Speech by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the Closing Ceremony of the Global Young Scientists Summit @One-North 2014

Eminent Speakers and Young Scientists

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

        Good afternoon, thank you for inviting me to join all of you at the close of the 2^nd Global Young Scientists Summit@one-north (or GYSS@one-north). I am happy to have this opportunity to address a unique gathering of brilliant scientific minds comprising the top science and technology leaders of today and the young talents of tomorrow.

Global Challenges

        Every person, regardless of whether we come from the US, Europe, Asia or Africa,  would be affected to various extents by emerging global challenges such as threats to energy, water and food supply; social and economic effects of ageing populations, vulnerabilities to infectious disease outbreaks; and environmental impact of climate change. Due to the inter-connectedness of the globalised world and its economies, the spill-over effects of these problems reinforce one another and affect us in many different ways.

        Just one example, the matter of transboundary haze – this has become a key concern in Southeast Asia. It has significant impact on public health, biodiversity, and national economies in the region. This is exacerbated by changing weather conditions and climate change. ASEAN member countries are actively working together to examine the delicate interplay between forest clearing and climate change to prevent and mitigate the effects of transboundary haze.  

        Another example is urbanisation. Over half of the world’s population now live in cities. By 2050, it is estimated that about 70% of the world will be urbanised, with most of the change taking place in developing countries. In the context that world population will rise from 6.8 billion people today, to 9.1 billion over this period, we will be witnessing an unprecedented rate of urbanisation at the global level. There will be dramatic effects on the environment, public health, and the supply of food, water and energy. Cities can make life more efficient, but if not well managed, it could equally cause distress through inadequate infrastructure and sanitation, economic instability, and cultural tension.

        Science plays a critical role in our search for solutions to these global problems.  The scientific community must work with one another and with the public and private sectors to find creative out-of-the-box responses. These “Global Challenges” are expected to stay with us, if not increase in scale over the next few decades, and I would expect that many of you present here today will be working to address them in your scientific careers.

Singapore’s Role in Addressing Global Challenges

        Singapore can play a role in the scientific search for solutions to problems affecting us on a global scale. To this end, Singapore has established extensive research collaborations with many world-renowned universities, and provided various platforms for scientists to participate in research that address complex global challenges. CREATE, or the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise is an example. CREATE houses in one location interdisciplinary research centres from ten of the world’s best research universities, including MIT, UC-Berkeley, University of Cambridge, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Israel’s Technion, Hebrew and Ben Gurion Universities. At CREATE, over 1,000 scientists from diverse disciplines and cultures carry out leading edge research, addressing pressing local challenges with high societal impact.

        Just a few other examples - in the area of urbanisation, researchers at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Future Urban Mobility Group are working on a project to develop driverless cars. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is collaborating with local agencies and industry to develop electric taxis for tropical megacities. The Singapore-ETH Centre’s Future Cities Lab is developing urban development methodologies, materials, typologies for sustainable living in cities. The outcomes from these research groups are being tested and where appropriate, implemented in Singapore. Such innovative solutions to make life better for Singaporeans are also applicable to other countries.

        Research and Development has been an important part of Singapore’s economic strategy and we have been investing in R&D, at an increasing rate for more than 20 years. Singapore is now home to a spectrum of industry-oriented research institutes and laboratories across engineering and biomedical sciences, covering areas such as advanced materials, electronics, marine technologies and bio-medical sciences.

        Building on the strong fundamentals that we have established, industry partners are building key laboratories in our universities, such as The Rolls Royce@NTU Corporate Lab and the Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory established last year. The Rolls Royce@NTU Corporate Lab will identify and develop advanced technologies for the next generation of environmentally-friendly engines while the Keppel-NUS Corporate Laboratory will pioneer research on oil drilling systems for use in the Arctic. These unique tie-ups between industry and academia combine the strengths of research organisations with leading edge industrial capabilities, to develop products and solutions benefiting Singapore and the rest of the world.

The Singapore Challenge  

        The GYSS@one-north is a part of Singapore’s efforts to nurture future science and technology leaders, and promote science and technology development for the betterment of society. The Singapore Challenge is an integral part of the GYSS@one-north.  It provides a platform for young researchers to translate concepts and ideas to real products. 

        The quality of ideas submitted this year is indeed impressive.  The judges have a hard time in choosing the winner, and I congratulate Mr. Yassi Kabessa from Hebrew University for winning the award this year. I was told that the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore is keen to follow up to explore opportunities for proof-of-concept and potential test-bedding of the winning idea. Through the Singapore Challenge, participants of the GYSS can take part in solving Singapore’s challenges and contribute to solutions that can be applied in other parts of the world experiencing similar problems.

Conclusion

        The GYSS@one-north was launched last year with a modest idea to bring passionate bright young researchers from around the world to Singapore to discuss technology innovations and scientific discoveries with eminent science and technology leaders.

        I am heartened that the second edition of the GYSS@one-north has continued to receive strong support in this endeavour. As we come to the end GYSS@one-north 2014, I hope that participants will continue to maintain the networks built up over the last few days and continue the exciting dialogue and exchanges beyond the GYSS@one-north 2014. Finally, I would like to thank the eminent speakers for your contributions and time, and hope to welcome you back to Singapore next year.

        With this, I declare the 2014 GYSS@one-north closed. 

        Thank you.