SMEs' Application and Commercialisation of Technologies Developed by A*STAR and Its Research Entities

Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether he can provide an update on the extent that our SMEs have applied and commercialised the technologies developed by A*STAR and its research entities; and (b) what are the key challenges and obstacles faced by SMEs in their attempt to apply and commercialise A*STAR technologies.

Mr Speaker, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) supports our small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in technology commercialisation in several ways. First, SMEs license intellectual property (IP) from A*STAR for deployment and commercialisation. Under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 (RIE2020) programme, the number of licences taken up by SMEs grew from 129 licences in financial year (FY) 2016 to 178 licences in FY2017. This builds on A*STAR efforts under RIE2015, where A*STAR issued 627 licences to SMEs from FY2011 to FY2015.

Second, technology transfer to SMEs also takes place through the attachment of A*STAR researchers. Under the Technology for Enterprise Capability Upgrading (T-Up) scheme, A*STAR seconds its researchers to SMEs to help build inhouse research and development (R&D) and technical capabilities. Since the launch of the scheme in 2003, A*STAR has seconded 769 researchers to SMEs, and this has benefited 678 SMEs.

SMEs can also tap on A*STAR capabilities and facilities without owning or licensing the technologies. Under A*STAR's Tech Access programme, SMEs can make use of A*STAR equipment and technological know-how to prototype new products, qualify new processes and test out new applications. Since the launch of the scheme in 2017, 30 companies have been supported under this programme.

Sir, the challenges faced by our SMEs in applying and commercialising technologies are two-fold.

First, many SMEs lack the resources to make full use of technology in their existing business strategies. To address this, A*STAR provides assistance to our SMEs to help them develop their technology strategies through the Operation and Technology Roadmapping (OTR) programme. This helps companies make better-informed decisions in their firm-level innovation strategies, including decisions related to R&D and IP. It also identifies potential R&D partners within and outside of A*STAR who can work with the SMEs. A*STAR aims to achieve 400 OTRs from FY2017 to FY2020. Since 1 April 2017 to 31 July 2018, a total of 178 companies had joined the programme.

Second, many SMEs are not familiar with managing and commercialising IP. The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has put in place several initiatives to help our SMEs grow their enterprise through intangible assets, including IP, from A*STAR and other sources. This includes complimentary legal and business clinics, where SMEs can receive advice from IP consultants and lawyers. Around 600 companies have benefited from the programme since its launch in 2015.

To expedite the commercialisation of IP, the Singapore National IP Protocol for Publicly Funded R&D was updated in April this year. The enhanced IP framework will facilitate collaborations between industry and public sector researchers, including research spinouts, joint labs with industry and industry-academia consortia.

Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng (Nominated Member) (In Mandarin): Thank you, Minister. I am very glad to notice that the A*STAR programme has attracted over 700 SMEs in 678 projects. I would like to ask what will happen after the researchers finish their two-year secondment. Will these projects be able to continue after the departure of the researchers?

Mr Chee Hong Tat (In Mandarin): I would like to thank Mr Chua for his question. His question is whether the projects will continue after two years, and whether A*STAR will continue to support the companies.

The answer is yes. We will consider the outcome of these cooperation projects. These are not one-off efforts. The Government is investing in R&D and collaborating with companies to commercialise the R&D outcomes. We want to help SMEs to transform and improve their competitiveness, so that they can compete more effectively in overseas markets. We will continue to support these projects and carefully evaluate the outcomes.