A*STAR Chairman Philip Yeo, architect of Singapore’s biomed initiative

Photo Paul Douglass

Courtesy A*STAR

Philip Yeo exhibits all the intelligence of an Albert Einstein and boundless energy and enthusiasm of American exercise guru Richard Simmons. He is a man on a mission.

As chairman of A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) he spearheads a national effort to promote science, engineering and biomedical research and to nurture the talent that will help advance Singapore's transition to a “knowledge-based economy.”

Yeo undoubtedly was selected for this important job because of his ability to get big projects started. He was instrumental in developing and marketing Jurong Island, a highly successful industrial park in Singapore. As the first chairman of Singapore’s National Computer Board, he helped create the Internet infrastructure in Singapore. He’s overseen the construction of the Bangalore IT Park in India.

Yeo also serves as Chairman of Singapore Precision Industries, maker of precision parts for high value aircraft engine components, and is Chairman of CapitaLand, one of the largest commercial property companies in Asia. He is a board member of Infosys Technologies Ltd., a publicly held software services company. Yeo has even played a major part in developing vacation resorts on nearby Bintan Island in a partnership between Indonesia and the government of Singapore.

Hanging on the walls of Yeo’s offices are posters for a campaign he has created to entice budding young minds to consider careers in math and sciences. One poster features an alluring young lady who demurely poses the question, “Got a burning passion for science?” Ads targeting young women show a tattooed young man on a motorcycle with the slogan “Born to R&D” sewn across the back of his sleeveless leather jacket.

According to Yeo, A*STAR’s goal is to stimulate as much interest as possible in the life sciences for students starting at an early age. His office shelves are filled with colorful books that teach children scientific concepts in entertaining and innovative ways. Yeo hopes to impart his enthusiasm for science and learning to the up-and-coming generation of students.

It is these students, he believes, who will build Singapore’s newest economic pillar: biomedicine.

The A*STAR program was created after the Singaporean government took a hard look at its economic future. The government concluded that relying on its traditional manufacturing strengths alone, such as in electronics, chemicals, and engineering, would no longer be enough. A new boost of knowledge-driven innovation to create new jobs was needed to keep the country afloat in an increasingly competitive regional environment. A*STAR was formed as a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Its mission is to foster world class scientific research and develop talent for a vibrant Knowledge-Based Singapore.

Investing in a biomedical sciences industry would create jobs, expand intellectual property, and likely sustain long-term growth as activities grew out of basic research to clinical development, process development, and full-scale manufacturing. It is hoped that this effort will encourage global biomedical companies and researchers to locate in Singapore and thus support further research and development.

Clearly, Singapore aims to transform itself into a global hub for the biomedical sciences.

Although other regional players like China, Japan, and South Korea, share similar strategies, the breadth of Singapore’s commitment to the program is impressive. To date, more than $1.1 billion has been poured into the effort, a larger commitment than any other country in Asia.

The centerpiece of this initiative is called the Biopolis, a science park being constructed on 194 hectares that will serve as a center for both public and private biological research and commercial development.

The concept of the Biopolis is to create a common environment between public and private sector researchers and developers through “cohabitation” where top-flight researchers and “technopreneurs” can collaborate and can rapidly commercialize newly developed treatments for disease.

The Bioinformatics Institute and the Genome Institute of Singapore, led by American Dr. Edison Liu (see story) are among the groups forming the core of the research community.

The new urbanist-inspired design will offer a “work-live-play-learn” environment, including quick and efficient public transportation with multiple housing, shopping, and entertainment options. Yeo personally monitors construction progress via the Internet and will proudly point to areas where construction is progressing most rapidly. Mid-2003 is the expected completion date for the first building.

Another part of A*STAR’s program provides about 100 scholarships a year to serious students. The program includes “All the Way Scholarships” that support students from undergraduate to PhD. Many go abroad for their studies. “I am in the bean-planting business,” says Yeo, noting that these scholastic programs can take ten years to complete.

Singapore produces 2,300 highly trained engineers a year, says Yeo. The number of research scientist and engineers in Singapore more than tripled between 1991 and 2000 (from 28 to 83.5 per 10,000 population), but fewer than one quarter had achieved PhDs. More needs to be done, he says, to increase the number of doctoral candidates in biomedicine.

The government’s efforts to nurture biomedicine in Singapore have already started to bear fruit. After the initiative’s first full year, Singapore’s biomedical industry’s manufacturing output grew by 3.2 percent to $3.67 billion. A*STAR aims to attract 15 world-class biomedical science companies to Singapore by 2010 and to become the “regional center for clinical trials and drug development.”

Looking ahead, A*STAR’s Philip Yeo sees in Singaporeans a special quality that he believes will keep the country in the forefront of the global economy. In the book “Heart Work” he writes:

“We constantly worry that our various tools and infrastructure may someday be replicated in other countries chasing the investment dollar. So we run harder, we push faster. We absorb technology, knowledge and skills to remain relevant. We are partners to our investors. But there is something better that will continue to distinguish us from the rest. This is the inexplicable quality called Passion. The Passion to create, to push boundaries, to clear jungles and even to push back the sea!”

For information about A*STAR, see www.a-star.edu.sg.

For more information on the upcoming conference “Advancing BioSciences: New Frontiers in Asia Pacific” to be held in Singapore from October 28-30, visit www.biomedtechasia.com.