September 1, 2011 by Nik See
Singapore’s transformation into a hub for biomedical investment, research and development holds lessons for the Massachusetts medical device industry.
In September, I’ll be celebrating my 21st year living in the United States. I still have vivid memories of my long journey from Singapore to Minneapolis. The country I left behind was known then for its inexpensive labor in the electronics and garment industries. Today, the world’s focus is back on Singapore, as it has successfully morphed itself into a global hub for the biotech industry.
Here in Boston where I now work, we often speak of Singapore with clients; many have a long-established or newly developed presence in this Southeast Asian city-state. And in truth, medical marketers have much to learn about its innovative initiatives and focus on biotech and how it will affect us here in Massachusetts.
Lesson One: Back the vision with commitment
More than a decade ago, Singapore’s government declared biomedical science to be its fourth manufacturing pillar — together with electronics, chemicals and engineering — all core competencies that made this declaration credible and much more than a pipedream. It has since invested over $1.5 billion (in U.S. dollars) in this sector. Singapore aimed to be home to 15 world-class biomedical science companies, as well as the region’s hub for clinical trials and drug development, by 2010. They surpassed their goal.
It’s amazing to see the speed and progress Singapore had made. It not only embraced the idea of “interdisciplinary research” as a guide to good science, it created a well-funded and robust entity: The Agency for Science and Technology Research (A*STAR) to spearhead this effort.
Lesson Two: View the talent as your first customers
A*STAR’s vision was realized with two state-of-the-art biotech parks, Biopolis and Fusionopolis. Both represent an entirely new model of how research and development can be done — designed specifically to bring research scientists, engineers and technology experts from A*STAR and those from the private sector together under one roof.
I believe the secret to Singapore’s success is that it planned efficiently to accommodate the needs of today’s talents, including creating environments that promote work-life balance. Fusionopolis, for instance, is a 120,000-square-meter, two-tower complex that houses research labs, serviced apartments, a fitness club, a swimming pool, shops, childcare services and even a movie theater.
Lesson Three: Give the seeds time to grow
The results have been phenomenal — but they didn’t happen overnight. Singapore’s effort began more than 10 years ago, but it is only in the past five years that Biopolis has successfully attracted a new wave of private investment from the biomedical industries. The patience has paid off. Some recent activities include GlaxoSmithKline opening a $13 million medicinal chemistry center that doubled the company’s researchstaff in Singapore and Eli Lilly’s plan to triple its research and development staff to 150 within three years.
In the medical technology and device sector, global leaders — including those from Massachusetts — have set up manufacturing, R&D and headquarters functions in Singapore. They include Affymetrix, Alcon, Applied Biosystems, Bio-Rad, Ciba Vision, Edwards Lifesciences, Fluidigm, Hill-Rom, Medtronic, Qiagen, Siemens Medical Instruments and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
I believe the next wave of migration from Massachusetts to Singapore will be service-based companies, which are essential to support this growth. Are we prepared to meet the challenges ahead?
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