Fostering innovation and enterprise: Experiences from Singapore

Innovation and enterprise have become buzzwords in the new economy. Nations which are able to harness the paradigms of innovation and enterprise are better positioned to ride the challenges of the emerging new economy. This lecture will focus on Singapore’s experiences with innovation and enterprise. These attributes are first infused during the schooling years so that students are better primed to meet challenges when they join the workforce later on. Some of the school-based examples that will be covered include students setting up online businesses, inventing board games and science-based toys, and creating new strains of orchids. From an economic perspective, some of the examples that will be covered include initiatives to overcome Singapore’s small land area and predominant dependence on external supplies for water and food. For example, producing clean water from treated sewage is Singapore’s contribution to sustainable water use, and this has attracted international attention. Urban agriculture using hydroponics is another example to show that farming need not be framed in terms of intensive land use but can be mediated technologically to increase yield per area in limited land space. This has also attracted international attention. Transport is another sector that has attracted international attention - Singapore’s experiences in using electronic road pricing to control traffic congestion was a world first when it was introduced. The foregoing are some examples, and more will be covered during the lecture.

Professor Ramanathan Subramaniam is very interested in cooperation with colleagues and researches at NEFU.