Govt allots record S$25b to science and tech for more resilient Republic

Singapore

A RECORD S$25 billion is earmarked for the next five years in the government's continuing efforts to tap science and technology in building a Singapore that will be more resilient, sustainable and digitalised - and which will emerge stronger in a post-Covid world.

"Science, technology and innovation will be critical to overcome Covid-19 and in enabling us to emerge stronger," Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Friday at a Zoom press conference to unveil the new 5-year Research, Innovation and Enterprise plan (RIE 2025).

The budget under the latest plan, endorsed on Thursday night by the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIE Council) chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is S$6 billion larger than the previous one but remains equivalent to around 1 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP). A proportion that has held fairly constant over the years and is on par with the research spen…

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