The Biomedical Sciences Sectorial Briefing to the media was jointly held by A*STAR and EDB this morning at EDB’s board room. Mr Philip Yeo, Chairman A*STAR and Co-Chairman EDB, chaired the media conference which reviewed the performance of the BMS industry for Year 2002.
Details on the outlook & strategies for Year 2003 were also shared.
The other panelists were:
Associate Professor Kong Hwai Loong, Deputy Executive Director, BMRC
Ms Chu Swee Yeok, First Director, Biomedical Sciences Group, EDB
Dr Beh Swan Gin, Second Director, Biomedical Sciences Group, EDB
REVIEW OF 2002
ROBUST GROWTH IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES SECTOR FOR 2002
Cluster moves ahead by extending its capabilities across the entire value chain
1. Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences (BMS) cluster maintained strong growth in 2002, with S$850 million worth of manufacturing fixed assetinvestments (FAI) committed. Similarly, investments measured according to total business spending (TBS) in 2002 amounted to S$80 million.
2. Based on investments committed in 2002, the number of jobs created in the BMS industry is expected to reach 1,040 when the projects are implemented, of which 86% of these are for professional and skilled workers. The jobs created in 2002 represents a 136% increase from 440 jobs created in 2001. These projects will generate S$2.38 billion in value added per annum (VA pa), accounting for 22.6% of the total VA generated by EDB’s 2002 investments. This is the second largest among the industry clusters promoted by EDB.
3. The industry’s manufacturing output grew to S$9.7 billion, demonstrating a 48% growth over 2001. Its value-added reflected a significant 76% growth to reach S$6.5 billion. In terms of the number of workers employed in the BMS industry, this grew by 11% to 7,177 in 2002.
4. The pharmaceutical sector contributed S$8.0 billion, or 82% of the total BMS industry’s manufacturing output, while employment in this sector enjoyed a growth of 31% in 2002. Medical technology reflected a 14% growth in manufacturing output to reach S$1.8 billion, and maintained stable employment in 2002.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2002
5. In line with Singapore’s vision to become the Biopolis of Asia, many key initiatives were launched in 2002, spanning across the entirevalue chain from basic research, clinical trials, product / process development to full-scale manufacturing and healthcare delivery. These initiatives can be categorised according to the following 3 key BMS strategies:
(a)Industrial Capital
For private sector R&D, Singapore’s capabilities in this area grew significantly with the establishment of landmark R&D projects by global pharmaceutical leaders in the BMS industry such as Lilly and Novartis. Local biotechnology firms like MerLion achieved several key milestones by establishing collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies and securing US$13.5 million in venture capital (VC) funding in a depressed global VC scene. The growing base of biotechnology firms in Singapore was further reinforced with the presence of ES Cell and ViaCell. BioVenture Centre, a BMS incubator, was also launched to help nurture and promote the growth of indigenous technologies. In addition, seed funding for local start-ups like Attogenix and Promatrix was provided through the BMS Innovate ‘N’ Create (INC) scheme.
In manufacturing, Singapore’s base of activities expanded from primary manufacturing to include secondary manufacturing such as tableting, formulation and finishing at Merck and Pfizer, and nutritionals manufacturing at Wyeth. We also introduced high value-addedmanufacturing activities such as biotechnology lyophilisation at Schering-Plough and manufacturing of a new generation of hearing aids at Siemens Medical Instruments. The breadth and depth of such manufacturing activities serve as a positive testimony of Singapore’s ability
to extensively support the supply of various products to the global market through strong infrastructure and manpower capabilities. Please refer to Annex A for further details.
(b)Intellectual Capital
To support the growing BMS industry in Singapore, the following core R&D capabilities in areas such as genomics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, bioprocessing, chemistry, bioengineering and nanotechnology, have been identified and are being developed through A*STAR’s Research Institutes.
Nation-wide frameworks like the Cancer Syndicate, the Singapore Tissue Network (STN) and the information technology platform National Grid Project were initiated to provide an integrated, seamless access to resources for researchers in academia and industry. This will enhance the level of BMS research pursued in Singapore and create greater cross-disciplinary synergy between science, engineering and biomedicine.
The Bioethics Advisory Committee’s (BAC) recommendations on human stem cell and human tissue research were accepted by the government after extensive and careful consideration. A key recommendation includes the formation of a statutory board to oversee / regulate these areas. This significant milestone is a boon to Singapore’s initiatives to establish a robust ethical framework to support biomedicalresearch in Singapore. Please refer to Annex B for further details.
(c)Human Capital
A growing pool of budding scientific talent is currently being nurtured amongst Singaporean students to support the BMS industry. Through A*STAR’s aggressive human capital development programme launched in 2000, 131 of the nation’s brightest students have been awarded the National Science Scholarships (NSS) to pursue BMS studies and research. 24 fellowships were also given to Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows to support research training. 7 promising junior scientists were awarded the newly launched BMRC Young Investigatorship to develop their research career.
To complement academic training in schools, EDB BMSG played a catalytic role by partnering various biotechnology, medical technology and pharmaceutical companies to create some 300 positions for technicians and professionals to undergo industry training. These trainees pursue on-the-job experiences in cutting-edge R&D, clinical research and manufacturing facilities both in Singapore and abroad. Upon completion of training, Singapore stands to benefit from a valuable pool of trained manpower to support the growing BMS industry. Pleaserefer to Annex C for further details.
2003 FORECAST
6. Singapore’s BMS industry is on track for long-term growth, and is set to achieve its target manufacturing output of S$12 billion by 2005. A*STAR and EDB BMSG will continue to work closely together with other government agencies to develop and promote Singapore’s industrial, intellectual and human capital for the BMS cluster.
(a)Industrial Capital
While the global trend for the pharmaceutical sector is to consolidate, EDB BMSG will work in partnership with industry to broaden and diversify the range of BMS activities in Singapore. Investments from companies with strategic technologies will be brought in to build a strong and compelling base of drug discovery capabilities here. BMSG aims to further increase the range of products being developed and manufactured in Singapore, as well as establish Singapore as an excellent supply chain hub for regional distribution and global procurement. In addition, promising growth areas such as the biopharmaceuticals sector will be nurtured as we extend Singapore’s BMS industry capabilities.
BMRC/BMSG will continue to work closely with JTC to ensure that there is a comprehensive infrastructural support put in place for the BMS sector. Prepared land for manufacturing in Tuas Biomedical Park, and the integrated R&D complex at Biopolis will help promote physical clustering which creates economies of scale for shared services. These dedicated BMS infrastructure for manufacturing and R&D respectively will ensure Singapore maintains its competitive position as a strategic site for BMS growth in Asia.
As the appointed lead agency to steer the promotion of Singapore Medicine, EDB BMSG is working closely with other agencies to establish the framework to attract foreign patients to Singapore, with the objective of developing Singapore as the Healthcare Hub of Asia.
(b)Intellectual Capital
In the last two years, BMRC has been intensively building up Singapore’s biomedical research capabilities in the public sector. Moving forward, BMRC will work to consolidate the efforts spent over the past years and to further promote growth in this sector. 2003 will see greater intersection between the sciences, with physical and biomedical sciences more closely linked. With the support of the Cancer Syndicate, the Singapore Tissue Network and the National Grid Project, biomedical research will be brought more closely and quickly towards clinical applications for the improvement of human healthcare – hence delivering the concept of translational medicine.
The recently launched current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (BMTC) and the establishment of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) will further deepen Singapore’s core capabilities in niche research areas.
(c)Human Capital
A*STAR, NUS and NTU will continue to ramp up the training of PhDs and post-doctoral fellows for the BMS sector, leveraging on the newly launched A*STAR Graduate Academy (A*GA). Graduates can choose to pursue Ph.D.’s locally through the new A*STAR Graduate Scholarships (AGS) while the National Science Scholarships (NSS) will support promising students for overseas studies.
BMSG will supplement our manpower training efforts by partnering with leading industry players to provide training opportunities for Singaporeans through schemes such as the Training and Attachment Program (TAP). This will ensure that training pursued by Singaporeans is relevant to industry needs. BMSG will also continue to leverage on the Biomedical Sciences Manpower Advisory Committee (BMAC) to undertake industry-wide initiatives to enhance training and education, as well as manpower attraction and retention for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
LOOKING AHEAD
7. Since launching the Biomedical Sciences initiative in June 2000, Singapore has successfully captured the mindshare of the international biomedical community with our comprehensive plans and strong commitment to develop the BMS cluster. Going forward, public research and industry promotion efforts will continue to be closely linked to maximise economic development outcomes.
8. Mr Philip Yeo, chairman of A*STAR and co-chairman of EDB, said, “I am pleased with the tremendous progress achieved by Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences cluster for 2002. It is indeed a clear indication of the growing scientific and economic importance of this cluster to Singapore. For the year ahead, we will continue to focus on enhancing the fundamentals of Singapore’s essential 3Cs for the BMS cluster – industrial, intellectual and human capital. The development of the BMS cluster requires long-term commitment and patience but I am confident that this cluster will continue to sustain its performance for 2003, and meet the long-term commitment targets for 2005.”
Date: 30-January-2003
Source: Economic Development Board (EDB)
Recent News:
‘Non-invasive’ cultivar? Buyer beware
Yet simple population modeling demonstrates that reductions of even 95 percent in the number of viable seed will leave a long-lived species quite capable of spreading — and many of the new cultivars do not achieve even that much of a reduction visitor health insurance. More sophisticated modeling would likely reveal even stronger invasive potential of the “safe” cultivars.
Barrow scientists identify new stem cell activity in human brain
The findings revealed that there is a pathway of young migrating neurons targeting the prefrontal cortex of the human brain in the first few months of life. Travelling with family or business visitors health insurance is a must. After the first year of life, the subventricular zone of the brain slows down, tapering production of new brain cells by the time a child is 18-months and then to nearly zero by age two.
