By Kami Navarro

While Singapore has long been recognised as Asia’s most innovative nation, it was only in the wake of COVID-19 that the impact of national efforts to accelerate innovation became apparent. This year, the Bloomberg Innovation Index cited Singapore as the world’s second most innovative economy—cementing the Republic’s position as a leading technology innovator even amidst the challenges of the pandemic.

With all these accolades, it may seem hard to believe that the country began its investments into research and development (R&D) just over thirty years ago. It was only in 1991 that the first-ever National Technology Plan was launched to lay the groundwork for Singapore’s subsequent R&D initiatives.

Today, it is known as the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) plan, with the latest version launched by DPM Heng Swee Keat last December 2020. Under the RIE2025, S$25 billion—or one per cent of the Republic’s gross domestic product—will be committed to advancing science and technology over the next five years.

At the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the newly-formed BizTech Group is set to be at the forefront of driving the agency’s efforts to develop frontier areas, Communications & Connectivity, Artificial Intelligence & Data and Trust Technologies under the purview of RIE2025.

Currently led by cluster director Dr Ong Chen Hui—who has over two decades of experience in cybersecurity and technology innovation—the group is now looking for tech-savvy, passionate team members who can capably predict relevant technology trends and explore the vast potential of frontier technologies that will give our businesses and country a competitive advantage. In this feature, learn about how the BizTech Group will impact Singapore’s business and economy and how IMDA plans to support the country’s RIE2025 efforts—straight from Dr Ong herself.

1. Can you tell us more about IMDA’s BizTech group and what it hopes to achieve?

Over the years, Singapore has made great strides in digital technologies, which has supported the growth of our digital economy. But as we all know, COVID-19 has accelerated technological trends and changes that are drastically reshaping our global economy and creating new challenges for our societies. As DPM Heng mentioned during the RIE2025 press conference, what we do know is that in this new post-pandemic economy, science, technology and innovation will be critical.

This is where IMDA’s BizTech Group, which I lead, comes in.

The BizTech Group will have three focus areas, namely AI and Data; Communications and Connectivity; as well as Digital Trust.

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