Lisa P. L. Lim Singapore’s biomedical is a PhD student at the Institute for Manufacturing, Cambridge University. She is researching science sector development on bio-manufacturing, process capabilities and biotechnology business models. strategy: Is it sustainable? Prof. Michael J. Gregory Lisa P. L. Lim and Michael J. Gregory is Head of the Institute for Date received (in revised form): 17th March, 2004 Manufacturing and the Manufacturing and Management Division of the Cambridge Abstract University Department of This paper outlines the strategic efforts undertaken by Singapore to establish its national Engineering. capability in the biomedical science sector, reviews the commercial base as a result of these efforts and compares Singapore’s approach with the UK and US development models, discusses the challenges that Singapore faces and raises some questions on the long-term sustainability of the sector. Although Singapore is a small country in terms of geographical size, its economic size is significant, with gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per capita of US$112bn and US$25,200 respectively in 2002. For the past 40 years, the country has achieved an average annual GDP growth of 8.4 per cent by focusing on manufacturing and productivity improvements. Biotechnology has been earmarked as the next wave of technology that will sustain the country’s economic growth. For almost two decades, Singapore has focused its efforts on building capabilities in the biomedical science area to exploit biotechnology and traditional chemistry-based technologies in drug discovery, development and production. The Keywords: Singapore, main principle of Singapore’s strategy is to locate a sector targeted for growth and then to biotechnology, cluster, focus its efforts on building the key pillars to support the sector; identified in this case to be strategy, business model research, early stage funding and specialised infrastructure. INTRODUCTION traditional chemistry-based technologies For the past 40 years, Singapore has in drug discovery, development and achieved an average annual GDP growth production. The driving force behind this of 8.4 per cent, based on its ability to initiative is Singapore’s Agency for renew its manufacturing base and increase Science, Technology and Research productivity year on year. As Singapore (AÃSTAR) and the Singapore Economic has grown, the country has moved from Development Board (SEDB). By the end low-value, high-volume activities, such as of 2003, the biomedical science sector textile manufacturing, to oil refining and contributed SGD11.3bn in manufacturing later disk drive production. Over the past output to the country’s GDP, a rise of two decades, Singapore has earmarked the 15.9 per cent over 2002. biomedical science sector as one of the key pillars for economic growth as the DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY country transformed itself from an export- Singapore’s vision is to develop itself as driven manufacturing economy to one the ‘Biopolis of Asia’ where companies that is global and knowledge-based. The will locate their research, development, biomedical science sector is identified as a production and headquarter activities, Lisa Lim sector that comprises four industries, allowing Singapore to capture activities Institute for Manufacturing, namely pharmaceuticals, medical across the biomedical science value chain. Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1RX, UK technology, biotechnology and healthcare The development strategy for the services. Singapore has focused its efforts biomedical science sector in Singapore Tel: +44 (0)1223 339739 Fax: +44 (0)1223 339975 on building capabilities in the biomedical aims to strengthen Singapore’s human E-mail: [email protected] science area to exploit biotechnology and intellectual and industrial capitals. This is 352 & HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 1478-565X. JOURNAL OF COMMERCIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY. VOL 10. NO 4. 352–362. JUNE 2004 Singapore’s biomedical science sector development strategy done through establishing world class developmental biology, structural research institutions and specialised biology, infectious disease and cancer research infrastructure and providing biology. The institute has 38 independent funding for early stage businesses through research groups with more than 400 staff a government-supported body. members. Biomedical science research institutions Bioprocessing Technology Center (BTC) BTC was established in 1990 and aims to Singapore’s strategy to grow the build a technology base to support biomedical science sector is based on four commercial production of focus areas: biotechnology, medical biopharmaceuticals. BTC is also tasked to technology, pharmaceuticals and develop personnel capabilities by healthcare services and delivery (Figure providing training to the local talent pool. 1). These four sectors share many BTC’s core strengths are in DNA, synergies, facilitating the discovery, peptide and proteomic technology, gene development and commercialisation of expression and viral vector, cell culture, healthcare products and services to microbial fermentation, protein diagnose and treat human diseases, and are characterisation and purification. supported by research in genomics, Currently, BTC has a cGMP facility molecular biology, bioinformatics, designed to produce biologicals under bioprocessing, bioengineering and US-FDA and EU regulatory guidelines. nanotechnology and chemistry. A*STAR, funded by the AÃSTAR, funded by the Singapore Singapore government, government, plans to invest SDG1.2bn in plans to invest Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) SDG1.2bn in public public biomedical sciences research GIS was established in 2000 and pursues biomedical sciences through the following research the integration of technology, genetics research institutions (Table 1). and biology towards the goal of individualised medicine. The scientific Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology focus is to investigate post-sequence (IMBC) genomics, to understand the genetic IMBC was established in 1987. Currently, architecture of pan-Asian populations IMBC concentrates on the development with emphasis on cancer biology, of R&D capabilities in Singapore by pharmacogenomics, stem cell biology and concentrating on basic research in the infectious disease. There are currently 160 following fields: cell biology, staff members in the institute. Pharmaceuticals Medical technology Genomics Molecular biology Bioinformatics Bioprocessing Bioengineering Figure 1: Singapore Nanotechnology Healthcare services Biotechnology focus area in biomedical Chemistry and delivery sciences Source: Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB) & HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 1478-565X. JOURNAL OF COMMERCIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY. VOL 10. NO 4. 352–362. JUNE 2004 3 5 3 Lim and Gregory Table 1: Establishment of research institutions and supporting infrastructure in Singapore Year Basic research Clinical research Downstream technologies 1987 Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) 1988 1989 1990 Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC) Bioprocessing Technology Center (BTC) 1991 1992 Protein and Proteomics Institute (PPC) National Skin Center 1993 Center for Natural Product Research (CNPR) Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) 1994 1995 1996 Bioinformatics Center (BIC) 1997 Institute of Materials Research & Engineering; Lilly-NUS Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Laboratories for Information Technology (LIT) National Cancer Center (NCC) 1998 Cancer Therapeutic Research Group (CTRG) Institute of Chemical Sciences (ICS) 1999 John Hopkins Singapore (JHS), NUS Drug Study Center 2000 Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), National Chemical Process Technology Center Heart Center (NHC) (CPTC) 2001 Bioinformatics Institute (BII) 2002 Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) 2003 Center for Molecular Medicine Sources: Wess,1 SEDB BioInformatics Institute (BII) Singapore as part of the country’s vision Specialised BII was established in 2001. Its focus is to capture all aspects of the biomedical infrastructures for building Singapore’s capabilities in science value chain. Through these research and production activities are bioinformatics. BII’s research focus facilities, Singapore aims to provide ‘plug being built in Singapore centres around knowledge gained from and play’ facilities for both local and as part of the country’s biological data, exploiting high-end foreign companies. The two major vision to capture all computing in biomedicine, advancing components of this infrastructure are the aspects of the molecular imaging of biological processes, Biopolis and Tuas Biomedical Park. biomedical science modelling of drug design and delivery, The Biopolis, an integrated R&D value chain computational proteomics and systems complex, represents the first stage of a biology. There are currently 80 staff SGD15bn project, One-North, that will members in the institute. span 15 years and aims to cultivate biomedical research and other research- Institute of Bioengineering and based industries. Costing SGD500m, the Nanotechnology (IBN) Biopolis will be made up of seven IBN was established 2002 and focuses on buildings when completed, with a research at the interface of bioengineering combined area of 185 3 103 m2 (2 and nanotechnology in the areas of million square feet). Its three principal nanobiotechnology, delivery of drugs, objectives are genes and proteins, tissue engineering, artificial organs and implants, medical devices, as well as biological and • to be a focal