Singapore’s gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) fell 15.2% to SGD 6.0 billion ($4.6 billion) in 2009. Business expenditure on R&D fell to SGD 3.7 billion ($2.8 billion), a decrease of 27.3%. Business spending on basic research fell 11.3% to SGD 398.3 million ($307.7 million), on applied research grew 2.2% to SGD 1.11 billion ($849.8 million) and on experimental development declined 3.8% to SGD 2.2 billion ($1.7 billion). Public expenditure on R&D increased 15.4% to SGD 2.3 billion ($1.7 billion). For the public sector, pure basic research, strategic basic research, applied research and experimental development increased 5.8%, 10.3%, 19.0% and 20.7% to SGD 317.7 million ($245.4 million), SGD 509.7 million ($393.8 million), SGD 850.7 million ($657.2 million) and SGD 640.2 million ($494.6 million), respectively. The number of research scientists and engineers rose to 26,608, a 3.4% increase. Under its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2015 plan, the government plans to put 1% of Singapore’s GDP, SGD 16.1 billion ($12.4 billion), toward R&D over the next five years.

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research