Singapore To Increase Environment & Water Industry by 2015
Dedicated Environment & Water Industry Development Council has been set up, with R&D as the main driver, and $330 million in funding to boost the industry
The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) has set up a dedicated office, the Environment and Water Industry Development Council (EWI), to spearhead the growth of the environmental and water industry in Singapore.
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim said the EWI will help drive Singapore's goal to be a global hub for environment and water for business, investment, research and technology. He added, "A vibrant environment and water industry will contribute to sustainable economic growth. This is a timely opportunity for us to reap the benefits of our 40 years of experience in the water sector and the growing demand for water worldwide. One of the key thrusts of the EWI will be to get more water technology companies to come in to build up the capabilities in the water sector here, and then to find ways to internationalise the capabilities beyond Singapore."
The launch of the EWI follows the recent announcement by the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) on 7 July 2006 to provide $330 million over the next five years to boost the development of the local environment and water industry by providing additional funding for R&D.
An inter-agency organization within MEWR since 1 May 2006, EWI's key staff are drawn from the Ministry, PUB, Economic Development Board (EDB) and the National University of Singapore.
EWI, through the on-going efforts of agencies such as EDB, IE Singapore, PUB, the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), IE Singapore, National Environment Agency (NEA), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS), will:
- attract more companies to locate their operations in Singapore;
- help grow our local companies;
- encourage more companies and research institutes to develop cutting-edge water technology; and
- further export Singapore's capabilities to growing markets especially in the Middle East and China.
With the growing global emphasis on water and the environment, Singapore is well-placed to take the lead in this industry as an R & D base and as a provider of water solutions. To meet its water challenges, Singapore has been investing in research and technology for the last four decades and has developed capabilities in water management.
With the development of major national water projects such as NEWater, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System and Marina Barrage, Singapore has turned its vulnerability in water into a strength. This has resulted in a thriving water industry eco-system with more than 50 international and local companies here today. Singapore's strategic location in Asia has also attracted major global water players to use Singapore as a launch-pad to expand into the region, as well as a test-bedding and piloting base for new water technologies.
Singapore targets to grow value-added1 (VA) contribution from the water sector from $0.5 billion (0.3% of GDP) in 2003 to $1.7 billion (0.6% of GDP) by 2015. Jobs for this sector are expected to double to about 11,000 in 2015, with a large part of the growth in professional and skilled categories.
Capability Development Strategies & Schemes
With research and development as the main driver of capability development, six strategies have been mapped out to take an idea from conceptualisation to the commercialisation stage. These are to:
- Establish an Environment and Water Research Programme
- Strengthen international R&D linkages
- Make Singapore a global test-bed for environmental products and solutions
- Encourage the early adoption of new technologies in Singapore
- Bring new technologies to market
- Groom talent and manpower to fuel the growth of the industry here
The EWT Steering Committee is chaired by Chairman of the National Research Foundation, Dr Tony Tan, with the ministers of MEWR, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of National Development (MND). The Executive Committee is co-chaired by the permanent secretaries from MTI and MEWR with members from the government and academia.
SOURCE: EWI