SINGAPORE — The new S$450 million Fusionopolis Two complex located in one-north will help to integrate all the capabilities needed to support the future of manufacturing here, as research and development (R&D) have become important to Singapore’s economy, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the official opening last night (Oct 19).

“Already, manufacturing is being transformed by digital technologies such as the Internet of Things, greater automation and new methods of manufacturing such as additive manufacturing. So, with this project, we will be able to build and integrate capabilities … for example, in materials science, machine design to support multi-national corporations, and small and medium enterprises,” he said.

Companies have tapped into Singapore’s public research institutes and done joint projects with them, Mr Lee pointed out, saying that the fruits of R&D can be applied as the island embarks on its Smart Nation ambitions. From fiscal year 2011 to 2015, A*STAR has undertaken close to 7,500 industry projects that have catalysed more than S$1 billion in R&D investments in Singapore, he said, adding that the number of research scientists and engineers in Singapore has increased six times to 32,000 in the past 25 years.

Four more A*STAR science and engineering research institutes will be located at Fusionopolis Two to join the other two already at Fusionopolis One. The four are the Data Storage Institute, the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, and the Institute of Microelectronics. A*STAR has 18 research institutes in total.

“That is why we decided to create a research and innovation hub here in one-north, to take advantage of co-location, to foster closer collaboration between private enterprises and public research institutes,” Mr Lee said.

The opening of Fusionopolis Two, developed by JTC, comes against the backdrop of the highest gross domestic expenditure in research and development, at S$7.6 billion in 2013, according to a joint statement by A*STAR and JTC. The new 103,635sqm complex will be made up of three towers: The five-storey Synthesis housing laboratories and clean rooms, the 11-storey Kinesis comprising wet and dry labs, and the multi-tenanted 18-storey Innovis.

“With the complex slated to house research institutes and companies across various disciplines, it is hoped that it will spark off interdisciplinary collaborations among public and private sector players,” said Mr Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of A*STAR.

US chipmaker giant Applied Materials and A*STAR also said yesterday they will jointly set up a new R&D laboratory in Singapore to be housed at Fusionopolis Two. The S$150 million joint investment will go into developing advanced semiconductor technology.