The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium was abuzz with excitement on 23 January 2014 as 200 participants, including SMU faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the public, listened with rapt attention to the eminent speakers who were in SMU for a panel discussion on driving growth through science and innovation.

Held in conjunction with the Global Young Scientist Summit 2014 organised by the National Research Foundation, the discussion focused on the role of science and innovation in propelling growth, and delivering impact from research.

In his welcome remarks, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer noted that innovation is needed for wealth and job creation, and science and technology has an important role to play in this regard. Econometric studies, including those done at SMU, have shown that every dollar invested in science and technology has resulted in a significant increase in GDP, although yields achieved from such investments differ between countries and regions. Therefore, it is useful and important to learn why some companies and countries are more successful in translating scientific research into actual applications, which eventually contribute to economic growth.

Professor Kurt Wuthrich, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for his development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for determining the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules in solution, shared how the development of NMR has helped push the boundaries of research in structural biology and structural genomics. Prof Wüthrich has been able to translate his research into applications for everyday use by taking into account the humane aspect of life. For example, at the Kinderspital Zürich (a not-for-profit hospital for children in Switzerland), medical instruments such as the NMR spectrometer were given the human touch by remodelling it into a pleasant-looking house to assuage parents' worries of sending their children into a machine.

Sir Richard Roberts won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1993 for the discovery of split genes. In his presentation, he showed how this discovery has proven to be key to unlocking the doors of modern genomics and molecular biology. He is currently the Chief Scientific Officer at New England Biolabs, which is a leader in the discovery, development and commercialisation of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. Sir Richard Roberts revealed that a portion of the company’s profits are distributed to all their employees in an almost equitable manner, thus fostering a cooperative culture. The remaining profits are used to support basic and applied research, as well as product development and support, so as to ensure that their products are consistently of use and relevance to the industry.

In his presentation, Dr Irwin Mark Jacobs, who was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor in 2013, traced the growth of two companies he set up. LINKABIT Corporation, established in the 1970s, led the development of Very Small Aperture Earth Terminals (VSATs) and the VideoCipher® satellite-to-home TV system. He later co-founded Qualcomm, which pioneered the development and commercialisation of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless technology, the basis for all third-generation cellular networks which now provide voice and broadband Internet access for over 1.6 billion customers. The company is currently the world’s largest semiconductor supplier for wireless products and a leader in introducing fourth-generation technology.

 [Photo: The panellists fielded numerous questions during an interesting Question & Answer session]

Professor De Meyer, who moderated the Question & Answer session, noted the presentations demonstrated how science has contributed to economic growth; in fact, the scientific breakthroughs highlighted had led to paradigm shift in an entire industry. The panelists then addressed numerous questions from the audience, including how science and technology reinforce each other, encouraging innovation among employees, the importance of research and innovation, as well as tapping the Asian region for growth.    

Ending the discussion on a lighter note, Sir Richard Roberts, responding to a question posed by a student from Serangoon Junior College on how life has changed for him after winning the Nobel Prize, shared that he had been invited to many different types of events as a result, and was able to meet with many kinds of people in different areas of work which he would not otherwise have met, such as Harrison Ford and Whoopi Goldberg. “Many of these are high-achievers, and it is always useful to have a network of high-achieving people,” he quipped.

The Global Young Scientist Summit 2014 is an international gathering in Singapore of young scientists and researchers from all over the world with internationally eminent science and technology leaders who are recipients of the Fields Medal, Millennium Technology Prize, Nobel Prize and IEEE Medal of Honour. The theme for this year’s summit is ‘Advancing Science, Creating Technologies for a Better World’.

[Featured photo: SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer (second from right) moderated the panel discussion comprising (from left) Professor Kurt Wuthrich, Sir Richard Roberts, and (extreme right) Dr Irwin Mark Jacobs]