Ministry of Education of the Republic of Singapore

09/14/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/14/2022 21:50

Speech by Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing, at the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme (START) Award Ceremony

University Presidents and Provosts,

Colleagues, Award Recipients and Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

1.Good evening. It is my pleasure to join you to celebrate the awards to our latest cohort of the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme or "START" Scholars. My heartiest congratulations to award recipients and their families!

2.We, at the Ministry of Education (MOE), are also very pleased to see that START has continued to support Singaporeans who are keen on pursuing careers in academia.

  1. Since 2015, START has given out a total of 162 undergraduates, and postgraduate scholarships and awards across a variety of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) and Social Science & Humanities (SSH) disciplines.
  2. Thus far, about 90 of them are already working as faculty members in NUS, NTU, SMU and SUTD, and we look forward to more of our START Scholars deepening the talent pool in our Autonomous Universities (AUs).

3.I am also delighted to announce today that, starting this year, START will expand to include the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). This effectively means that all six of our AUs are partnered with MOE to further strengthen our Singaporean core of academic talent.

Exceptional Ideas

4.With this expansion of START and the continued support for academic talent, I want to invite more Singaporeans to come onboard and be part of Singapore's so-called "collective brain trust".

  1. Our nation has many exceptional challenges - lack of natural resources, lack of energy, lack of fresh water and many more.
  2. There are many pressing issues awaiting solutions:
    1. Existential concerns like building up our coastal protection amid rising sea levels; and
    2. Intractable issues such as ameliorating the corrosive effects of social stratification as our society matures.
  3. We also have many opportunities to pioneer exceptional solutions to our exceptional challenges:
    1. Can Singapore be among the first to figure out ways to reap the 'demographic dividend' of a maturing nation and unlock that potential?
    2. Do we have new ideas that transcend our limited land space as we transform our economy and society to bring about new growth opportunities?
    3. Can we imagine ourselves as the first sustainable city in terms of water and energy usage?

5.I believe that Singapore has always been able to strike out on our own as an "exceptional nation" because we embraced "exceptional ideas". As a small, resource-scarce and multicultural country, we need to either develop original ideas that suit our unique circumstances or adapt existing ideas to fit our context.

  1. We have bucked the trend and confounded conventional wisdom.
  2. It has often made the rest of the world notice us because we have been bold and innovative to try out what works, and what does not.
  3. For instance, we have evolved the CPF scheme over time to be a fiscally sustainable system that blends individual and collective responsibility to meet the retirement needs of Singaporeans.
  4. We also previously raised some eyebrows when we first introduced NEWater as an additional water source to complement existing sources to meet our growing water needs.

6.So, while Singapore might be small, our ideas can travel far. As the world looks for inspiration in the era of disruptive change, I believe Singapore has something to offer.

  1. One example that comes to mind is Dr Koh Ming Joo, a 2019 START alumnus from NUS' Department of Chemistry, who specialises in sustainable catalysis.
  2. He has produced research that significantly shortens the steps required to access a target chemical compound.
  3. This has the potential to transform low-cost and abundant feedstock chemicals into value-added products with a lower carbon footprint.

7.The significance of research and translation are immense for Singapore's growth, and you too, can be part of this endeavour to make impactful changes to Singapore and the rest of the world.

Exceptional Talent

8.I also believe that "exceptional ideas" require "exceptional talent". As a small country, we often say that our most precious resource is our people. In the intensifying competition for talent, I cannot stress this point more. For instance, you would have read, by now, that the UK has developed the High Potential Individual visa to woo graduates to work there.

9.This is why START is important. To remain an "exceptional nation" with "exceptional talent and ideas", we must have:

  1. Singaporeans with exceptional promise, and potential to be world-class researchers and academic leaders.
  2. They are a group of scholarly talents who are deeply committed to our AUs and the future of Singapore.
  3. They are also committed to learn from the best, adapt those ideas to our local context, and nurture or teach the next generation of Singaporeans.

10.Let me just highlight two examples from this cohort of START awardees who will be immersing themselves overseas before returning to Singapore upon the completion of their stints:

  1. Overseas PhD Scholarship awardee, Mr Chew Enquan, who is pursuing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University.
    1. His research interests reside in creating and studying materials and structures that promote sustainability or possess multi-functionality.
    2. Enquan, seeks to learn from the best around the world in wide-ranging fields, with the end-goal of conducting meaningful research with positive real-world impact to promote sustainability.
  2. Overseas Post-Doctoral Fellowship awardee, Dr Victor Zhuang, who is undertaking his postdoctoral stint at Princeton University's Institute of International and Regional Studies as a Fung Global Fellow.
    1. His research interest is inter-disciplinary, rooted in the intersections of disability, technology, and sustainability, and how it emerges within the smart city.
    2. Victor hopes that through the fellowship, it would allow him to further his goal of disability research in Singapore, to create a more inclusive society.

11.START awardees like Enquan and Victor are only two examples of the research talent we are developing today. We must continuously work to strengthen a strong pipeline of local academic leaders to anchor our capabilities.

Exceptional System

12.Let me conclude by addressing one additional point.

13.I believe it is insufficient for Singapore to only have "exceptional ideas" and "exceptional talent". We also need an "exceptional system", that recognises and supports a diverse range of scholarly pursuits.

  1. Those who take the road less travelled by researching in areas which may be more difficult to be published in top-tier international academic journals, should have the confidence that they would still be duly recognised for their work.
  2. Our AUs have already broadened their assessment frameworks to recognise non-bibliometric achievements. Faculty members who have made impactful contributions to public policy and industry, for instance, have had their contributions considered for Promotion and Tenure. We have and will continue to go beyond publications in just selected academic journals for assessment.

14.Another feature of such a system would be a healthy level of trust and porosity between the government, academia, and industry to leverage on one another's strengths to build up a corpus of Singapore-focused research.

  1. With the help of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), government agencies will continue to partner researchers to pursue more data-driven research.
  2. To enhance the industry relevance of our teaching and research in the AUs, we also need to facilitate a more porous flow of faculty members and experienced industry practitioners in the eco-system.
    1. An area with potential for nexus is in food security, where we can also support our ageing population's nutritional needs.
    2. An ongoing initiative in this area includes SIT's Sustainable Food Innovation programme, which focuses on the development of innovative future foods at scale in collaboration with food companies.
    3. Thus, I encourage government, academia, and industry to continue collaborating in such areas. This is particularly important for the social sciences. For STEM, it is a bit more straightforward to have our research published in established journals. We understand that for social sciences, Singapore may be a small and unique sample, but that does not mean that the inability to get published in some of these journals should deprive our scholars of the opportunities to also do research on our unique system that may be of interest to the rest of the world. MOE and the Government will continue to support our scholars, regardless of whether they are in the social sciences or STEM areas, to do their best to develop unique solutions in context for our countries.

15.MOE remains committed to invest in our people and educate future generations of Singaporeans. To that end, we will continue to strive for an "exceptional system" to develop "exceptional talent and ideas" for us to remain as an exceptional nation.

Conclusion

16.To the START award recipients here today, and those overseas.

  1. I hope you will continue to remain passionate in your learning and areas of chosen expertise;
  2. Expand and collaborate with your network of fellow START awardees and alumni, while also tapping on your international networks; and
  3. Stay rooted as Singaporeans, to help Singapore tackle complex challenges, making it a better place for future generations.

17.Congratulations once again, and I wish you all a fulfilling and meaningful journey ahead. I look forward to your contributions in the years to come. Thank you very much for stepping forward to serve.

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