During the launch of the 2026 Social Science and Humanities Ideas Festival at SMU, Minister of Education Desmond Lee announced that social sciences and humanities will receive a boost in support, with the Ministry of Education (MOE) setting aside $556 million over the next five years for research in those fields. Mr Lee said work in the social science and humanities has contributed to efforts to improve lives in Singapore. He noted that SMU’s Centre for Research on Successful Ageing, led by SMU Professor of Sociology (Practice) and Director of ROSA Paulin Straughan, works with Government agencies to use research insights to advance the holistic well-being of older people in Singapore.
SMU Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professor of Computational Social Science Kenneth Benoit also said that with MOE’s increased investment, SMU’s School of Social Sciences will further leverage its strengths in data-driven and interdisciplinary research to explore how society can respond to rapid technological change and demographic shifts. It will also cultivate a new generation of research talent to develop solutions to the complex issues shaping Singapore’s future development.