Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted to be here today at X-periment! 2002, jointly organised by A*STAR, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and the Singapore Science Centre. This is the second year that X-periment! is being brought to the public, and I am sure much hard work has gone into planning the whole event.

The choice of a shopping mall as venue for an R & D carnival may seem unusual, but is really quite apt. Science is not just something that occurs in a school or research lab. Science is part of everyday life, and is everywhere. Through Science, we ask questions about ourselves, and what we see around us. And through Science, we seek answers to these questions. It may be a question about what ants do when they excitedly wave their antennas in each other�s faces, or why breakfast cereal floats to the side of the bowl. We ask such questions naturally, and so do scientists.

Scientists take their questions back to their labs to work on their answers. They may use scientific terms, high-powered Mathematics or sophisticated measuring equipment. Yet the process of investigation and discovery is not a mystery. It is something we all can use, as we think about how things work.

Which brings us to the purpose of X-periment!: The carnival today is organised to provide scientists with the opportunity to bring their work closer to all of us, and to excite us with some of the possibilities that science is opening up. The close-up contact should also raise public awareness of what is happening in our research institutes and tertiary institutions.

Among the exhibits today is some recent work on the Hepatitis C virus and its detection using antibodies specific to the virus. This has important potential benefits, as a person infected with the virus runs the risk of liver disease. Another exhibit shows us the differences between a conductor, semi-conductor and non-conductor, and their relevance in much of what we see around us.

X-periment! will also feature exhibits from two of the four school Cluster Science and Technology Centre labs which have been developed by A*STAR in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. These Centres provide an environment, and often sophisticated facilities, to help stimulate the imagination of our students - to wonder, puzzle, read, analyse and probe. They thereby cultivate an interest in research. Each of the centres in the four Zones has its unique character and focus. Mentors, drawn from research institutes and centres, universities and polytechnics, work with the schools' science teachers to supervise the students in their research projects. The Centres provide a convenient platform for secondary and junior college students to interact with researchers from our tertiary and research institutions, as well as from industry.

Students from our Cluster Science and Technology Centres have brought some of their work and projects to this carnival. What they will share with us is not "schoolwork" as we know it. Their projects are quite clearly the result of a passion for the sciences, that has taken them beyond the school curriculum. Some of these students will have the opportunity to go on attachments at research labs overseas to expand and enrich their experiences. Their teachers, who have been their constant guides, are similarly being given opportunities to grow their skills and keep their knowledge of science up-to-date.

We are seeking to nurture an interest in scientific research from young for important reasons. We have entered a new phase of development as a nation, with challenges that are quite distinct from those in the last 30 years. To succeed in the new, innovation-driven economy, we need to build a critical mass of people with deep expertise in science and technology. Scientific research and innovation capabilities will be the key to anchoring value-adding, knowledge-intensive industries in Singapore.

To achieve this critical mass of expertise, we have to push on three fronts - first, nurture Singaporeans with a passion and ability to do research; second, attract talented researchers from all over the world to Singapore; and third, link up with the best centres of research excellence abroad. The three priorities go together, and ultimately feed on each other in a virtuous loop. To build a sustained research capability, we need a strong cadre of Singaporean scientists. And to inspire Singaporeans and help us stay at the forefront of research we need a constant infusion of top foreign expertise, and a flow of ideas to and from other centres in the world.

We should continue to provide the majority of Singapore students with the opportunity to pursue tertiary studies in the sciences and engineering. This strategy will allow us to retain a vibrant manufacturing sector, based on existing engines of growth like electronics and chemicals, and new horsepower in areas like the biomedical sciences. Having graduates schooled in the sciences will also allow us to build service industries and the professions to support knowledge-based manufacturing industries. For example, financial sector personnel and experts in intellectual property management with a good grasp of technology will be in increasing demand. We should therefore continue to encourage young Singaporeans to pursue training in the sciences and engineering, not only because it will allow us to retain manufacturing as a key pillar of growth, but because it builds the deep pools of expertise in research, production and the service professions that we need to develop knowledge-based clusters of activity. It will enable Singapore to stay relevant.

However, we cannot be too precise in planning the supply of local talent. No one can say exactly how many graduates the economy will need in electrical & electronic engineering or the life sciences, or in business and economics, in 10 years time, or even five. What matters is to ensure that our graduates are flexible, and open to knowledge, methods of inquiry and techniques from a range of disciplines. While we retain a broad focus on the sciences and engineering, our universities are therefore increasing the emphasis they place on interdisciplinary learning. We have to groom graduates who, whichever their chosen discipline, will take an active interest in areas outside their core specialisation and are able to make them relevant.

X-periment! is an important highlight of Science.02, a month of science, technology and biomedicine. More than 110 events have been lined up during the month, reaching out to professionals, students, and the general public. Besides profiling the R&D community, Science.02 will, I am, sure encourage an interest in scientific discovery and technical innovation in the general public. It also seeks to inspire an interest in our youth to pursue science as a career.

What we have at X-periment! today is a series of experiences you can have, to gain a better sense of how science is integral to our continued well-being and progress. Each exhibit invites you to be hands-on. I now have great pleasure in declaring X-periment! open. Let the fun begin!

Thank you.

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