Singapore, 17 October 2008 Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong joined more than 400 international leaders in science, technology and business to celebrate the opening of Fusionopolis, its second major R&D hub. Its first major hub, Biopolis, opened five years ago.
The futuristic 30-hectare Fusionopolis, which will be developed over six phases, is the country's icon for research in the interactive media, physical sciences, engineering and technology.
"Fusionopolis offers a unique and powerful model for research and innovation," said Lim Chuan Poh, chairman of the multi-agency Fusionopolis Steering Committee and chairman of A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Singapore's leading public research agency whose science and engineering research institutes will be located at Fusionopolis.
Home to public sector research institutes and corporate labs, Fusionopolis is specially designed to break down the barriers in organisations and allow multidisciplinary teams from both national and corporate laboratories to flourish. This is critical to achieving breakthroughs in the face of highly-complex, large scale societal challenges confronting society today.
Added Lim, "An emblem of community and collaboration, Fusionopolis' physical infrastructure is designed to facilitate interactions and integration of groups of talent with diverse capabilities. This way, it builds a sense of community among the people here, and creates opportunities for them to contribute their capabilities as a vibrant and collaborative community, to impact lives and the world."
Charles Zukoski, Ph.D., who chairs A*STAR's Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC), pointed out, "With Fusionopolis, we are trying to create a new model of doing research that cuts across many different borders. This mixing of different interests and backgrounds will lead to unexpected solutions to problems about which society cares. It is a uniqu
'/>"/>
| Contact: Cathy Yarbrough sciencematter@yahoo.com 858-243-1814 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore Source:Eurekalert |