists must continue to communicate our needs.
The other thing that I’m thinking about tonight is the focus of our research
efforts in Singapore. Current economic considerations favour certain
types of research. I hope that in time to come, a more open and diversified
approach may become feasible. Having established niches in certain
fields, a more open and diversified approach will really engage our
generation with our broad research interests. You know what, that kind
of approach is likely to propel Singapore's research thrust into fresh
arenas. It will strengthen synergy across disciplines. Intensify integration.
Your thoughts, Sam? tian
From: samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: Re: Re: Re: my kind of life
Date: 30 May 2004 11:31:59 GMT+08:00
To: tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
35
This is very important.Ultimately, Biomedical researcherswant to see their work developinto clinically applicable products.That process is definitely noteasy. But that’s exactly one ofthe factors that motivate me -to see my research progressfrom the lab to the public.
24/03/04 (23/03 in Boston):
The 8th meeting of the
Biomedical Sciences
International Advisory Council
strongly endorses Singapore's
efforts to further integrate basic
and clinical sciences.
Tian… It sure is a breadth-and-depth kind of night for you. You feeling good?
No temperature? (Joke…)
The buildings will be well taken care of, I’m sure. Remember what Chairman
keeps telling us: The enduring investment is in developing two-legged talent.
Infrastructure can come and go.
Have you seen A*STAR’s calendar of events during the last financial year? It
covers such a broad spectrum. Some of the RIs’ research achievements are
highlighted. A specially notable one is the discovery of the mutation of the
SARS virus. That certainly had/has important implications for the world. :)
Another notable entry is about A*STAR and Spring Singapore’s joint Operation
& Technology Roadmapping to help local companies with guidance and money.
A friend who interned at Intel Research told me that Intel strives really hard to
get new ideas and new technology. That’s a roadmap to follow!
What I also find encouraging is the wide range of activities targeted at children
and young adults. To get them excited about science through hands-on
experiments, aviation, even toys. :)
Bringing Science to the public is definitely not an easy thing to do. When
colleagues and I discuss research ideas, very often we can’t get what each
other means exactly. Sometimes, when too many mathematical equations are
involved, everyone is lost! A* guys seem to have got their Science Communication
right. We must volunteer to help when we’re home.
Having stimulated the kids’ passion for Science, what’s next beyond scholarships,
mentorships and leadership roles? I believe that there is another vital task for
A*: encourage the kids to listen to their heartstrings, to find out what truly
inspires and challenges them, and to spurn the compulsion to go with the tide
too much. That’s a longwinded way of saying I agree with you, Tian. A more
open and diversified approach to scientific research should be our next pinnacle.
Let’s dream about that, Tian, and help make our dream come true… Sam
From: samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: Re: hey, did you get that?
Date: 30 May 2004 12:07:47 GMT+08:00
To:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Tian… Good for you. Don’t forget our date with chilli crab back home…
Sam 37
From:tian_yb@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Subject: hey, did you get that?
Date:30 May 2004 12:00:00 GMT+08:00
To:samantha_ar@scholars.a-star.edu.sg
Yes, Sam!
It’s a beautiful dream. Here’s to our life together in Science (well, you
know what I mean)! :POur Chairman!!! First he tells us over lunch: “Some of you still ask me
‘What is my career?’ That’s a sad question. There’s no career here. We
train you. The rest is up to you. They get shocked when they hear that.”
Then the Chairman says that A* Scholars don’t have to worry about
looking for a job. Their jobs are here waiting for them. But the first two
years they’re on probation. Make it or go. Some of us have no problems
with probation. Instead we feel that our future is locked in by the six-year
bond. His response: “By the time you’ve finished your bond, you’re barely
35 years old. At 35, you’re fully educated, fully trained, you’re highly
marketable!” True, too! :))Chairman says that the obsession with certainty is very dangerous. His
points: You’ve got the brains, you’ve got the talent, the world is at your
feet. Just because you’ve done the PhD doesn’t mean you have to be
a scientist. Some of you may not want to be a scientist. So what? Leakage
is good. The Government is prepared to release talent. When all our
1,000 Scholars have come back by 2010, and if half quit for the private
sector, good! Bad if they quit Singapore and go overseas! If some of our
Scholars become Cabinet ministers 15 years from now, why not? Or
Permanent Secretaries, or bankers, or whatever, why not? “If you’re smart
enough, you’ll know what to do,” the man says. But I want to be a great
scientist! Then, maybe later, start my own leading-edge biotech company.
In partnership with you, maybe…Get it? I don’t feel insecure anymore. Thanks, Sam! tian
What Home means to me:
Home is… where postdocs and other Scholars
return to after their years abroad. As a postdoc
I’ll still be young at 32, 33. We need to venture
overseas, to sample different experiences.
Science is an apprenticeship. I know that when
I work in a lab, I work for a professor. What are
her credentials, or his? Who else are working
in her lab? The postdoc experience is for us to
network. Networking is about a diversity of
people. Chairman says: “Our postdocs should
not go back to the same school. Look for another
lab. They should not go to a lab where everybody
goes. Go where no ordinary man or woman
will go.”
Home is… where scientific talent is valued andpotential recognised. Singapore wants tocompete globally, so a PhD education is anecessity, not a luxury. That’s why A*STAR wantsto educate 1,000 PhDs. It keeps sending thatmessage to the kids and their parents. That’swhy it advertises big in the newspapers,highlighting some of the Scholars and theChairman’s Honours List. “All our Scholars’names are on our website,” Chairman likes tosay. “The beauty of it is that most of our Scholarscome from lower and middle-income families!”
What Home means to me:
38
What Home means to me:Home is… where we welcome talented newcitizens. I’m reassured that A*STAR Scholars whoare non-Singaporeans have been through ourschool system. They’ve grown up here. They gotthe NSS on condition that they becomeSingaporeans. They must have at least appliedfor Permanent Residence before they can starton their BSc studies. Then they must apply forcitizenship before starting on their PhD.”
What Home means to me:
Home is… where we anchorour value system. “Bring ourScholars home frequently.Make sure they continue to feelthat Singapore is their home.Help them develop an enduringsense of social responsibility.”Guess who said that. I agreewholeheartedly.
What Home means to me:
Home is… where a valedictorian speaks
her mind. So happy to hear 2004 A*
Scholar Zhu Yuan say at the Scholarships
Award Ceremony: “I feel very privileged
to have made friends with so many similar
minded people this year … We dance, we
sing, we are IT-savvy and — as our parents
will most likely agree — we don’t stay
home all that much. The New Age scientist
is resourceful, intelligent and lives life to
the fullest.”
39
40
A*STAR's Youth Science Programme has an enduring equation:
Youth + Strong Science Interest & Knowledge = Science Working for
Us. The generators of Strong Science Interest & Knowledge include
the National Science Talent Search and Singapore Science & Engineering
Fair, the Great Science Challenge, Student and Teacher Attachments
at research institutes, National Junior Robotics Competition, Science
in the Mall, Discover Flight and Sci-Fi Movie Festival.
44
A*STAR's Biomedical Research Council is happy to report that
Singapore has had an exciting year building up many domains
of basic biomedical science. BMRC is gearing up to translate
that into improvement of human health. Hence, one of its
priorities is reaching out to the clinical community.
48
SERC
I. Technological Achievements
A new 8-inch wafer full of Micro DNA
Extraction Chips
Data Storage Institute’s 3.5nm Femto
Slider Technology
Winner of 2003 Singapore Innovation Award
A*STAR's Science & Engineering Research Council has been stimulating
and supporting R&D in Singapore industry for close to 15 years. The
fruits of this collaboration include award-winning
research and applications.
Successful, expanding
science-driven businesses
are among the tangibles.
The major intangible is
maturation of Science &
Engineering as both a
passion and a way of life.
49
Nanoelectronics
Polymer & Molecular Electronics & Devices:
Printed Organic Transistors
Ultra-Wide Band:
Intelligent Assisted Environment
for the Elderly, with Networked Sensor
II. Thematic Strategic Research Programme
Integrated Manufacturing
& Service Systems:
Reconfigurable Manufacturing
System
50
Institute of Materials Research & Engineering
(IMRE) signs MOU with Eastgate
III. Industry Collaborations
Scientist clears up spots in an OLED display
IMRE’s OrganicLED developed with Innoled/ Eastgate
Setsco Services working with Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology’s Optical System
for Inspecting Inclusions in Toughened Glass Panels
Microscopic view of nickel sulphide
in toughened glass panelInclusion detected by optical system Checking toughened glass panel in a
commercial building using the portable
device developed by SIMTech
Institute of Microelectronics and
Institute for Infocomm Research work with
Toppan Electronics on an original RFID chip
51
Technology for Enterprise Capability
Upgrading (T-Up) – to enable local
enterprises to access R&D talent
through secondment of research
institute staff
Co-Development – to share resources with
Growing Enterprises
Technical Advisory – to extend the technical
expertise of SERC’s senior research staff
Operation & Technology Roadmapping (OTR) –
to help local companies improve technology
management
Growing Enterprises with Technology Upgrade (GET-Up)
– to boost global competitiveness of local technology-
intensive enterprises
IV. GET-Up
ETPL
Kit for Detection of
malaria parasites’ DNA
in the blood of patient.
"I'm pleased that Veredus is deve
loping
this Malaria PCR-diagnostic kit
commercially and hope that this
kit will be an effective tool in th
e global
fight against Malaria infecti
on."
– Dr Jill M Tham from IMCB*,
one of the key inventors
Helping Local
Biomedical Start-up
in developi
ng new produ
cts
52
"...one of the factors that
motivate me — to see my
research progress from the
lab to the public."
You are doing use-inspired, innovative research. Is it in a
Biomedical or a Physical Sciences/Engineering domain?
No matter. Your discovery or invention needs to go from the lab
out into the market. Out there the transformation takes place.
The product of your mind becomes products that people can
use. A*STAR's Exploit Technologies (ETPL) helps bring
Mind to Market.
Tian
ExploitTechnologies
Veredus Laboratories Pte Ltd
is a privately held medical diagnostics
research company engaged
in the development,
commercialisation and
manufacture of diagnostic
assays for tropical
infectious diseases. It has
licensed the Malaria
Diagnostic Kit through
ETPL.
*Institute
of Mole
cula
r and
Cel
l Bio
log
y
Kit for Detection of
malaria parasites’ DNA
in the blood of patient.
“I am extremely pleased to see ourteam’s years of hardwork, perspiration andinspiration yielding commercial dividends
through Exploit’s licensing efforts. I look forwardto future partnerships with Exploit in protectingand commercialising our new inventions.”
– Dr Gan Leong Ming
Team:
Dr Gan Leong Ming, Mr Han Ming, Dr Liu Zhaolin,
Molecular & Performance Material Cluster,
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering
GasHub Power Pte Ltdis the pioneering fuelcell company in Singapore.It licensed IMRE’s fuel cellmembrane technologythrough ETPL to developcustomised fuel cellsfor global commercial andindustrial product integration.
53
ETPLHelping
local companies
pioneer new product
s
54
The A*STAR Graduate Academy (A*GA) and its Scholars flash past
one milestone after another! July 21 2004 sees three momentous
milestones: the first A*STAR Scholarships Ceremony held at Biopolis,
the first batch of A*STAR Imperial PhD Scholars receiving their
awards, the launch of an online Singapore Researchers Database.
The Scholars venture beyond lecture halls and laboratories to the
outdoors and extracurricular adventure.
High achievements deserve real recognition.
A*STAR's Managing Director's Office and
its Corporate Planning & Administration
Division make sure that we acknowledge
and salute those in Singapore who
live and work on the cutting edge
of Science.
58
61
Connect the nine dots
with four straight lines
without taking pen or
pencil off the paper.
(Front row, 4th from left)
Team Captain
Mr Philip YeoChairman, A*STAR
Chairman, SERC
(Front row, 3rd from left)
Prof Tan Chorh ChuanDeputy Chairman, A*STAR
Deputy Chairman, BMRC
Deputy President and Provost,
National University of Singapore
(Front row, 5th from left)
Dr Sydney BrennerChairman, BMRC
Distinguished Professor,
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
(Front row, 2nd from left)
Mr Boon Swan FooManaging Director, A*STAR
Second Deputy Chairman, SERC
Executive Chairman, Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd
(Front row, extreme right)
Dr Frank DouglasExecutive Vice President for Drug Innovation & Approval,
Aventis Pharma AG
(Front row, extreme left)
Lord Ronald OxburghDeputy Chairman, SERC
Chairman, House of Lords Select Committee on Science
and Technology
Non-executive Chairman, “Shell” Transport and
Trading Company
(2nd row, from left)
Dr Jeffrey M. LeidenPresident and Chief Operating Officer,
Pharmaceutical Products Group, Abbott Laboratories
Mr Sukeichi MikiChief Technology Officer and Senior Managing Director,
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
Dr Tadataka YamadaChairman, Research & Development, GlaxoSmithKline
Prof Dennis RobersonVice Provost (New Initiatives) and Director, Institute of
Business and Interprofessional Studies, Illinois Institute
of Technology
Prof Hiroyuki YoshikawaPresident, National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science & Technology, Japan
Mr Katsuaki TsurushimaCorporate Senior Executive Vice President and
Chief Technology Officer, Sony Corporation
Dr Thomas ConnellySenior Vice President and Chief Science & Technology
Officer, DuPont
(3rd row, from left)
Prof Shih Choon FongPresident, National University of Singapore
Prof Su GuaningPresident, Nanyang Technological University
Mr Peter HoPermanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence
Mr Ko Kheng HwaManaging Director, Economic Development Board
Mr Chan Yeng KitDeputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Education
Mr Ravi MenonDeputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Finance
63
1 Sir Richard SykesChairman, BMS IACRector, Imperial College London (UK)
2 Dr Sydney BrennerCo-Chairman, BMS IACBoard Member, A*StarChairman, BMRCDistinguished Professor,The Salk Institute for Biological Studies (USA)
3 Dr David BaltimorePresident, California Institute of Technology(USA)
4 Dr Samuel BarondesDirector, Center for Neurobiology and Psychiatry,University of California, San Francisco (USA)
5 Dr John BellRegius, Chair of Medicine , University of Oxford(UK)
6 Dr Alan BernsteinPresident, Canadian Institutes of HealthResearch (Canada)
7 Dr Stanley N. CohenKwoh-Ting Li Professor of Genetics andProfessor of Medicine, Stanford University(USA)
8 Dr Suzanne CoryDirector, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute ofMedical Research (Australia)
9 Dr Leland HartwellPresident & Director, Fred Hutchinson CancerResearch Center (USA)
10 Dr David I. Hirsh Johnson(Emeritus Member)Professor of Biochemistry and MolecularBiophysics, Columbia University (USA)
11 Dr Philippe KourilskyDirector, Institut Pasteur (France)
12 Dr Richard LernerPresident, The Scripps Research Institute (USA)
13 Dr Susan LindquistDirector, Whitehead Institute for BiomedicalResearch (USA)
Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council(BMS IAC)
14 Dr Paul A. MarksPresident Emeritus, Memorial Sloan-KetteringCancer Center (USA)
15 Dr John MendelsohnPresident, The University of Texas M.D.Anderson Cancer Center (USA)
16 Dr Alan Munro(Emeritus Member)Former Master of Christ's College,University of Cambridge (UK)
17 Sir Keith PetersRegius Professor of Physic,School of Clinical Medicine,University of Cambridge (UK)
18 Sir George RaddaEmeritus Professor of Molecular Cardiology,University Laboratory of Physiology CardiacScience Centre, University of Oxford (UK)
19 Dr John ShineExecutive Director, Garvan Institute of MedicalResearch (Australia)
20Dr Axel UllrichDirector, Molecular Biology, Max-Planck-Institutefor Biochemistry (Germany)
21 Dr Hans WigzellDirector, Centre for Medical Innovations,Karolinska Institute (Sweden)
(Joining the Biomedical Sciences InternationalAdvisory Council on 1 Sept 2004)
22 Dr Harriet Wallberg-HenrikssonPresident, Karolinska Institute (Sweden)
23 Dr Peter GrussPresident, Max Planck Society (Germany)
24 Dr John ReedPresident & CEO, The Burnham Institute (USA)
64
12
3 6
8
7
5
4
Standing behind the members of the A*GA
International Advisory Panel are
some members of A*STAR’s Senior Management
and (at extreme right) Prof Barry Halliwell
of the NUS Graduate School.
1 Sir Keith Peters
Chairman
President of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Regius Professor of Physic, and Head of the School of Clinical Medicine,
University of Cambridge (UK)
A*STAR Graduate Academy (A*GA)International Advisory Panel
2 Prof Alice S. HuangDeputy Chairman
Senior Councilor for External Relations, and Faculty Associate in Biology,
California Institute of Technology (USA)
3 Prof Judith L. SwainArthur L. Bloomfield Professor,
Chair, Department of Medicine,
Stanford University (USA)
4 Prof William McGinnis
Department of Biology,
University of California, San Diego (USA)
7 Prof Charles F. Zukoski
Lycan Professor and Vice Chancellor,
Chemical Engineering,
University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign (USA)
6 Prof Colin R
ussell Hopkin
s
Department of Biological Studies,
Imperial College, London (UK)
5 Prof Chris J. LeaverSibthorpian Professor of Plant Sciences and
Head of Department,
University of Oxford (UK)
8 Prof Roberto PecceiProfessor of Biology, Vice Chancellor for Research,
University of California, Los Angeles (USA)
65
A*STAR Senior Management
66Hitch your wagon to a star
Dr Sydney BrennerChairman, BMRC
Distinguished Professor,
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Mr Boon Swan FooManaging Director, A*STAR
Second Deputy Chairman, SERC
Executive Chairman,
Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd Assoc Prof Kong Hwai LoongExecutive Director,
Biomedical Research Council
Deputy Managing Director,
Integrative Sciences
Prof Tan Chorh ChuanDeputy Chairman, A*STAR
Deputy Chairman, BMRC
Deputy President and Provost,
National University of Singapore
Mr Teoh Yong SeaDeputy Managing Director, A*STAR
Corporate Planning and Administration Division
Prof Lam Khin YongExecutive Director,
A*STAR Graduate Academy
Mr Philip YeoChairman, A*STAR
Chairman, SERC
Prof Chong Tow ChongExecutive Director,
Science & Engineering Research Council
67
Research Institute Directors
Prof Chua Soo Jin Prof Hong Wan Jin
Prof Miranda YapProf Lawrence Wong
DrTan Khen Sang
Assoc ProfLim Khiang Wee Prof Edison Liu
Assoc Prof Lee HeowPueh
Prof ChongTow Chong
Prof Jackie Ying
Dr Keith Carpenter
Dr Keith CarpenterExecutive Director,
Institute of Chemical and Engineering
Sciences
Prof Chong Tow ChongExecutive Director,
Data Storage Institute
Prof Chua Soo JinDeputy Executive Director,
Institute of Materials Research and
Engineering
Prof Hong Wan JinDeputy Director,
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
Assoc Prof Lee HeowPuehActing Executive Director,
Institute of High Performance Computing
Assoc Prof Lim Khiang WeeExecutive Director,
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing
Technology
Prof Edison LiuExecutive Director,
Genome Institute of Singapore
Dr Santosh K.MishraExecutive Director,
Bioinformatics Institute
Dr Tan Khen SangExecutive Director,
Institute of Microelectronics
Prof Lawrence WongExecutive Director,
Institute for Infocomm Research
Prof Miranda YapExecutive Director,
Bioprocessing Technology Institute
Prof Jackie YingExecutive Director,
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
Memories2003-04
68
April 08: Gaze into “The Mind’s Eye” and
see how the brain perceives. Stroll down
the “Corridor of Science News” and get
informed as well as challenged. These
new permanent exhibitions at the
Singapore Science Centre are opened by
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of State
(National Development).
May 09: The world hears from Singapore
scientists that the SARS virus has mutated
within three months. The scientists are
from A*STAR’s Genome Institute of
Singapore, Singapore General Hospital and
National University of Singapore.
May 29: Local enterprises get directions
to growth via technology. There is also
money to help them on their way. A*STAR
and Spring Singapore jointly offer
Operation and Technology Roadmapping
to individual companies.
April
May
June
July 2003 June 28: Dr Susanto Rahardja and
Mr Yu Rongshan are from A*STAR’s
Institute for Infocomm Research.
They win the Tan Kah Kee Young
Inventors’ Gold Award. This is only
the fourth Gold medal given out in
17 years and the first one in six
years.
July 14: A*STAR awards more
than 100 National Science
Scholarships and A*STAR Graduate
Scholarships. Additionally, five
young medical doctors receive
Biomedical Research Fellowships.
These five are the pioneer batch.
The Guest-of-Honour:
Dr Ng Eng Hen, Acting Minister
for Manpower and Minister of State
(Education).
July 17: Roche Diagnostics starts
distribution of a fast and accurate
SARS test. It uses primers developed
by the Genome Institute of
Singapore. The primers are based
on unmutated parts of the SARS
genetic code.
August 14: Unveiling 36 toys that
demonstrate scientific principles and
embody originality and innovation. All
made by primary schoolchildren for the
Sony Creative Science Award. A
hundred schools sent in over 1,300
entries. Dr Ng Eng Hen, Acting Minister
for Manpower and Minister of State
(Education) gives away the prizes.
August 23: Ernest Chong Kai Fong of
Raffles Junior College wins the
prestigious top prize in the National
Science Talent Search. The prize comes
with a National Science Scholarship up
to PhD level and S$10,000 study grant.
Mak Mun Thye of Victoria JC wins the
Merit Award. Lam Yan Choi of RJC
and Yi Li of Hwa Chong JC win
Commendation Awards.
Mr Chan Soo Sen, Minister of
State (Education and Community
Development & Sports) presents
the awards.
69
August 02: The Singapore Science &
Engineering Fair opens with 148 projects
from 24 secondary schools and pre-
university institutions. Previous year’s
entries: 112. The Fair is held in conjunction
with the National Science Talent Search.
July 31: A*STAR’s Biomedical Research
Council launches its BMRC Symposia
Series. The objective: creation of focused
research communities. The first
Symposium: “Genomics, Microarrays &
Population Genetics”.
Aug 2003
September 6 - 11: Some 3,500
students in 740 teams venture into
the “Bermuda Triangle” in the
National Junior Robotics Competition.
It comprises two missions with a
maritime theme. This annual event
is the largest robotics contest in
the world.
September 18 - 21: Fort Canning
Green is the venue of the Singapore
Sci-Fi Movies Festival: MinorityReport, Terminator 1 and 2,
The Iron Giant, X-Men 2,
Jimmy Neutron. Sideshows include
exploding hydrogen bubbles and
water-propelled rocket.
September 2 & 3: This is the 100th
year of powered flight. A*STAR and ST
Aerospace bring aviation science to 210
secondary 3 students at a Discover
Flight Workshop. Held at the Air Force
School in Paya Lebar. Discoveries
include a Youth Flying Club presentation
and Air Force Museum visit.
September 5: Genelabs Diagnostics
and A*STAR’S Institute of Molecular
and Cell Biology present their user-
friendly antibody-based tests for SARS:
a 15-minute quick test and an enzyme-
linked immunosorbent assay test.
September 5 - 30: science.03continues the tradition of an exciting
and informative month of science for
students, professionals and the general
public. It offers 107 activities. Launched
by Mr Chan Soo Sen, Minister of State
(Education and Community Development
& Sports) at Suntec City. Highlights
include X-periment!, a three-day
science carnival.
Sep 2003
70
October 27: BMRC and the US-
based Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation International sign an
agreement to jointly establish a
S$5.2 million (US$3 million) funding
programme to support stem cell
research in Singapore.
October 28: US-based Johns Hopkins
Medicine (JHM) and A*STAR
announce the establishment of the
Johns Hopkins Medicine Division of
Biomedical Science in Singapore. This
is the first JHM division outside Johns
Hopkins’ home base in Baltimore,
Maryland. It will have 12 full-time
faculty members to lead research
and training.
September 25: 13 passionate research
scientists and engineers receive national
recognition for their outstanding
contributions to the development of
science and technology in Singapore.
Guest-of-honour at the National Science
and Technology Awards dinner is
RDM (NS) Teo Chee Hean, Minister
for Defence.
October 15: Japanese-owned Toppan
Electronics Co (Singapore) Pte Ltd works
with A*STAR’s Institute of
Microelectronics and Institute for
Infocomm Research to develop an original
RFID chip andperipheraldevices. It is
called Tesstar, an excellent example
of how global companies can come to
Singapore to develop products
and solutions.
October 27: President S R Nathan
presents to Dr Sydney Brenner the
Honorary Citizenship Medallion,
Singapore’s newly inaugurated highest
award for foreigners. Dr Brenner is a
Nobel laureate and Singapore’s Scientific
Guru.
Oct 2003
71
72
October 29: Deputy Prime Minister Tony
Tan launches Biopolis, the world’s first
integrated, purpose-built biomedical
research hub. Dr Tan is also the
Coordinating Minister for Security and
Defence, and Chairman of Singapore’s
Life Sciences Ministerial Committee.
Biopolis is home to A*STAR headquarters,
BMRC’s five research institutes and the
Economic Development Board’s Biomedical
Sciences Group. Together they form a
specialised biomedical community with
private-sector research laboratories.
October 31: The 7th
meeting of the
Biomedical Sciences International Advisory
Council endorses BMRC’s initiative in
establishing the Centre for Molecular
Medicine. The Centre will stimulate and
strengthen translational research.
October 28 - 30: “Stem Cells: From
Bench to Bedside” is the theme of
Singapore’s inaugural International
Stem Cell Conference organised by
BMRC. More than 500 scientists
and clinicians come from all over
the world.
73
November 01: The National Grid Pilot
Platform is phase 1 of a Singapore
cyber-infrastructure to link up computing
resources. Launched by BG (NS)
George Yeo, Minister for Trade and
Industry. A*STAR is one of the
Platform partners.
November 11: GasHub Power Pte Ltd
signs a Research Collaboration
Agreement with A*STAR’s Institute of
Materials Research and Engineering.
They will develop prototype fuel cells.
GasHub is a leading local gas
engineering and gas piping company.
November 20: Sun Microsystems
announces the establishment of the
Sun-GIS Centre of Excellence in
Digital Biology. The Genome Institute
of Singapore joins Sun’s community
of research institutions doing
groundbreaking research in
computational biology.
November 28: The Biomedical
Research Council Symposium on Liver
Research is the second in BMRC’s
series for medical specialists and
laboratory scientists. The meeting
reviews cutting-edge work by a large
number of liver research groups in
Singapore.
Nov 2003
December 29: Nature Structural &Molecular Biology online reports that
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
scientists have gained a fundamental
insight: how proteins are transported
within cells. This is a process essential
for many cellular functions. IMCB’s paper
is in the journal’s January 2004 edition.
January 05: BMRC and the US-based
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
International jointly invite applications for
grants in stem cell research. Public and
private sector research organisations
are eligible.
January 08: More than
200 students from nine
tertiary institutions and
four secondary schools
display their programming
skills in Wireless Java Jam
2004. Ten out of 97
applications win top prizes,
like for Best Creative Idea
and Best Commercial
Value.
December 02: A*STAR Graduate
Academy holds its first Scholars'
Symposium to showcase a sample of its
Scholars' research work. Presentations
cover topics ranging from the Biomedical
Sciences to the Physical Sciences/
Engineering.
December 15: …And the top prize at the
prestigious British House of Commons
2003 Reception for Younger Engineers
goes to Cleo Choong Swee Neo! She is
an A*STAR Overseas PhD Graduate
Scholar at Oxford, researching bone tissue
engineering.
Dec 2003
Jan 2004
74
February 19 & 20: A*STAR fields
all 12 research institutes, Exploit
Technologies and A*STAR Graduate
Academy at the NUS Career Fair.
The theme of A*STAR’s booth: “Align
Yourself with a Stellar Network”.
Unique among the 56 participating
organisations were A*STAR’s “Meet
Our Scientist” sessions.
February 24 - 29: Four A*STAR
research institutes put up exhibits in
the Research Innovation
section of the
Singapore Pavilion at
Asian Aerospace 2004.
They are the Institute for
Infocomm Research,
Institute of High
Performance Computing,
Institute of Materials
Research and Engineering,
and Singapore Institute of
Manufacturing Technology.
February 19: BMRC and the Economic
Development Board’s Biomedical Sciences
Group hold a joint media briefing.
They report that Singapore’s Biomedical
Sciences initiatives are on track to
meet targets.
February 18: Coming up in the March
2004 edition of Nature Structural &Molecular Biology: the Institute of
Molecular and Cell Biology’s paper
on successful mapping of the atomic
structure of a protein. This protein is
crucial to a cell’s ability to read signals
correctly and weed out aberrant
genetic instructions.
Feb 2004
75
march 2004March 05: The zebrafish has a starring
role in the Biomedical Research Council
Symposium on “From Developmental
Biology to Human Diseases”.
Presentations include a review of
developmental biology work on the
tiny fish.
March 10:
The Singapore Institute of
Manufacturing Technology and three
publicly-listed industry partners launch
a Consortium to upgrade technology
capabilities for the automotive industry.
Primary objective: boost local
enterprises’ ability to produce high-
value vehicle components. The industry
partners are AEI Corporation Ltd, Metal
Component Engineering Ltd and
Seksun Corporation Ltd.
March 10: The Great ScienceChallenge is a combination of TheAmazing Race and Singapore’sBrainiest Kid in format. The seven-
part weekly Challenge is a televised
science quiz on Channel 5. Weekly,
three secondary 3 students from each
of four schools exercise their scientific
knowledge and skills in outdoor and
indoor segments.
March 12 - 14: Simple hands-on
science experiments and other
activities go out to the public at Bishan
Junction 8 Atrium. A*STAR’s Sciencein the Mall is an extension of
X-periment! the science carnival.
It will reach out two to three times
a year.
76
March 17 - 19: FIRST Robotics in the
US is “the Super Bowl of Engineering”.
FIRST Robotics Singapore, like its
originator, is For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology.
Five companies and nine institutions
volunteer their time and resources to
inspire student-engineers about
mathematics, science and technology.
Their inaugural competition attracts 27
teams from 26 educational institutions.
Professional engineers and scientists
mentor students in the teams.
March 23 (22/03 in Boston, USA): The
Singapore Biomedical Sciences Seminar
in Boston showcases Singapore’s
capabilities in drug discovery and
development, clinical trials and
biopharmaceutical manufacturing. It
provides a platform for exploring
partnership possibilities in Singapore
for American biomedical companies
and venture capitalists.
77
March 23 (22/03 in Boston): The A*STAR
Graduate Academy International Advisory
Panel holds its inaugural meeting in
Boston. Yet another highpoint of the day:
the launch of the A*STAR-Imperial
Partnership PhD Programme. The AIP is
a partnership with Imperial College
London. Under the AIP, students doing
research in an A*STAR institute in
Singapore can earn an Imperial College
London PhD. They may then go to Imperial
for a research attachment.
March 24 (23/03 in Boston): The 8th
meeting of the Biomedical Sciences
International Advisory Council strongly
endorses Singapore’s efforts to further
integrate basic and clinical sciences.
Ng Tian-TsongNational Science Scholarship
(Overseas PhD)
Electrical Engineering
(Image and Signal
Processing)
Columbia University,
USA
Lim XinhongNational Science Scholarship
(BS-PhD)
Molecular and Cell Biology
University of Wisconsin-
Madison, USA
Lin ShaoweiNational Science Scholarship
(BS-PhD)
Mathematics
Stanford University, USA
Ng Kee WoeiA*STAR Graduate Scholarship
(NUS PhD)
PhD (Tissue Engineering)
National University of Singapore
Vivian Poon Yi NuoNational Science Scholarship
(BS-PhD)
Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin-Madison,
USA
Quek Su YingNational Science Scholarship
(Overseas PhD)
Applied Mathematics
Harvard University, USA
YOU have gotten to know Sam and Tian, the composite stars of thisA*STAR Yearbook.
Now meet the real-life A*STAR Scholars who helped us breathe lifeinto Sam and Tian. These imaginative Seven shared their visions,their hopes, their likes and dislikes, their experiences and theirversion of street cred. The last is also an essential. Because a scholarneeds to be scholarship wise like we all need to be street wise.
Thank you...
Anwesha DeyNational Science Scholarship
(Overseas PhD)
PhD (Biochemistry)
Howard Hughes Medical
Institute, University of Maryland,
USA
It has been re
al fun
working with y
ou guys!
78
Thanks, Scholars!
ContentsContents
Auditors’ Report Pg 80
Income and Expenditure Statements Pg 81
Balance Sheets Pg 82
Statements ofChanges in Equity Pg 83
Cash Flow Statements Pg 84
Notes to theFinancial Statements Pg 85
80
We have audited the financial statements of Agency for Science, Technology and Research (“the Agency”) for the financial year ended 31 March 2004 set out on pages 81 to 100. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Agency’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with Singapore Standards on Auditing. Those Standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by the management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion,
(a) the accompanying financial statements of the Agency are properly drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research Act (“the Act”) and Singapore Financial Reporting Standards so as to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Agency as at 31 March 2004, the results and changes in the reserves and the cash flows of the Agency for the financial year then ended; and
(b) the accounting and other records have been properly kept, including records of assets of the Agency whether purchased, donated or otherwise, in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
During the course of our audit, nothing came to our notice that caused us to believe that the receipt, expenditure and investment of monies and the acquisition and disposal of assets by the Agency during the year have not been made in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
PricewaterhouseCoopersCertified Public AccountantsSingapore
Auditors’ReportOn the financial statements of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research
81
Income and Expenditure StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
Note 20042004 2003 $$ $
RevenueRevenue
Licensing income 3 275,0275,0922 -
Other income 3 3,3,1988 12,339
278,290278,290 12,339
Less:Less:
Depreciation 702,449702,449 496,239
Other operating expenses 7,726,9777,726,977 6,37 1,485
Staff costs 4 11,538,48711,538,487 13,546,0 14
Total operating expensesTotal operating expenses 19,967,91319,967,913 20,4 13,738
Deficit from operationsDeficit from operations 5 (19,689,623(19,689,623) (20,401,399)
Finance income – net 6 52,10652,106 31,494
Deficit before grantDeficit before grant (19,637,517)(19,637,517) (20,369,905)
Operating grants 7 18,648,32018,648,320 2 1,677,060
Development grants 8 5,27 11 225,958
Deferred capital grants amortised 9 899,500899,500 552,391
Government grants incomeGovernment grants income 19,553,019,553,0911 22,455,409
(Deficit)/surplus for the financial year(Deficit)/surplus for the financial year (84,426)(84,426) 2,085,504
PHILIP YEO BOON SWAN FOO
Chairman Managing Director
The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements. Auditors’ Report – Page 80
82
Note 20042004 2003 $$ $
ASSETSASSETSCurrent assetsCurrent assetsCash and cash equivalents 10 15,015,02 1 ,390,390 15,025,356Other current assets 11 372,727372,727 90 1,320
15,315,394,94,1 11 1 77 15,926,676
Non-current assetsNon-current assetsFixed assets 12 5,608,3255,608,325 1, 1 77, 145
Total assetsTotal assets 2 1 ,002,442,002,442 1 7,103,821
LIABILITIESLIABILITIESCurrent liabilitiesCurrent liabilitiesCurrent payables 13 6,6,7 10,7050,705 6,3 15,137Grants received in advance 8 689,565689,565 2,194,836Finance lease liabilities 14 4 1 ,938,938 28,253Singapore Inc Scholarship provision 15 469,354469,354 370,887
7,9 1 1,562,562 8,909,1 13
Non-current liabilitiesNon-current liabilitiesFinance lease liabilities 14 -- 47,501Singapore Inc Scholarship provision 15 1 ,2 1 1 ,1 7 11 614,252
1 ,2 1 1 ,1 7 11 661 ,753
Total liabilitiesTotal liabilities 9, 122,73322,733 9,570,866
NET ASSETSNET ASSETS 1 1 ,879,709,879,709 7,532,955
RESERVESRESERVESCapital account 16 34,82934,829 34,829Accumulated surplus 6,236,5556,236,555 6,320,981
TOTAL RESERVESTOTAL RESERVES 6, 27 1 ,384,384 6,355,810
Deferred capital grant 9 5,608,3255,608,325 1 , 1 77 ,145
1 1 ,879,709,879,709 7,532,955
Research and DevelopmentResearch and Development Fund Account Fund Account 17 344,237,975344,237,975 313,606,430
PHILIP YEO BOON SWAN FOOChairman Managing Director
Balance SheetsAs at 31 March 2004
The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements. Auditors’ Report – Page 80
83
Capital Accumulated account surplus Total $ $ $
Balance at 1 April 2003Balance at 1 April 2003 34,829 6,320,981 6,355,810
Recognised deficit for
the financial year - (84,426) (84,426)
Balance at 31 March 2004Balance at 31 March 2004 34,829 6,236,555 6,271,384
Balance at 1 April 2002Balance at 1 April 2002 34,829 4,235,477 4,270,306
Recognised surplus for
the financial year - 2,085,504 2,085,504
Balance at 31 March 2003Balance at 31 March 2003 34,829 6,320,981 6,355,810
Statements of Changes in EquityFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements. Auditors’ Report – Page 80
84
Note 20042004 2003 $$ $
Cash flows from operating activitiesCash flows from operating activities (Deficit)/surplus for the year (84,426)(84,426) 2,085,504
Adjustments for: Depreciation 702,449702,449 496,239 Development grants amortised (5(5,27 1 )) (225,958) Deferred capital grants amortised (899,500)(899,500) (552,391) Loss on disposal of fixed assets 173,529173,529 2,779 Interest income (54,644)(54,644) (39,075) Interest expense 2,5382,538 7,581
Operating cash flow before working capital changes (165,325)(165,325) 1,774,679
Other current assets 528,593528,593 1,180,381Current payables 395,568395,568 246,625Singapore Inc Scholarship provision 69695,3865,386 58, 1 1 7
Cash generated from operating Cash generated from operating activitiesactivities 1,454,2221,454,222 3,259,802
Interest received 54,64454,644 39,559Interest paid (2,(2,538)538) (7,58 1)
Net cash from operating activities 1,501,506,36,32828 3,291,780
Cash flows from investing acCash flows from investing activitiestivitiesPayments for the purchase of fixed assets (5,330,680)(5,330,680) (427,446)Proceeds from disposal of fixed assets 2323,522,522 53,373
Net cash used in investing activitiesNet cash used in investing activities (5,30(5,307,157,158)8) (374,073)
Cash flows from financing acCash flows from financing activitiestivitiesFinance lease liabilities (33,(33,8 16)6) 75,754Deferred capital grants received 3,330,6803,330,680 388,240Grants received in advance 500500,000,000 2,460,000
Net cash from financing activitiesNet cash from financing activities 3,73,796,8646,864 2,923,994
Net (decrease)/increase in cash aNet (decrease)/increase in cash andnd cash equivalents cash equivalents (3,966)(3,966) 5,84 1,701Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the financial year 1515,025,356,025,356 9,183,655
Cash and cash equivalents at thCash and cash equivalents at the ende end of the financial year of the financial year 10 15,015,02 1,3901,390 15,025,356
Cash Flow StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements. Auditors’ Report – Page 80
85
1. Corporation information1. Corporation information
The National Science & Technology Board was established on 11 January 1991
under the provisions of the National Science & Technology Board Act, 1990.
With effect from 1 January 2002, the National Science & Technology Board Act
was renamed to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research Act.
The Agency manages the Research and Development Fund received from the
government with a mission of fostering world-class scientific research and talent
so as to create a vibrant knowledge-based economy. Two Research Councils
– Biomedical Research Council and Science & Engineering Research Council
were established to support, promote and advance research.
To compete globally and to advance Singapore’s economic transformation, three
key focus areas have been identified. They are: to strategise public research to
integrate with industry clusters; train human capital for research and industry,
and create, own and exploit intellectual capital. These are essential in the pursuit
of knowledge for the prosperity of Singapore.
The office is located at: 20 Biopolis Way, #07-01 Centros, Singapore 138668.
2. Summary of significant accounting policies2. Summary of significant accounting policies
(a) Effect of changes in Singapore Companies Legislation
Pursuant to Finance Circular Minute No. M44/2003 on Accounting Standards
for Statutory Boards, with effect from financial year commencing on or after
1 April 2003, Statutory Boards are required to prepare and present their
statutory accounts in accordance with Singapore Financial Reporting Standards
(“FRS”). Hence, these financial statements, including the comparative figures,
have been prepared in accordance with FRS.
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
86
2. Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)2. Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)
(a) Effect of changes in Singapore Companies Legislation (continued)
Previously, the Agency prepared statutory accounts in accordance with Singapore
Statements of Accounting Standard. The adoption of FRS does not have
material impact on the accounting policies and figures presented in the statutory
accounts for financial year ended 31 March 2003.
(b) Basis of preparation
These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost
convention. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with Singapore
Financial Reporting Standards requires the use of estimates and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the
reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the financial year. Although
these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current event
and actions, actual results may ultimately differ from those estimates.
(c) Revenue recognition
Licensing income and interest income are recognised on accrual basis.
(d) Government grants
Government grants for the establishment of the Agency or for the purchase of
non-depreciable assets are taken to the Capital Account.
Government grants for the purchase of depreciable assets are taken to the
Deferred Capital Grants account. Deferred capital grants are recognised in
the Income and Expenditure Statement over the periods necessary to match
the depreciation of the assets financed with the related grants. On disposal of
the fixed assets, the balance of the related grants is recognised in the Income
and Expenditure Statement to match the net book value of the fixed assets
disposed.
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
87
Government grants for development projects are taken to the development
grant account initially. They are taken to the deferred capital grants account
upon utilisation of grants if the assets are capitalised or to the Income and
Expenditure Statement if the assets are written off in the year of purchase.
Government grants to meet the Agency’s current year’s operating expenses are
recognised as income in the current year.
(e) Trust and Agency Funds
Trust and agency funds are set up to account for monies held in trust for the
Government. Income and expenditure of these funds are taken direct to the
funds and the net assets relating to these funds are shown as a separate line
item in the Balance Sheet.
Trust and agency funds are accounted for on an accrual basis. Grants utilised
are taken up upon receipt of grant requests from grantees which have been
approved.
(f) Fixed assets
Fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. The cost of an
asset comprises its purchase price and any directly attributable costs of bringing
the asset to working condition for its intended use. Expenditure for additions,
improvements and renewals are capitalised and expenditure for maintenance
and repairs are charged to the Income and Expenditure Statement. When assets
are sold or retired, their cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from
the financial statements and any gain or loss resulting from their disposal is
included in the Income and Expenditure Statement.
88
2. Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)2. Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)
(f) Fixed assets (continued)
Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis to write off the cost of
fixed assets over their expected useful lives. The estimated useful lives are
as follows:
Furniture, fixtures and equipment 5 - 10 years
Computer equipment 3 years
Motor vehicles 10 years
Where an indication of impairment exists, the carrying amount of the assets is
assessed and written down immediately to its recoverable amount.
(g) Leases
Leases of fixed assets where the Agency has assumed substantially all the
risks and rewards of ownership are classified as finance leases. Finance leases
are capitalised at the inception of the lease at the lower of the fair value of
the leased property or the present value of the minimum lease payments. Each
lease payment is allocated between the liability and finance charges so as to
achieve a constant rate on the finance balance outstanding. The corresponding
rental obligations, net of finance charges, are included in other long-term
payables. The interest element of the finance cost is charged to the Income and
Expenditure Statement over the lease period. The fixed assets acquired under
finance leases are depreciated over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or
the lease term.
Leases where a significant portion of the risks and rewards of ownership are
retained by the lessor are classified as operating leases. Payments made under
operating leases are charged to the Income and Expenditure Statement on a
straight-line basis over the period of the lease.
When an operating lease is terminated before the lease period has expired, any
payment required to be made to the lessor by way of penalty is recognised as an
expense in the period in which termination takes place.
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
89
(h) Provisions
Provisions are recognised when the Agency has a present legal or constructive
obligation as a result of past events, it is probable that an outflow of resources
will be required to settle the obligation, and a reliable estimate of the amount can
be made.
(i) Employee benefits
Employee leave entitlement
Employee entitlements to annual leave are recognised when they accrue to
employees. A provision is made for the estimated liability for annual leave as a
result of services rendered by employees up to the balance sheet date.
3. Revenue3. Revenue 20042004 2003
$$ $
Licensing income 275,092275,092 -
Other income 3,3,19898 12,339
278,290278,290 1 2,339
Interest income (note 6) 54,64454,644 39,075
332,934332,934 5 1,4 14
90
4. Staff costs4. Staff costs
20042004 2003
$$ $
Wages and salaries 9,883,4899,883,489 1 2,204, 1 14
Employer’s contribution to Central
Provident Fund 1,334,3941,334,394 1,076,484
Other staff costs 320,604320,604 265,4 16
1 1,538,4871,538,487 13,546,0 14
20042004 2003
Number of employees at the end of
the financial year 132132 137
Included in 2004 staff costs is a write back of past years’ provisions amounting
to $1,920,000.
5. Deficit from operations5. Deficit from operations
The following items have been included in arriving at deficit from operations:
20042004 2003 $$ $
Charging: Depreciation (note 12)
- Furniture, fixture and equipment 363,369363,369 1 19,842
- Computer equipment 279,096279,096 315,587
- Motor vehicles 59,98459,984 60,8 10
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 173,529173,529 2,779
Rental expense – operating lease 2,379,2962,379,296 1,872,387
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
91
6. Finance income - net6. Finance income - net 20042004 2003 $$ $
Interest income
- Fixed deposits 54,64454,644 39,075
Interest expense
- Finance lease (2,538)(2,538) (7,58 1)
5252, 10606 3 1,494
7. Operating grants7. Operating grants 20042004 2003 $$ $
Operating grants received
during the year 2 1,979,0001,979,000 22,065,300
Transfer to deferred capital grants
(note 9) (3,330,680)(3,330,680) (388,240)
18,648,32018,648,320 21,677,060
Total operating grants received
and utilised since establishment 69,920,750 47,94 1,750
The Agency’s operating grants are received directly from the Government
with effect from financial year ended 31 March 2002. Prior to 1 April 2001, the
Agency’s operating grant was funded from the Research and Development
Grant.
92
8. Grants received in advance8. Grants received in advance 20042004 2003 $$ $
Development grant (note 8(a)) 689,565689,565 694,836
Infrastructure grant (note 8(b)) -- 1,500,000
689,565689,565 2,194,836
(a) Development grant 20042004 2003 $$ $
Balance at 1 April 694,836694,836 -
Grant received during the year -- 960,000
Transfer to deferred capital grants
(note 9) -- (39,206)
Transfer to income and expenditure
statement (5,2(5,27 1)1) (225,958)
Balance at 31 March 689,565689,565 694,836
Total development grants received
and utilised since establishment 270,435270,435 265, 164
(b) Infrastructure grant 20042004 2003 $$ $
Balance at 1 April 1,500,0001,500,000 -
Grant received during the year 500,000500,000 1,500,000
Transfer to deferred capital grants
(note 9) (2,000,000)(2,000,000) -
Balance at 31 March -- 1,500,000
Total infrastructure grants received and
utilised since establishment 2,000,0002,000,000 -
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
93
9. Deferred capital grants9. Deferred capital grants 20042004 2003 $$ $
Balance at 1 April 1, 177, 1455 1,302,090
Transfer from development grant
(note 8(a)) -- 39,206
Transfer from infrastructure grant
(note 8(b)) 2,000,0002,000,000 -
Transfer from operating grant (note 7) 3,330,6803,330,680 388,240
Transfer to income and expenditure
statement (899,500)(899,500) (552,391)
Balance at 31 March 5,608,325 5,608,325 1,177, 145
This does not include grants given for the establishment of the Agency which
are taken to the capital account.
10. Cash and cash equivalents10. Cash and cash equivalents 20042004 2003 $$ $
Cash and bank balances 4,793,2794,793,279 2,525,356
Fixed deposits with banks 10,2280,228, 1 1 11 12,500,000
15,05,02 1,390,390 15,025,356
Included in cash and bank balances is an amount of $ 12,791 (2003: $12,759)
held in trust on behalf for third parties.
The fixed deposits placed with banks mature on varying dates within one
month (2002: one month) from the financial year end. The effective interest
rates of these deposits range from 0.3% to 0.75% (2002: 0.5625% to 0.5628%)
per annum.
For the purposes of the cash flow statement, the year-end cash and cash
equivalents comprise the following: 20042004 2003 $$ $
Cash and bank balances (as above) 15,05,02 1,390,390 15,025,356
94
11. Other current assets11. Other current assets 20042004 2003 $$ $
Other debtors 189,095189,095 1 14,314
Due from companies funded through the Agency
- non-trade 158,879158,879 578,255
Deposits 7,383383 202,946
Interest receivable 12,5242,524 1,040
Prepayments 4,8464,846 4,765
372,727372,727 90 1,320
12. Fixed assets12. Fixed assets Furniture, Assets fixtures and Computers Motor under equipment equipment vehicles construction Total $ $ $ $ $
Cost At 1 April 2003 2,664,468 1,832,827 704,319 - 5,201,614
Additions 4,594,236 561,963 - 174,481 5,330,680
Disposals (2,325,04 1) (92,393) - - (2,417,434)
At 31 March 2004 4,933,663 2,302,397 704,319 174,481 8,1 14,860
Accumulated depreciation At 1 April 2003 2,27 1,568 1,496,422 256,479 - 4,024,469
Charge for the year 363,369 279,096 59,984 - 702,449
Disposals (2,127,990) (92,393) - - (2,220,383)
At 31 March 2004 506,947 1,683,1 25 316,463 - 2,506,535
Net book value Net book value At 31 March 2004 4,426, At 31 March 2004 4,426,7 16 6 6 19,272 9,272 387,856 7,856 174,4,48 1 5,608,3251 5,608,325
Net book value At 31 March 2003 392,900 336,405 447,840 - 1, 177, 145
The carrying amount of fixed assets under finance leases at 31 March 2004
amounted to $69,322 (2003: $90,715).
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
95
13. Current payables13. Current payables 20042004 2003 $$ $
Accrued expenses 5,4665,466, 16767 5,687,137
Public Service 21 (PS21) provision 94,65894,658 1 16,562
Other creditors 1,149,8801,149,880 51 1,438
6,6,710,7050,705 6,315,137
PS21 provision refers to a provision set up by the Agency for the implementation
of projects which will lead to organisational efficiency and excellence.
14. Finance lease liabilities14. Finance lease liabilities 20042004 2003 $$ $
Minimum lease payments due:
Not later than 1 year 4747, 10404 33,634
Later than 1 year but not later than 5 years -- 50,620
4747, 10404 84,254
Less: Future finance charges (5,166)(5,166) (8,500)
Present value of finance lease liabilities 41,9381,938 75,754
The present value of finance lease liabilities is as follows:
20042004 2003 $$ $
Not later than 1 year 41,9381,938 28,253
Later than 1 year but not later than 5 years -- 47,501
41,9381,938 75,754
The effective interest rates of the finance lease liabilities range from 8.028% to
8.135% (2002: 8.028% to 8.135%) per annum.
96
15. Singapore Inc Scholarship Provision15. Singapore Inc Scholarship Provision
The Singapore Inc Scholarship Programme (“SISP”) was established in
January 1997, with the aim of developing a pool of future talented leaders
to meet Singapore’s economic and industry development objectives.
20042004 2003 $$ $
Within one year 469,354469,354 370,887
After one year 1 ,1 , 2 1 1 , 1711 , 171 614,252
1,680,5251,680,525 985,139
Movements in Singapore Inc Scholarship provision are as follows:
20042004 2003 $$ $
At beginning of the financial year 985,139985,139 927,022
Provision made during the financial year 778,250778,250 231,238
Utilised during the financial year (82,864)(82,864) (173, 12 1 )
At end of the financial year 1,680,5251,680,525 985,139
16. Capital account16. Capital account
The Capital account comprises capital fund and net assets transferred from the
Science Council of Singapore on 11 January 1991.
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
97
17. Research and Development Fund Account17. Research and Development Fund Account
The Agency manages grants from the Government to provide financial assistance
for research and development activities undertaken by research institutes and
other public organisations.
20042004 2003 $$ $
Balance at 1 April 313,606,430313,606,430 124,839,903
Amount received during the year 793,5793,531,6461,646 669,340,425
Interest from banks and research
institutes 1,608,205 1,608,205 2,553,971
1,1081,108,746,2746,2811 796,734,299
Less: R&D grants utilised
- Research institutes (384,203,577)(384,203,577) (331,533,221)
- Public sector research funding (96,429,(96,429,718)18) (122,661,143)
- Human capital (17,794,349)7,794,349) (10,6 12,024)
- Infrastructure (224,867,957)(224,867,957) (6,130,937)
- Others (41,1,2 12,705)2,705) (12,190,544)
R&D grants utilised (764,508,306)(764,508,306) (483,127,869)
Balance at 31 March 344,237,975344,237,975 313,606,430
Total Government Research and
Development Funds received and
utilised since establishment 5,375,651,9745,375,651,974 4,611,143,668
Included in the R&D grants utilised for research institutes is an amount of
$6,684,000 (2003: nil) for expenses relating to senior management of
research institutes.
98
17. Research and Development Fund Account (continued)17. Research and Development Fund Account (continued)
20042004 2003 $$ $
Consisting of:Consisting of:
Current assets Current assets
Cash and bank balances 29,531,90029,531,900 24,325,609
Fixed deposits with banks 320,792320,792,52 11 285,000,000
Receivable 29,29,821,7491,749 130,303,910
Other current assets 29,420,54229,420,542 588,540
409,566,409,566,7 122 440,218,059
Non-current assetsNon-current assets
Long-term loan 2,436,9882,436,988 3,464,505
Total assetsTotal assets 4 12,003,70012,003,700 443,682,564
Current liabilitiesCurrent liabilities
Current payables (67(67, 765765,725)725) (76,134)
Short-term loan -- (130,000,000)
(67(67, 765765,725)725) (130,076,134)
Total liabilitiesTotal liabilities (67(67, 765765,725)725) (130,076,134)
Net assetsNet assets 344,237,975344,237,975 313,606,430
The fixed deposits placed with banks mature on varying dates within one
month (2003: six months) from the financial year end. The effective interest
rates of these deposits range from 0.4375% to 0.5% (2003: 0.6251% to 0.6875%)
per annum.
The long-term loan is unsecured, non-interest bearing and not repayable within
the next 12 months.
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
99
18. Commitments18. Commitments
(a) Capital commitments
Capital expenditure contracted for at the balance sheet date but not recognised
in the financial statements is as follows:
2004 2003 $ $
Furniture, fixtures and equipment 377377, 167167 -
(b) Operating lease commitments
The Agency leases office units under a lease agreement that is non-cancellable
within a year. Future lease payments with initial or remaining terms of one year
are as follows:
2004 2003 $ $
Not later than 1 year -- 522,533
19. Financial risk management objectives and policies19. Financial risk management objectives and policies
The main risks arising from the Agency’s financial instruments are interest
rate risk, liquidity risk, foreign currency risk and credit risk. The Agency
reviews and agrees policies for managing each of these risks and they are
summarised below:
(i) Interest rate risk
Surplus funds in the Agency are placed on deposits with reputable financial
institutions. Therefore, the exposure of the Agency to interest rate risk
relates primarily to interest income on bank deposits.
100
19. Financial risk management objectives and policies (continued)19. Financial risk management objectives and policies (continued)
(ii) Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk arises in the general funding of the Agency’s operating
activities. It includes the risks of not being able to fund operating activities
in a timely manner. To manage liquidity risk, the Agency maintains
sufficient cash with reputable financial institutions, which are readily
available to fund its operating activities and meet financial obligations as
and when they are due.
(iii) Foreign currency risk
As at the balance sheet date, the Agency’s currency exposures are
insignificant.
(iv) Credit risk
The carrying amounts of other current assets and cash and cash equivalents
represent the Agency’s maximum exposure to credit risk. No other financial
assets carry a significant exposure to credit risk.
20. Fair value20. Fair value
The carrying amounts of the following financial assets and financial liabilities
approximate their fair values: cash and cash equivalents, other current assets,
current payables, finance lease liabilities, Singapore Inc Scholarship provision
and grants received in advance.
21. Authorisation of financial statements21. Authorisation of financial statements
These financial statements were authorised for issue by the Agency on
18 June 2004.
Notes to the Financial StatementsFor the financial year ended 31 March 2004
Auditors’ Report – Page 80
ASTAR Final Cover-OK 03/09/2004 07:20 PM Page 4
Composite
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
Published byAgency for Science, Technology and ResearchCorporate Communications Department
Acknowledgements
Editorial Consultant:Peter HL Lim
Design & Production:Citigate Su Yeang Design Pte Ltd
Photo and Image Credits:P.2 – Images from Ng Kee WoeiP.5 – Tissue Engineering Images from Ng Kee WoeiP.14 – ‘Unraveling the SARS Coronavirus’
by Bernett Lee Teck Kwong, Images of Science 2003P.16 – ‘Human vs Diseases – War Zone in the Micro Universe’
by Poh Ming Li, Images of Science 2003P.17 – ‘Artistic Harmony’ by Steven Raynaldi Noorli,
Images of Science 2003P.19 – ‘Human Engineering’ by Chia Yuen Che, Images of Science 2003P.28 – ‘The People Behind Science’
by Bernett Lee Teck Kwong, Images of Science 2003P.28 – Image of chilli crab, Singapore Tourism BoardP.37 – Image of food street, Singapore Tourism BoardP.52 – Image of Malaria Parasites, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, USAP.59 – ‘Dr World of Science’ by Grace Kartika Kusmawan,
Images of Science 2002P.59 – ‘Science is Fun’ by Lesley Wong, Images of Science 2002P.62 – ‘Know Your Alphabets’ by Lim Hsin Le, Images of Science 2002
Article Credits:P.28 – The Straits Times, 11 March 2004P.29 – The Business Times, 20 August 2003P.44 – TODAY, 28 October 2003P.45 – The Straits Times, 28 October 2003P.45 – The Straits Times, 28 October 2003P.46 – The Straits Times, 30 October 2003P.57 – The Straits Times, 30 December 2003P.58 – The Straits Times, 26 September 2003P.68 – The Straits Times, 30 June 2003P.69 – The Straits Times, 18 July 2003P.72 – The Straits Times, 29 October 2003P.73 – The Straits Times, 13 December 2003P.73 – The Computer Times, 5 November 2003P.74 – TODAY, 14 January 2004P.76 – The Business Times, 11 March 2004P.77 – TODAY, 13 March 2004
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