Government plans in R&D and focus on
IT
The government of Singapore is actively involved in the development of IT into the 21st century through a National IT Plan. The goal of this plan is to transform Singapore from a low-tech manufacturing center to a high-tech manufacturing center and regional hub for commerce, communications, and transportation.
The government has developed the IT 2000 plan with a goal of making Singapore an advanced technology country by the turn of the century. IT 2000 is the development of a well integrated and extensive national information infrastructure (NII) based on advanced technology. This plan is going to be accomplished by looking at seven building blocks. These include IT manpower, IT culture, Information Communication Infrastructure, IT Applications, IT Industry, Climate for Creativity and Entrepreneurship, and Coordination and Cooperation. The IT 2000 master plan was developed after an exhaustive study led by the National Computer Board (NCB) along with a partnership including more than 200 senior executives from eleven major economic sectors in Singapore.
Examples of applications developed through IT 2000 include CORENET and the Borderless Library. CORENET stands for the Construction and Real Estate Network, which is an integrated network that links both public and private organizations in the construction and real estate sector to automate regulatory approval. The Borderless Library is a network of libraries and information providers which enables users to access information from multiple locations.(29)
The approach that Singapore has taken was one of the first in the world and because of its importance, many other countries have begun to take the same approach.
Major government R&D initiatives and
programs
The government of Singapore takes the approach that collective competitiveness or synergy is needed in order to get the best results. They believe that investors will benefits and so will Singapore.
Government support for businesses that want to invest in information technology is evident with the package of fiscal and financial incentives that are offered to help companies establish operations in the country. The government of Singapore has an open door policy that allows 100% foreign ownership of companies which makes it more attractive for international IT companies that are based in Singapore to do business. Fiscal incentives such as pioneer status and financial incentives such as Initiatives in New Technology ( INTECH), Software Quality Improvement Programme, Critical IT Resource Programme, Software Development Assistance Scheme, Research Development Assistance Scheme, and the Research Incentive Scheme for Companies all work to attract IT investment to the country.(30)
The government of Singapore also forms partnerships with companies to share the start-up costs and business risk of projects. This is make possible through a S$1 billion Cluster Development Fund that is managed by the Economic Development Board. An example of one of these projects is TECH Semiconductor which is s S$500 million joint venture by Texas Instruments, Cannon, Hewlett-Packard, and the Economic Development Board for the development of 4Mb and 16Mb DRAMs. The government gets involved in partnerships in areas outside Singapore as we. They have been involved in setting up regional industrial and technology parks in such places as Indonesia, China, and India.(31)
The government of Singapore also funds major Research and Development IT activities at the universities, Polytechnics and within industry to help speed up the development of the country's technology base.
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