Bio-tech suffers another blow
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wonder if dr lee feels as strongly with the ministers' pay hike?
Bio-tech suffers another blow
BritainÂ’s Dolly-creator is latest of three scientists to leave.
Reuters.
Dec 16, 2007
By Daryl Loo
British scientist Alan Colman, who helped clone Dolly the sheep, is leaving Singapore, dealing another blow to the city-state's biotech ambitions.
Stem cell scientist Colman, who had been lured to the city-state with grants and research facilities, now heads a Singapore consortium in stem cell research.
He will leave next May for the Stem Cell Centre at King's College London, the city-state's Agency for Science, Technology and Research said in a statement.
The latest move follows news in September that two other top British scientists, David and Birgitte Lane, will also leave next year, giving weight to the World Bank's criticism that Singapore's biotech drive was overly reliant on "footloose" scientists who could leave at short notice.
Over the last five years, Singapore has ploughed more than S$3b into its biomedical sector, spending generously on start-ups, new labs and on luring top scientists such as Colman and the Lanes from the US and Europe.
Colman, who came to Singapore in 2002, told Reuters in a separate email that he will be dividing his time between Singapore and London, spending about a quarter of his time in Singapore.
"There will be scientific benefits to Singapore, I believe, from my move to London," he told Reuters.
But that argument cut no ice with the most outspoken critic of Singapore's biomedical policy: Lee Wei Ling, whose father Lee Kuan Yew founded modern Singapore and whose brother Lee Hsien Loong now runs the country as prime minister.
"How can you run research in Singapore on one-third or one-quarter of your time? You must be extremely efficient or not involved enough and so are not worth the money," Lee told Reuters.
‘No significant results’
Lee, a paediatrician who heads the National Neuroscience Institute, said that it was an inevitable that foreign researchers "will go where there's money available" as more Western universities raise funding for biomedical research.
She had earlier called for a reassessment of Singapore's biotech strategy. She said that billions of dollars have been spent without achieving significant results.
"I stand by my earlier statements. The reason I spoke out was because I thought what was going on was very wrong, and I just hope my message sinks home with the policy makers," Lee said.
Lee, 52, lives with her father Lee Kuan Yew, who still holds an influential position in his son's cabinet with the title of "Minister Mentor".
"I'm speaking out as "citizen Lee", not as MM's daughter, or PM's sister, but as someone very close to the ground when it comes to research, so I know what's relevant," Lee said.
Asked if there were concerns about the growing exodus of foreign scientists, A*STAR Chairman Lim Chuan Poh told Reuters in an email:
"We have always taken a pragmatic and flexible approach towards the hiring of top foreign scientists. The main focus is to find arrangements that enable them to be engaged in Singapore in a meaningful and impactful way."
Reuters -
Singapore is not mature enough for all these... it's no wonder that they leave...
On the other hand, make use of this opportunity to groom local talent rather than rely on them. This will hopefully reverse the trend of us being some hotel to foreign researchers.
Some of Singapore's major breakthroughs in the biotechnology field are overshadowed by others. -
a relative of mine, who works at NTU, told me that there were many many cases of PhD students, sponsored here on Singapore goverment's account, absconding after finishing their studies, breaking their bonds, running off to western countries .....
no prizes for guessing where these students are from of course ....
I think it's time for a serious relook at not just how we are attracting and loosing "foreign talents" ... but our entire "foreign talent" policy as well .....
Singaporeans also suffer a double whammy on both ends of the hiring spectrum ....
on the lower end we face an influx of cheaper foreign labour who can do the same work for less ....
on the upper end of the spectrum we faces an influx of expat foreign "talents" that competes with local professionals for the higher paying, managerial and high skillset jobs ...
our cost of living may be fast approaching first world standards, but our wages certainly aren't .....
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everybody knows, even the old man admitted it but they just want to carry on.Originally posted by Fatum:a relative of mine, who works at NTU, told me that there were many many cases of PhD students, sponsored here on Singapore goverment's account, absconding after finishing their studies, breaking their bonds, running off to western countries ..... -
Just because it is so easy for the government to take monies from its citizens with all sorts of excuses like "welfare is bad" "no free lunch" that monies are now awash for them to spend on dolly cloning paying S$billions without prospect of returns of significant breakthrough as questioned by Dr. Lee.
In spending billions of citizens' monies in such grandiose projects do any of our ministers under million-dollar mentoring of MM Lee or SM Goh have any vision or strategy for success.
Lim Chuan Poh has the gut to say that he is being pragmatic with spending such citizens' hard-earned monies :"We have always taken a pragmatic and flexible approach towards the hiring of top foreign scientists. The main focus is to find arrangements that enable them to be engaged in Singapore in a meaningful and impactful way."
Reuters
What meaningful and what impactful results has he achieved? -
hee... -
...the reason these people leave is because as world class thinkers... they cannot accept nepotism and cronyism and see despots behaving scurrilously and continue...
... world class thinkers have world class conscience... only public money grabbing despots can behave so dishonorably... -
What meaningful and what impactful results has he achieved?
Rather than questioning that, I would rather we focus on nurturing our own talent now, and not rely on the top scientists from everywhere in the world.
By all means, invite them over. They could serve as our mentors, guiding us. Not as researchers here. Having big names and pouring billions and billions isn't going to help. Start small, with guidance then move on to a bigger stage.
Recognition is gained over time, not through shortcuts. Some things can never be achieved by taking shortcuts. US, UK, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Poland, etc don't gain recognition by attracting top researchers, but producing quality work, and attracting the researchers there. -
short cuts doesnt works?
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How good is doing Nanotech in Singapore, and the working environment here?
I'm considering of going overseas to do my research too to avoid having to go back for reservice and meet those bastards again.
Also, here everything from strict working dress code to working environment is too uptight (which also impedes creativity)...these minor things tends to adds up to the negative aspects of working in SG. -
look at that face.Originally posted by googoomuck:
hee...
Of course I must clarify I mean so yen dao lor. What else can I say?
u no belif the me meh? -
Rubbish... There is one job in which the wages are way ahead of first world standardsOriginally posted by Fatum:our cost of living may be fast approaching first world standards, but our wages certainly aren't ..... 
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From what i understand Mr Philip Yeo is trying to build up a biotech industy the same way he built up the petroleum industry. He got the old man support that's why billions are invested into to the so call life science in sg.
The petroleum industry is successful, cause our education system and social system are structured in a way to support such industy (manufacturing). Rule based process to produce series of homogeneous products, that are market tested. building on our geo advantage investors will be happy to set up shop here.
But Biotech is a totally different story, it require vast amount of knowledge in primary reseach, and innovative people to apply and test them. People who are will to take risk to venture into new drug targets that may take decades to develop and test (lacking in our system). It take US many decades to achieve a sustainable platform to support such activities. And our dearest gov expect to see return in less then a decade ??
In my view, why Dr Lee say and focus in few high growth areas will be approprate in sg setting. We need something to augment sg's economy and not to create a bottomless pit so as to suck dry the citizen. The wage hike of minister is already ..... sign
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So just hope that this bio tech venture that the country has setup will have some positive impact on the economy rather then negative. Have FT moving out of this huge investment is not very good news .... -
If this biotech development can help us to spin off useful products or services at all so that it will overcome all the objections made by Dr. Lee and many others, let the billions of investments not be sucked into a blackhole but be proven and supported first with a easy-to-understand master plan the way it has been done for past industrialisation program under Dr. Winsemius.Originally posted by justcooler:From what i understand Mr Philip Yeo is trying to build up a biotech industy the same way he built up the petroleum industry. He got the old man support that's why billions are invested into to the so call life science in sg.
The petroleum industry is successful, cause our education system and social system are structured in a way to support such industy (manufacturing). Rule based process to produce series of homogeneous products, that are market tested. building on our geo advantage investors will be happy to set up shop here.
But Biotech is a totally different story, it require vast amount of knowledge in primary reseach, and innovative people to apply and test them. People who are will to take risk to venture into new drug targets that may take decades to develop and test (lacking in our system). It take US many decades to achieve a sustainable platform to support such activities. And our dearest gov expect to see return in less then a decade ??
In my view, why Dr Lee say and focus in few high growth areas will be approprate in sg setting. We need something to augment sg's economy and not to create a bottomless pit so as to suck dry the citizen. The wage hike of minister is already ..... sign.
So just hope that this bio tech venture that the country has setup will have some positive impact on the economy rather then negative. Have FT moving out of this huge investment is not very good news ....
Through such a master plan, experts in various fields will have to be structured to work hand in hand and total coordination guided by high level ministerial committee as a team to implement the niche-marketing master strategy adopted
Without a workable master plan supported by niche marketing strategy our biotech hub will end up as failures because there will be a lack of support and coordination by related specialists and experts needed in sufficient areas to support the original discoverers of new knowledge and apply them in real money-making profit-oriented enterprises, -
i agreed with lee wai ling.... frankly... i have seen many singapore researches wastes millions of our money just to stick their name on a noted publication to raise their stature...
alot of the ongoing project has little if absolute no economic future and worst... some of the research are in fact reinventing the wheels.... that others had already done decades ago...
yet ...... our govt just blindly pour money into biotech believing that time and not proper assessment is the key to bear fruit from our investment.... a load of crap i say... those people in charge of approving research grant should be haul up and assess for competency first.
i doubt any of those so call boards knew anything about economics... they probably run the research fundings like the MOH... not for profit...
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It's ok.
The government has a lot Singaporeans' money to create other kinds of hubs.
Medical hub, transport hub, manufacturing hub, gaming hub, film hub, gambling hub.
They are never short of hub ideas.