Research efforts judged not just on commercial output

S'pore uses 'basket of parameters' to evaluate the studies it funds: Prof Tan Chorh Chuan

- Audrey Tan Assistant News Editor

The success of a research effort is assessed through various factors, not just the potential to produce commercially viable outcomes.

Singapore uses a “basket of parameters” to evaluate the studies it funds, including research quality, depth of collaborations and potential applications, said Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, the Permanent Secretary for National Research and Development at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Research will get another boost following the Government’s announcement on Dec 5 that it will allocate some $37 billion for its Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 plan, which spans April 2026 to 2030.

These plans are refreshed every five years, and help chart Singapore’s national research landscape.

This is the fourth and largest tranche of funding assigned to the national research plan since the first, RIE2015, was issued in 2010 with a budget of $16 billion. The most recent RIE2025 plan had a budget of $28 billion for the period from 2021 to 2025.

Scientific research helps Singapore better understand the problems it faces - such as ageing and climate change - and facilitates the search for new solutions. It also creates economic value.

For instance, deep tech startups in Singapore have over the past five years attracted at least $1 billion in venture capital funding annually.