Singapore SME Innovation Support Schemes - PRO INNO Europe
Singapore SME Innovation Support Schemes - PRO INNO Europe
Singapore SME Innovation Support Schemes - PRO INNO Europe
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Document ID: IPF 12-012<br />
V<strong>INNO</strong>VA Dno: 2009-04589<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> <strong>SME</strong> <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>Support</strong><br />
<strong>Schemes</strong><br />
Final Report on IPF Review visit to <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
May 2012
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Summary<br />
This report describes the results of the research and study visit which was conducted to investigate<br />
aspects of the <strong>SME</strong> innovation support in <strong>Singapore</strong> as part of workpackage 5 activities.<br />
As outlined in the body of the report the study found several approaches used by<br />
Spring <strong>Singapore</strong>, the agency in charge of the development of indigenous <strong>Singapore</strong> enterprises,<br />
which were considered good practices and which could be considered for transfer to<br />
a <strong>Europe</strong>an context. The report describes the Enterprise One scheme, which is considered<br />
good practice in the delivery of basic information and advice to a very large number of <strong>SME</strong>s.<br />
This programme which consists of a web-portal, hotlines and a network of advice centres is<br />
aimed at providing a single portal and point of access for <strong>SME</strong>s to access basic information<br />
and advice services provided by large number of different government agencies. The report<br />
also describes the approach used in <strong>Singapore</strong> to the support of youth entrepreneurship,<br />
where Spring <strong>Singapore</strong> run programmes to support the development of entrepreneurship<br />
education programmes in schools and funding programmes to support start-up companies<br />
established by young entrepreneurs.<br />
Dissemination level:<br />
The dissemination level set for this report is PP i.e. restricted to program participants<br />
(incl. the Commission Services).<br />
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This report was prepared by:<br />
Terence O’Donnell, Enterprise Ireland, Kate Yarrington, Technology Strategy Board, UK<br />
Contact details:<br />
Enterprise Ireland,<br />
Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown,<br />
Cork, Ireland<br />
Phone: +353 21 4800236<br />
e-mail: terence.odonnell@enterprise-ireland.com<br />
Disclaimer<br />
The views expressed in this report are those of the author and the Peer Review Team.<br />
They do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the <strong>Europe</strong>an Commission and<br />
in no way commit the involved organisations.<br />
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1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 7<br />
2 <strong>Singapore</strong> Policy Mix, Objectives and Delivery ........................................................... 7<br />
2.1 Main Actors in the <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>Support</strong> System .............................................................. 9<br />
2.1.1 SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong> ............................................................................................................ 10<br />
2.1.2 A*Star .............................................................................................................................. 10<br />
2.1.3 Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL) ................................................................................. 10<br />
2.1.4 <strong>Singapore</strong> Economic Development Board ....................................................................... 10<br />
2.1.5 IE <strong>Singapore</strong> ..................................................................................................................... 10<br />
3 Spring <strong>Singapore</strong> <strong>SME</strong> support schemes ................................................................... 11<br />
3.1 Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion ............................................................................ 12<br />
3.1.1 Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Schools: Yes!Schools ................................................. 13<br />
3.1.2 Ideas.inc Business Challenge ........................................................................................... 14<br />
3.1.3 Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Start-ups (YES! Start-ups) .......................................... 14<br />
3.2 Service Delivery: The EnterpriseOne Approach ............................................................ 15<br />
3.2.1 Operation of the System.................................................................................................. 16<br />
3.2.2 Features ........................................................................................................................... 17<br />
3.2.3 Results and Impact .......................................................................................................... 18<br />
3.2.4 Success Factors & Lessons Learned ................................................................................. 18<br />
4 A*Star <strong>SME</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Schemes</strong> .................................................................................. 19<br />
4.1.1 Exploit Technologies ........................................................................................................ 21<br />
5 Good Practices & Transferability .............................................................................. 23<br />
5.1 Integrated Approach to Youth Entrepreneurship ......................................................... 23<br />
5.1.1 Transferability .................................................................................................................. 24<br />
5.2 EntepriseOne Approach .............................................................................................. 24<br />
5.2.1 Transferability .................................................................................................................. 25<br />
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1 Introduction<br />
The Inno Partnering Forum (IPF) is concerned with identifying and learning from best<br />
practice in <strong>SME</strong> innovation support programmes in <strong>Europe</strong> and around the world. Specifically<br />
Workpackage 5 within the project was to identify countries and programmes<br />
outside of <strong>Europe</strong> with the potential to supply examples of good practice. An initial<br />
phase of desk research identified a number of countries and <strong>SME</strong> innovation support<br />
programmes within those countries which could potentially be considered good practice.<br />
A second phase of the work focused on conducting more detailed research on a<br />
short list of identified programmes including a review or study visit to countries of particular<br />
interest. The third phase of the work involved the analysis and formulation of<br />
possible new measures based on the programmes and practices identified during the<br />
study visits.<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> was identified as a country of interest as it is among the top 10 innovation<br />
performers in the world, with a very strong focus on developing a knowledge and innovation<br />
based economy. Over the past 10 years or more it has developed a very strong<br />
innovation support system.<br />
The study visit to <strong>Singapore</strong> was organised as a follow on visit to the visit to South Korea.<br />
Of particular interest to the IPF in <strong>Singapore</strong> were the activities of Spring <strong>Singapore</strong>,<br />
the agency responsible for the development of local industry and in particular<br />
<strong>SME</strong>s and A*Star the agency for Science, Technology and Research.<br />
Of particular interest to the IPF is the operation of the EnterpriseOne service which is<br />
managed by Spring <strong>Singapore</strong> and their schemes for support of entrepreneurship. For<br />
example they run several schemes aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship from an early<br />
age such as the Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Start-ups and the Young Entrepreneur<br />
Scheme for Schools.<br />
2 <strong>Singapore</strong> Policy Mix, Objectives and Delivery<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> is a Southeast Asian country with a population of 5 million (just a little larger<br />
than Finland), of which 42% are non-natives. It is a leading financial centre with the<br />
fastest growing economy and highest per capita GDP in the world. (GDP growth of<br />
17.9% in 2010) and is in the top 10 of innovating countries. Figure 1 shows an overview<br />
of the development of the <strong>Singapore</strong> economy over the past 50 years. The economy has<br />
developed from being a labour intensive one in the 1960s to being knowledge and innovation<br />
based economy in the 2000s. <strong>Singapore</strong> has no natural resources; the economy<br />
has largely being built on the importation of raw materials and the export of finished<br />
goods. It is very much an export based economy with the main exports being in Electronics,<br />
Chemicals and services.<br />
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Figure 1: Growth and Development of the <strong>Singapore</strong> economy over the past 50 years.<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> has been very successful in attracting Foreign Direct Investment, with currently<br />
more than 3000 Multi National Corporations (MNC) located in <strong>Singapore</strong>. <strong>SME</strong>s<br />
are also a very important part of the economy as they account for 99% of the total enterprises,<br />
60% of employment with a value added contribution of 46% (2007).<br />
From 1990 onwards there has been a very active push by the government to make <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
into a knowledge intensive economy which has been very successful. Between<br />
1990 and 2009, <strong>Singapore</strong>’s GDP has grown by 3.7 times and R&D expenditure has<br />
grown from being 1% of GDP to a present figure of 2.3% of GDP. The approach to policy<br />
development in <strong>Singapore</strong> could be characterised as being holistic with very much a<br />
“planned capitalism” system. The government has invested in and owns a share of many<br />
large companies which are closely related to the <strong>Singapore</strong> economy through its investment<br />
company Temasek Holdings.<br />
The development of Science, Technology and <strong>Innovation</strong> is planned according to a series<br />
of Five year plans. The current 5 year plan, termed Research, <strong>Innovation</strong>, Enterprise<br />
2015 (RIE2015), runs from 2011 to 2015 and promises a S$16.1 billion (approximately<br />
€9.8 billion ) investment in R&D over the 5 years. This represents a 20% increase<br />
in funding over the previous 5 year plan.<br />
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The RIE2015 has six main thrusts;<br />
o Investment in basic science as the basis for future innovations<br />
o Attracting and developing scientific talent to locate in <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
o Greater emphasis on competitive funding as a means to select the best ideas<br />
o Fostering of greater synergy between public and private enterprises.<br />
o A greater focus on research with economic outcomes<br />
o Strengthened support for technology commercialisation<br />
2.1 Main Actors in the <strong>Innovation</strong> <strong>Support</strong> System<br />
The diagram in Figure 2 illustrates the main actors and their position in the <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
RD&I framework. Public funding for industrial RD&I comes mainly through the Ministry<br />
of Trade and Industry. It funds 10 Statutory Boards, including SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
(Standards, Productivity and <strong>Innovation</strong> Board) and A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology<br />
and Research). Other agencies include the Economic Development Board, which<br />
formulates and executes strategy for growing the <strong>Singapore</strong> economy, and International<br />
Enterprise <strong>Singapore</strong> which helps <strong>Singapore</strong>-based companies expand overseas.<br />
Figure 2: The R&D Framework in <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
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2.1.1 SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
http://www.spring.gov.sg<br />
SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong> is the enterprise development agency responsible for helping <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
enterprises grow. They assist enterprises though financing, capability and management<br />
development, technology and innovation, and with accessing new markets.<br />
SPRING is also the national standards and accreditation body.<br />
2.1.2 A*Star<br />
http://www.a-star.edu.sg/<br />
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering<br />
scientific research and talent in <strong>Singapore</strong>. A*STAR has 7 research institutes in<br />
the biomedical sciences area and 7 research institutes in the physical sciences and engineering<br />
area and employs over 2,300 researchers. Most of the research centres are located<br />
in Biopolis and Fusionopolis campuses which accommodate the biomedical institutes<br />
and science and engineering institutes respectively. A*Star’s focus is very much on<br />
industrially relevant research and it supports <strong>Singapore</strong>'s key economic clusters by<br />
providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to industrial partners.<br />
2.1.3 Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL)<br />
http://www.exploit-tech.com<br />
ETPL is the marketing and commercialisation arm of A*STAR which manages the intellectual<br />
property portfolio of A*STAR’s research institutes and centres. It promotes the<br />
institutes’ research capabilities and facilitates the transfer of A*STAR’s technologies to<br />
industry. Its aim is to ensure that new IP generated by A*Stars researchers is exploited<br />
to produce tangible products and services.<br />
2.1.4 <strong>Singapore</strong> Economic Development Board<br />
http://www.sedb.com<br />
The <strong>Singapore</strong> Economic Development Board (EDB) is the government agency concerned<br />
with planning and executing strategies to enhance <strong>Singapore</strong>'s position as a<br />
global business centre. Its activities include Attracting Foreign Investment, Growing<br />
Industry Verticals by helping expand existing industry into new growth areas and enhancing<br />
the Business Environment by working with other government agencies to ensure<br />
that infrastructure and public services are conducive to a successful business environment.<br />
2.1.5 IE <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
http://www.iesingapore.gov.sg<br />
International Enterprise (IE) <strong>Singapore</strong> is the government agency driving <strong>Singapore</strong>'s<br />
external economy. The agency is concerned with the overseas growth of <strong>Singapore</strong>based<br />
companies and promotes international trade. IE assists <strong>Singapore</strong>-based companies<br />
in their international expansion through providing what is referred to as their "3C"<br />
framework of assistance (Connections, Competency and Capital). They also operate a<br />
global network in over 35 locations spanning many emerging markets. They also anchor<br />
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global trading companies in <strong>Singapore</strong> and position the country as a base to expand into<br />
the region in partnership with <strong>Singapore</strong>-based companies.<br />
3 Spring <strong>Singapore</strong> <strong>SME</strong> support schemes<br />
(SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong>, 2010 budget S$90 million, approximately €54 million )<br />
Spring’s main role is in assisting the development and growth of <strong>Singapore</strong>’s indigenous<br />
companies . It therefore runs programmes aimed mostly at entrepreneurs, start-ups and<br />
<strong>SME</strong>s. For its programmes aimed at <strong>SME</strong>s Spring <strong>Singapore</strong> divides it offerings into Capability<br />
Programmes and Financing Programmes.<br />
The Capability Programmes are aimed at the development of <strong>SME</strong> competencies for long<br />
term growth. They include such things as business mentorship, management development<br />
for CEOs, technical assistance programmes, marketing programmes etc.<br />
The programmes aimed specifically at Technology <strong>Innovation</strong> include the following;<br />
• <strong>Innovation</strong> Voucher Scheme : This is similar to the <strong>Innovation</strong> Voucher schemes run<br />
by many <strong>Europe</strong>, whereby an <strong>SME</strong> can apply for a voucher worth S$5000 (€3000 ),<br />
which can be redeemed for knowledge related advice and services from knowledge<br />
providers. From mid 2012 the innovation voucher scheme is to be extended to cover<br />
advice and services in productivity, HR development and financial management, in<br />
addition to technical advice and services.<br />
• Technology Enterprise Commercialisation Scheme : This scheme, which is running<br />
since 2008, aims to facilitate the growth of technologically innovative global enterprises<br />
through the provision of early stage funding for R&D aimed at commercialisation<br />
of proprietary technology. The scheme has a focus on post graduates in Universities<br />
who have a scalable business model, but which is riskier and further away from<br />
the market. The scheme uses two stages of funding, a Proof of Concept Phase and a<br />
Proof of Value Phase. The proof of concept is aimed at start-ups or researchers from<br />
public R&D organisations, to demonstrate the technical/scientific viability of a technology.<br />
Costs are funded 100% up to a maximum of S$250,000 (€150,000). In this<br />
case, although the grant can initially be to the university, a start-up company must be<br />
formed before the end of the project. The Proof of Value Phase is aimed at start-ups to<br />
do further R&D on successful POC projects. This phase should lead to a first working<br />
prototype and is funded at 85% up to S$500,000 (€300,000) per project. Applicants<br />
are required to demonstrate proof of interest from a potential customer or third party<br />
investor. In 2010 23 new projects were supported, with a cumulative on-going support<br />
for 77 projects.<br />
• Technology <strong>Innovation</strong> Programme : This is a range of funding programmes aimed<br />
at supporting the cost of technology innovation in local <strong>Singapore</strong> companies. It has<br />
three main components:<br />
o Funding for <strong>SME</strong>s or consortia which consist of at least half <strong>SME</strong>s, to undertake<br />
projects which involve the application of technology to develop or<br />
improve products, processes or business models. Typically projects are<br />
50% funded, unless the project is a consortium project which has benefit<br />
beyond the consortium members, in which case it can qualify for 70%<br />
funding.<br />
o Centres of <strong>Innovation</strong> which are centres established in the polytechnics or<br />
research institutes, offering sector specific technology consultancy and<br />
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advice. At the moment there are 5 such centres in Food <strong>Innovation</strong>, Precision<br />
Engineering, Marine and Offshore Technology, Electronics, and Environment<br />
and Water.<br />
o A programme aimed at seconding technical experts into companies to help<br />
build the in-house capabilities of the company. Funding can cover up to<br />
70% of the costs for a maximum of two years. This programme is run<br />
jointly with A*Star, typically the technical experts come from A*Star and<br />
the funding is provided by SPRING.<br />
Under its Financing programme, SPRING works closely with financial institutions to aid<br />
<strong>SME</strong>s in accessing finance. The financing programmes include schemes for matching<br />
entrepreneurs to funding sources, loan insurance schemes, and provision of loans and<br />
micro-loans.<br />
Deal Flow Connection, which is an online service which facilities the matching of entrepreneurs<br />
with financing. The intention of the service is to provide a platform where entrepreneurs<br />
and <strong>SME</strong>s seeking funding can get in contact with intermediaries and financing<br />
sources (government, venture funds, private investors, financial institutions).<br />
The Deal flow portal is run by DP Information Group (DP Info), <strong>Singapore</strong>'s leading<br />
credit and business information bureau. <strong>SME</strong>s pay a registration fee of $50 per year to<br />
access the portal.<br />
Under the loan Insurance Scheme, the government will pay 50% of the insurance premium<br />
required to insure a company’s loans against default risks. The loans and micro<br />
loan schemes are run by participating financial institutions and banks.<br />
In addition to the above Spring <strong>Singapore</strong> also has more specific supports aimed at the<br />
development of innovative start-ups so that they grow into globally competitive companies.<br />
The programmes for start-ups include;<br />
• Business Angel Funds : Spring co-invests with Angel investors in early stage companies<br />
through an equity based finance scheme.<br />
• SPRING Start-up Enterprise Development Scheme (SPRING SEEDS): Spring invests in<br />
start-ups though an equity based co-financing model. Spring will invest up to $1 million<br />
on the condition of matching investment from other private investors. The investment<br />
is handled and managed by a wholly owned subsidiary, SPRING SEEDS Capital.<br />
• Technology Enterprise Commercialisation Scheme (TECS) : Described above.<br />
3.1 Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion<br />
SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong> has a particular emphasis on the promotion and development of entreneurship<br />
among young people and run two programmes specifically aimed at this,<br />
the Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Start-ups (YES! Start-ups) and the Young Entrepreneurs<br />
Scheme for Schools.<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> has had a focus on the development of youth entrepreneurship since 2004<br />
when it introduced its Entrepreneurship Talent Development Fund which was meant to<br />
be a “learning by doing” support programme aimed at raising the next generation of <strong>Singapore</strong>’s<br />
entrepreneurs. The aims of the programme were to increase awareness of entrepreneurship<br />
in both students and educators, inspire youths to be innovative and<br />
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equip them with entrepreneurial mindset and skills. This programme gave a grant of<br />
maximum S$50,000 (€30,000) per student to start a business venture. The grant had to<br />
be matched S$1 from the business venture itself and S$1 from the student’s school. Although<br />
the original programme had a budget of $25 million for 5 years, the take-up on<br />
the programme was relatively low and by the end of the programme in 2010 only $1.76<br />
million had been paid out. Nevertheless the programme supported 48 student ventures,<br />
and 122 students. 13 of these ventures were still in business, with a combined total of<br />
94 employees and greater than $10 million revenues.<br />
SPRING explains the lack of take up of the scheme as been largely due to the reluctance<br />
of the schools to fund the ventures, as this was not part of their core activities. Moreover<br />
although the programme supplied funding to student entrepreneurs it did not focus<br />
enough on igniting the initial interest in entrepreneurship. The programme was redesigned<br />
in 2008, so as to incorporate more promotion, awareness raising and mentoring<br />
initiatives in addition to the funding. This resulted in an emphasis on four different aspects,<br />
namely, Initiation to Entrepreneurship, Development of Ideas, Commercialisation<br />
of ideas, all underpinned by a National Promotion Effort. SPRING either directly runs or<br />
sponsors programmes which deal with all these aspects of youth entrepreneurship.<br />
For example, the Yes!Schools programme (see section 3.1.1), which is directly administered<br />
by SPRING, provides funding and mentoring to schools to run entrepreneurship<br />
education programmes. This is an example of a programme aimed at introducing students<br />
to entrepreneurship though education. An example of a programme aimed at the<br />
development of entrepreneurial ideas is the Ideas.inc. Business Challenge which is run<br />
by Nanyang Technical University, but sponsored by SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong>, which provides<br />
funding and mentoring to turn an idea into a business (see section 3.1.2). The<br />
YES!Startups programme, run by SPRING (see section 3.1.3) then provides the funding<br />
to actually support students to start a business. These programmes are all complemented<br />
by a national promotion effort.<br />
3.1.1 Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Schools: Yes!Schools<br />
The YES!Schools is a relatively new scheme, started in October 2008 which provides<br />
schools with grants of up to $100,000 to put in place a comprehensive structured entrepreneurship<br />
learning programme. Schools can apply for support to design entrepreneurship<br />
training programmes all the way from primary schools (9 – 12 year olds) to<br />
universities. There are different learning outcomes defined and expected from the programmes<br />
in the different age groups and it is expected that the programmes adopt a holistic<br />
approach, which cover all aspects of entrepreneurship (e.g. character development,<br />
relationship managements, and business and technical skills).<br />
YES!Schools is available to polytechnics, institutes of technical education, junior colleges,<br />
centralised institutes and secondary schools. Schools submit their project proposals to<br />
SPRING, who evaluate the proposals based on aspects such as Entrepreneurship and<br />
innovative elements, Holistic approach, Hands-on (experiential) learning component,<br />
Reach of project, and the use of Mentors.<br />
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There is very much a focus on supporting school programmes which have a hands on<br />
element involved. As of November 2011 the scheme had supported 100 schools, benefiting<br />
25,000 students. The scheme also does promotion activities such as producing a<br />
quarterly newsletter.<br />
3.1.2 Ideas.inc Business Challenge<br />
http://ideasincsg.com/<br />
The Idea.inc Business Challenge is an example of a programme which helps turn student<br />
ideas into business concepts by combing developmental workshops, expert mentoring,<br />
and funding with the elements of a competition. This is a new programme, which is<br />
running in 2011/2012 and is run by Nanyang Technical University and aimed mainly at<br />
University students less than 26 years of age. Students are initially invited to submit a<br />
business idea to apply for the programme. After this they can attend workshops which<br />
are aimed at developing skills in business planning, marketing, intellectual property and<br />
accounting. After attending the workshops the applicants must submit an executive<br />
summary of their business idea on-line. These submissions are judged by a panel and 40<br />
quarter finalists are chosen to pitch their business idea before the panel. From these 15<br />
semi-finalists are picked. Each semi-finalist is awarded S$15,000 (€9000) to complete a<br />
proof of concept, which involves registering a company and conducting feasibility studies<br />
and market research and developing a prototype. This phase is also supported by<br />
business skills workshops given by expert mentors. Out of the semi-finalists 6 final<br />
teams are chosen and these are awarded S$50,000 (€30,000) for commercialisation. Out<br />
of these 6, 3 are finally chosen and awarded a prize money of S$100,000 (€60,000).<br />
3.1.3 Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Start-ups (YES! Start-ups)<br />
The YES! Start-ups programme provides funding support of up to S$50,000 (€30,000)<br />
for youths to set up their innovative start-up. Spring will provide 4:1 matching funding<br />
up to the maximum of $50,000. The other funding may come from self-financing,<br />
schools, or third party sources. The funding is supplied as a grant. Applicants must be<br />
below 26 years of age and be a first time entrepreneur. The company must be incorporated<br />
for less than 6 months, be engaged in high growth activities and be based in <strong>Singapore</strong>.<br />
From the government perspective the programme is regarded more as an educational<br />
programme in entrepreneurship than one designed to build companies – it is more of a<br />
“learn by doing” programme. The mindset behind the scheme is that the investment is<br />
more of an investment in education than in business development, i.e. there is not a<br />
strong expectation that significant numbers of successful companies will be born.<br />
Nevertheless the programme seems quite successful. Since November 2008, 127 startup<br />
companies, involving 182 youths, have been awarded a total of S$6.32 million. These<br />
start-ups have generated approximately 160 new jobs, and have raised more than S$8<br />
million in investment from third parties. The typical age profile of the students is in the<br />
21 – 22 years age group, where they are in their 2 nd or 3 rd year in university. Interesting<br />
however, the students do not generally get any time out from their studies to start the<br />
business.<br />
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SPRING evaluates the proposals mostly internally, with a focus on the selection criteria,<br />
based on the innovation – i.e. the USP, the revenue model, the market demand and the<br />
management team. All applicants are interviewed. The progress of successful candidates<br />
is tracked for 24 months after receiving the grant. Although quantitative data was not<br />
presented it was stated that the failure rate was about 10% after 3 years.<br />
It is also worth noting that the young entrepreneur development programmes of Spring<br />
are complimented by several programmes run by the Universities. Many of the universities<br />
also have incubators which further support the programme.<br />
An example is the National University of <strong>Singapore</strong>’s (NUS) Enterprise Incubator, which<br />
in addition to the usual mentoring, networking activities, runs an internationalisation<br />
programme which provides start-ups an opportunity to gain access into global networks.<br />
For example the programme provides hot-desk and networking opportunities in<br />
Silicon Valley for promising start-ups. Experienced mentors and/or overseas business<br />
development managers work with these start-ups to help them establish links. The NUS<br />
also runs an overseas college programme, which places students in overseas start-ups<br />
for 9 months . This programme typically places 30 – 40 students per year in start-ups in<br />
Silicon Valley for example. This programme does not have a direct involvement from<br />
SPRING, other than assistance in the network building. It was stated that a very high<br />
proportion of such students go on to start companies themselves.<br />
3.2 Service Delivery: The EnterpriseOne Approach<br />
www.business.gov.sg<br />
EnterpriseOne is an aspect of a support delivery system established and managed by<br />
SPRING in order to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for <strong>SME</strong>s needing to access government<br />
support. The EnterpriseOne scheme is very much focussed on providing an information<br />
and basic advice service to a very large number of micro-enterprises. As background<br />
Enterprises in <strong>Singapore</strong> can be segmented into:<br />
• Micro-enterprises: Loosely defined as those with less than 10 employees and less<br />
than S$1 million turnover, of which there are approximately 123,000 in <strong>Singapore</strong>.<br />
• <strong>SME</strong>s: Less than 200 employees and S$100, million turnover, of which there are<br />
approximately 31,000.<br />
• Large Companies: Of which there are approximately 1,600.<br />
EnterpriseOne was developed in response to the call in the early 2000s for a dedicated,<br />
one stop shop support service for <strong>SME</strong>s, so that businesses did not waste time chasing<br />
different government agencies for support. The EnterpriseOne portal, which was set up<br />
in 2006, was intended to provide an online, self-help, information resource for <strong>SME</strong>s,<br />
complemented by a hotline service. The mindset behind the approach is that there<br />
should be “no wrong door” for <strong>SME</strong>s wanting to access government services and EnterpriseOne<br />
should represent the big main front door.<br />
EnterpriseOne stands for ’One Network for Enterprises’ and is a website bringing together<br />
a range of information, services and support for <strong>Singapore</strong>an business, including<br />
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usiness loans; grants; tax incentives and equity financing, from 30 different government<br />
ministries and public organisations. The service aims to be the first point of contact<br />
for <strong>SME</strong>s. It aims to help local enterprises, start-ups, and aspiring entrepreneurs, as<br />
well as foreigners setting up businesses in <strong>Singapore</strong>. One of the main purposes is to<br />
provide basic support to a very large number of clients in an efficient way and hence to<br />
allow SPRING to reach out to a wider range of <strong>SME</strong>s.<br />
EnterpriseOne is the interface between the Ministry of Trade and Industry/SPRING and<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong>an businesses. It is linked to the SPRING and the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s<br />
websites. EnterpriseOne is managed by SPRING, and SPRING has flexibility in deciding<br />
how the portal works and is operated.<br />
The Website is supported by a network of 5 enterprise development centres (EDC),<br />
which offer further, basic, non-customised business and financial advisory services. These<br />
EDCs are set up as a partnership with industry associations and Chambers of Commerce.<br />
The 5 EDC are run by, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the <strong>Singapore</strong> Indian Chamber of<br />
Commerce and Industry, the <strong>Singapore</strong> Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and<br />
the <strong>Singapore</strong> Manufacturers Association. They provide a channel for <strong>SME</strong>s to obtain<br />
professional advice on business upgrading, expansion, etc. Each EDC has a team of business<br />
consultants to provide legal, financial, management and business services. Each<br />
Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) is staffed by an average of 4 Business Advisors, of<br />
which 3 or 4 are degree holders. Most staff have consultancy experience either in business<br />
and/or operational management. The EDCs give 1 – 2 hours free business advice to<br />
companies, which is typically fairly basic advice on business and financial aspects. First<br />
level advisory services at the EDCs are free, including financing, HR, branding, marketing,<br />
IT and advice on availability and applying for government schemes and grants. EDCs<br />
may charge for more in-depth consultation.<br />
EnterpriseOne is a whole-of-government initiative. Initial funding came from the Ministry<br />
of Finance; thereafter recurrent costs to operate the portal are funded by SPRING.<br />
3.2.1 Operation of the System<br />
EnterpriseOne essentially provides 3 levels of service, the website, the hotline and the<br />
EDCs. There are 3 officers managing the EnterpriseOne portal (i.e. content updates, new<br />
content development, implementation of new toolkits and features). A further 5 SPRING<br />
officers man the hotline call centre operations. The majority of these are diploma graduates.<br />
Officers are trained to diagnose <strong>SME</strong>’s needs and answer telephone and email queries.<br />
For more complicated or case-specific enquiries officers escalate cases to relevant<br />
experts or agencies, and monitor the responses. The call centre receives an average<br />
1200 to 1300 queries per month. Each Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) is staffed<br />
by an average of 4 Business Advisors, most of which have consultancy experience either<br />
in business and/or operational management. The entire EnterpriseOne service is therefore<br />
provided with approximately 30 staff.<br />
It is not compulsory for other agencies to have information on EnterpriseOne but many<br />
do find it useful to publish their regulations, assistance schemes and programmes on the<br />
site because the site has a good hit rate and the target audience of enterprises and entrepreneurs<br />
is similar to that of the agencies.<br />
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Contact Points in the various agencies liaise between the various government agencies<br />
and EnterpriseOne. Their key task is to keep the information on EnterpriseOne updated;<br />
however the updating of information to the site is performed by the EnterpriseOne<br />
webmaster. The site functions as a linked site rather than a true one-stop-shop because<br />
Government agencies already had their own websites and had already developed many<br />
useful e-services to serve enterprises. It was considered to be unfeasible to implement a<br />
true ’one-stop-shop’ integrating all the e-services .<br />
3.2.2 Features<br />
• Ability to do a ’quickfind’ search where the user is asked 4 questions and results show<br />
schemes that are relevant, with links to a webpage within EnterpriseOne, with a<br />
summary of the scheme, how to apply, and basic eligibility criteria. The following features<br />
can be accessed via the ’quickfind’ search:<br />
o Customised funding options<br />
o Customised Government assistance<br />
o Market statistics released by Government agencies<br />
o Business-related Government e-services<br />
o Relevant licences and permits<br />
• The user can then follow a link from the summary page to an external website belonging<br />
to the government department or agency offering the scheme or programme. Once<br />
on the government site however it is generally necessary to telephone a contact at the<br />
agency and print out forms and post or email them to the relevant agency’s fund manager.<br />
The due diligence process alone can then take 2-3 months.<br />
• More than 150 ’How To’ guides, checklists and flow charts are published on the site.<br />
• The entire Frequently Asked Question database has been uploaded and can be<br />
searched by typing in a question.<br />
• EnterpriseOne has on-line applications for over 80 business licences from 17 government<br />
agencies through the Online Business Licensing Service whereby businesses can<br />
apply for their licences at any time and anywhere. Part of the application form is integrated<br />
and there is no need for businesses to re-submit generic data.<br />
• There is a Productivity@Work micro-site which aims to raise awareness on productivity<br />
issues and encourage <strong>SME</strong>s to increase productivity.<br />
• The site exists in English and Chinese languages, with the Chinese version being maintained<br />
by the <strong>Singapore</strong> Chinese Chamber of commerce.<br />
Overall the main advantage of this system is the breadth of advice and links that a search<br />
can return, and the simple on-line questionnaires which filter results to ensure only relevant<br />
results are returned. For example, a search on ’quick find’ and ’funding options’<br />
takes the user through 4 questions and returns a list of options which include information<br />
on different loans (including family loans), information on a SPRING Microloan<br />
Programme, advice on how to apply for loans, and other government assistance which<br />
can include links to the Tax Exemption for Startup scheme. These links then take the<br />
user to a webpage on the EnterpriseOne site, which is useful in that it gives a simple<br />
guide to eligibility. This then usefully links to the SPRING site or Inland Revenue site (in<br />
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the examples above) where the user can find out more and download application forms<br />
(in some cases applications can be filled out online).<br />
It is important to note however that EntepriseOne is not a full e-delivery service, but<br />
more of an information portal and access point for <strong>SME</strong>s. For many actual applications<br />
to programmes there is still a need to complete paper applications. There may also remain<br />
the difficulty in determining which of the many programmes is suitable, although<br />
this information can probably be provided by the hotline or EDC.<br />
3.2.3 Results and Impact<br />
In terms of access rate for the service, in 2011, there were 96,000 unique vistors/month,<br />
980,000 page views per month and 7.9 million hits per month. The number of unique<br />
visits to the website increased 3 fold from 2006 and 2011.<br />
An evaluation was carried out in 2010, under the ’Government to Business (G2B) perception<br />
survey’. This showed that customer satisfaction and awareness has been increasing<br />
year on year since the start of the service. Satisfaction with the overall quality<br />
of the website increased from 62% in 2007 to 82% in 2010. Awareness increased from<br />
39% in 2007 to 50% in 2010. In addition 96% of businesses who contacted the EnterpriseOne<br />
helpdesk indicated that they were satisfied with the service. 95% of EDC customers<br />
rated the service at least ’satisfied’ and more than 75% rated the service ’good’<br />
or ’excellent’, in a 5 point scale from ’very poor’ to ’excellent’. The site has won several<br />
awards within <strong>Singapore</strong> including the gold medal in the <strong>Singapore</strong> Government’s first<br />
ever public service award for innovation in public services .<br />
3.2.4 Success Factors & Lessons Learned<br />
It is considered by EnterpriseOne representatives that the key reasons EnterpriseOne is<br />
successful is that it provides, fast 24/7 access to government services and information<br />
with easy access to help though several channels, email, calling or visiting a centre. In<br />
addition the content of the site is rich and deep, covering a wide range of topics aggregated<br />
from different government agencies.<br />
A critical success factor is to have a strong top-down mandate from the ministry in order<br />
to make the approach work and ensure proactive co-operation from all the agencies involved.<br />
It is also important to have a strong on ongoing commitment to funding of the<br />
operation in order to keep it going as the information needs constant, monitoring, updating<br />
and revision in response to feedback in order to keep it relevant.<br />
Co-ordination of multiple partner agencies towards the common goal can give rise to<br />
tensions because agencies tend to have a single agency mindset. To make this work it is<br />
therefore very important to identify and involve the right stakeholders and have a well<br />
defined and effective governance structure. The work process has to be clearly defined<br />
and communication has to be open and regular. The EnterpriseOne initiative has a steering<br />
committee which meets every quarter, however operationally there is ongoing day<br />
to day contact among the contact people responsible in each agency.<br />
It can be a challenge to integrate such a wide range of information from a technology ,<br />
content and process perspective with limited resources. Making use of available and<br />
proven technology is important to get the system up and running relatively quickly. It is<br />
critical of course to get the right people working as an effective team.<br />
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The service has a “For the Customer, By the Customer” attitude with a “no wrong door”<br />
mindset driving the interaction with customers. Great care was taken from the outset to<br />
write the website in a language which was simple, concise and easy to understand from<br />
the <strong>SME</strong>’s perspective, i.e. to present the information in a way in which <strong>SME</strong>s might relate<br />
to as opposed to way in which it might be structured within an agency. When putting<br />
the portal together the top concerns and needs of <strong>SME</strong>s were gathered through telephone<br />
surveys, focus groups and interviews with more than 300 <strong>SME</strong>s. This survey<br />
was initiated in 2004 and the site was launched in 2006. As a result the organisation of<br />
the information is based on what <strong>SME</strong>s want, rather than an agency-specific approach.<br />
4 A*Star <strong>SME</strong> <strong>Support</strong> <strong>Schemes</strong><br />
A*Star is <strong>Singapore</strong>’s main government agency, with the role of fostering and conducting<br />
world class research which is industrially relevant. A*Star operates 14 research institutes,<br />
7 in the biomedical area under the Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and 7 in<br />
Science and Engineering under the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC).<br />
Under the five year plan, A*Star has a budget of approximately S$6.4 billion (over the<br />
course of the 5 years). In terms of staff A*Star has a “community” of 4,085; of which 223<br />
work in A*STAR headquarters and the other 3,862 consist of scientists and researchers,<br />
technical and non-technical staff, and industry development and commercialization<br />
staff.<br />
Over the past 10 year A*Star has had very significant capital investment in the building<br />
of two research hubs, Biopolis for the Biomedical Research and Fusionopolis for the Science<br />
and Engineering hub which are located 600 metres apart. These campuses house<br />
the A*Star Research Institutes and consortia, co-located with private sector research<br />
labs and companies. The idea is that the public and private sector labs can thus share<br />
infrastructure such as equipment, core scientific services and conference facilities. The<br />
co-location of the research institutes with industry and in adjacent campuses has been<br />
planned with the concept of spurring interdisciplinary research and collaboration between<br />
researchers and industry.<br />
A*Star has a very strong emphasis on supporting and interacting with industry as part of<br />
its core mission. This interaction takes the form of setting-up and participating in Consortia<br />
typically aimed as pre-competitive research, joint one to one R&D collaborations<br />
with industry, provision of lab space within the research institutes and providing technology<br />
and Business incubation. The latter is handled though Exploit Technologies, the<br />
marketing and commercialisation arm of A*Star, described further below. In 2009<br />
A*Star participated in 1200 industry projects and had approximately S$166 million<br />
(€100 million) in industry funding. A*Star has also been instrumental in attracting and<br />
setting up large scale industry collaboration projects such as the A*Star Aerospace Programme<br />
or Roche’s Translational Medicine Hub. These collaborations bring together<br />
large industry partners, A*STAR’s research institutes and local <strong>SME</strong>s in a consortium to<br />
collaborate on pre-competitive projects.<br />
A*Star also places a considerable emphasis on both attracting overseas research talent<br />
and on placing <strong>Singapore</strong> students in short term research placements overseas, with<br />
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several programmes aimed at this. In addition it is generally encouraging of staff transfers<br />
with industry.<br />
Traditionally researchers in A*Star have been 100% funded in their work, however recently<br />
(under the new 5 year plan) there are moves towards making more of the funding<br />
available on a competitive basis. For example since 2010 the Industrial Alignment Fund<br />
has been introduced under which 30% of a researchers funding depends on them having<br />
a definite interaction with industry. This Industry Alignment Fund is a S$1.35 billion<br />
fund which is jointly administered by A*Star and EDB, the broad aim of which is to get<br />
more economic returns for the investment in research by ensuring that researchers<br />
have definite industry collaboration. For example the bioscience RIs budget has been<br />
cut to approximately 70% of its previous budgets (to approximately $1.3 billion over 5<br />
years) and they must compete for the other 30% though the IAF. The establishment of<br />
the IAF seems to have had a bigger impact on the Biosciences Institutes than the Science<br />
and Engineering institutes i .<br />
A*Star research institutes and researchers are measured on (all equally important) (1)<br />
training research scientists (2) intellectual capital produced, i.e. publications and patents<br />
(3) industrial Capital produced, i.e. working with industry and licenses.<br />
Although much of the support offered by A*Star does not necessarily have a bias towards<br />
any particular industry type such as <strong>SME</strong>s or large companies or start-ups, A*Star<br />
does have several programmes which are aimed specifically at supporting <strong>SME</strong>s. (<br />
http://www.a-star.edu.sg/Industry/Overview/tabid/171/Default.aspx) ; These include;<br />
• Technology for Enterprise Capability Upgrading (T-Up): This programme is aimed at<br />
helping enterprises identify critical technologies and build in-house R&D capabilities.<br />
It essentially allows <strong>SME</strong>s to engage/second research scientists from the research institutes<br />
to identify and implement R&D projects for up to 2 years. The programme is<br />
run in collaboration with SPRING <strong>Singapore</strong> and the Economic Development Board.<br />
The company can directly approach the research institute to identify a researcher. The<br />
A*Star Research Institutes match the <strong>SME</strong> request with a suitable researcher. The <strong>SME</strong><br />
can make an application to SPRING, seeking funding to cover the secondment of the<br />
researcher (see the Technology <strong>Innovation</strong> Programme run by SPRING). To date, since<br />
its launch in 2003, 340 research scientists have been seconded to local companies.<br />
• Operations and Technology Roadmapping : Under this programme A*Star’s research<br />
institutes work with local companies to help them use roadmapping to identify technology<br />
that will improve their future product or service offering. The technology<br />
roadmapping is performed through 5 facilitated and customised workshops, developed<br />
by the companies key staff in collaboration with A*Star staff.<br />
• Technical Advisor Scheme: Senior scientists from A*Star can advise companies on<br />
technology matters. Under this programme the company can get for free, the services<br />
of a technical advisor for half a day per month. Consulting time beyond this must be<br />
paid for.<br />
• Facility Sharing Programme: A collaborative programme between A*Star and Spring<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> which allows companies to gain access to equipment and facilities in the research<br />
institutes.<br />
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The study visit also included a visit to one of the A*Star research institutes, - the <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTECH), which was not based at the Fusionopolis<br />
Campus, but rather at the Nanyang Technical University. SIMTECH specialises<br />
in the development of manufacturing technology underpinning a wide range of areas<br />
such as electronics, semiconductors, precision engineering, medtech, aerospace, automotive,<br />
marine, etc.<br />
The research institute takes a very active role in putting projects together with industry,<br />
and especially between large companies, A*Star and small companies. They seem to<br />
have a small group of people dedicated to this task, who try to put together projects<br />
which may involve several areas and researchers within the institute. The typical approach<br />
is to attempt to analyse the value chain for an industry, by talking with larger<br />
companies, understanding their needs and then communicating these needs to smaller<br />
companies perhaps through workshops. For example one of the main areas of operation<br />
for SIMTEC is in serving the local precision engineering companies, who are typically<br />
subcontractors to the larger multinational companies. It appears that SPRING and EDB<br />
have “ad-hoc” funding schemes which can be used to fund the industry participation in<br />
this type of activity. In terms of licenses SIMTECH generate about 20 – 30 royalty bearing<br />
licenses to industry per year. They also send about 20 people per year to work in<br />
industry.<br />
4.1.1 Exploit Technologies<br />
Exploit Technologies is essentially the technology transfer arm of A*Star. It was founded<br />
in 2002 with the aim of providing the link between A*Star researchers and industry and<br />
actively promoting the commercialisation of technologies developed by researchers.<br />
Exploit is set up as a limited company and has the sole and exclusive right to license<br />
A*Star technology, although ownership of the IP is retained by A*Star.<br />
Exploit’s activities go somewhat beyond the activities of the traditional technology<br />
transfer office in the areas of Intellectual Property Management, in that it has the discretion<br />
to provide gap funding for incubation and commercialisation of technologies, so<br />
that they can be turned into licenses or spin-offs.<br />
In its traditional IP management role Exploit provides prior art searches, patentability<br />
evaluation, filing and prosecution of IP applications, and maintenance of the IP. Exploit<br />
will also help in conducting the due diligence on technology disclosures, including identification<br />
of the specifications required by industry.<br />
Exploit also provides Technology and Commercial Intelligence, which includes the<br />
evaluation of the commercial potential of IP, identifying if it is suitable for further commercialisation<br />
funding though its GAP funding programme, and providing direction in<br />
terms of insights into emerging markets and applications to ensure that technologies<br />
are tuned to suit industry needs.<br />
In the area of Technology Incubation, Exploit works closely with companies to determine<br />
appropriate technical specifications and then directs the technology disclosures<br />
towards satisfying these. GAP funding of up to S$1 million (€600,000) can be provided<br />
to researchers to further develop the technology to being commercial ready over a peri-<br />
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od of 3 to 12 months. Companies are given the option to license the technology if the<br />
development project is successful. Essentially Exploit is taking the risk of proving the<br />
technology to a commercial ready state. This can be particularly beneficial if the potential<br />
licensees are <strong>SME</strong>s as they are generally not ready to take on the commercialisation<br />
of a technology unless it is proven.<br />
Exploit also operates a business incubation process, which attempts to identify new<br />
technologies at an early stage in the research and direct the development of these with<br />
commercialisation firmly in mind. These are likely to be technologies which can have<br />
multiple and cross-disciplinary applications and have the potential to grow into new<br />
industrial sectors. These are referred to as flagship projects and Exploit can provide<br />
S$3 – 5 million (€1.8 - 3milliom) to fund the business incubation of these technologies.<br />
Researchers can submit a proposal to Exploit for this flagship funding.<br />
Exploit also work closely with large multinational companies to translate technologies<br />
into application, through a research collaboration agreement. In this case the company<br />
would license the technology from A*Star. Exploit maintains and advertises (through<br />
Tech Alerts and RSS feeds) a database of A*Star technologies which are ready for commercialisation.<br />
Exploit has a standard license agreement which it provides online, and licensing agreements<br />
can be concluded in a matter of weeks if companies agree to these standard<br />
terms. Exclusive or non-exclusive licenses can be granted, however exclusive licenses<br />
might only be granted in cases where technology requires substantial development, or<br />
investment. Exclusive licenses might typically be restricted to specific fields of use, geographic<br />
areas, and/or time periods. The right to further develop the technology is usually<br />
retained by Exploit and typically there is no exclusive access granted to any further<br />
future A*Star developments of the technology.<br />
Exploit looks at the IP portfolio and examines it for commercial opportunities. In doing<br />
this it doesn’t have a particular bias towards the creation of spin-outs or serving <strong>SME</strong>s as<br />
opposed to large companies as it needs to be aware of its mission to serve all industry<br />
through the licensing of IP. Licensing seems to be the more usual route for commercial<br />
exploitation, with spin-offs being the more unusual. Licensing terms to industry are generally<br />
flexible. In terms of the number of licenses more go to <strong>SME</strong>s than large companies,<br />
however in terms of the value of licenses large companies account for the greatest share.<br />
Licensing is looked at in a flexible manner where the goal is very much financial benefit<br />
to <strong>Singapore</strong> as opposed to benefit to any one research institute or organisation and Exploit<br />
would be conscious that there must be a balance struck in this regard.<br />
Exploit currently manages a portfolio of over 3000 active patents, have granted over<br />
250 licenses, and have a portfolio of 24 spin-off companies. The estimated business revenues<br />
arising from the A*Star licensed technologies is S$500 million (€300 million). The<br />
total market value created though A*Star start-ups amounts to more than S$100 million<br />
(€60 million).<br />
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5 Good Practices & Transferability<br />
The IPF has a focus on learning from best practice in <strong>SME</strong> innovation support. In the discussion<br />
of good practices below we focus on those practices which could be implemented<br />
by innovation agencies and which focus on <strong>SME</strong>s and entrepreneurs. In particular<br />
two of the topics covered by the study visit, namely the focus on youth entrepreneurship<br />
and the EnterpriseOne approach to service delivery are considered as good practices<br />
and discussed further below.<br />
The A*Star research institutes and Exploit are not further discussed in terms of good<br />
practices below. Although these are a hugely important part of the innovation system in<br />
<strong>Singapore</strong> their detailed study is beyond the scope of this report, which is focuses on<br />
learning for innovation agencies. There are potentially many good practices in the<br />
A*Star approach as they demonstrate a very strong focus on working closely with industry.<br />
In particular the commercialisation activities of Exploit goes beyond the traditional<br />
technology transfer activities and could be compared to the commercialisation programmes<br />
run by many innovation agencies, however clearly it is very context specific,<br />
dealing, as it does with the commercialisation of the output from the very large, state<br />
funded research institute system.<br />
5.1 Integrated Approach to Youth Entrepreneurship<br />
The approach to the support of Youth Entrepreneurship in <strong>Singapore</strong> is found to be a<br />
good practice. The good practice is more the integrated approach adopted, which attempts<br />
to address not only the funding sources but also the educational and awareness<br />
raising. A recent study on the barriers to youth entrepreneurship ii concluded that the<br />
barriers include Social and cultural attitudes, lack of entrepreneurship education, access<br />
to finance, administrative and regulatory frameworks and lack of business assistance<br />
and support. The approach in <strong>Singapore</strong> seems to address most of these barriers, with a<br />
national effort aimed at awareness raising and promoting entrepreneurship among the<br />
youth, supported by education programmes, and special youth start-up funding<br />
schemes. It seems to have been an important part of the learning process in <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
that any approach has to be comprehensive and address not just one aspect, such as<br />
funding, but also the aspects related to stimulation of entrepreneurship and development<br />
of ideas through education, learning by doing, mentorship, etc.<br />
The YES Schools programme funded by SPRING is open to all schools from primary<br />
schools up so that the cultural attitude to entrepreneurship can be addressed at a very<br />
early stage in education. Another good practice is the emphasis on the “learn by doing”<br />
as part of the selection courses. This learning by doing aspect of the education has been<br />
highlighted as being particularly important iv . The dedicated funding scheme for young<br />
entrepreneur’s start-ups is also a good practice, as it supports the education element to<br />
be turned into dedicated funding, which according to SPRING still maintains an educational<br />
mindset in terms of expectations from the programme.<br />
The focus on Youth Entrepreneurship is obviously important for <strong>Singapore</strong>, because as<br />
small country it needs to maximise the sources for successful start-ups and growth<br />
companies. Internationally the promotion of youth entrepreneurship is recognised as<br />
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eing an important approach to the reduction of youth unemployment, and integration<br />
of youth into the labour force. Moreover it can capitalise on the latent entrepreneurship<br />
which is considered to exist in the youth in many countries. It can also capitalise on the<br />
fact that young entrepreneurs can sometimes be more tuned in to new trends and new<br />
opportunities. In addition a recent report on the impact of entrepreneurship education<br />
by the <strong>Europe</strong>an Commission found that enterprises founded by alumni of entrepreneurial<br />
education courses could be characterised as being more innovative, ambitious<br />
and having high growth. Such programmes may also help in changing the cultural attitudes<br />
to entrepreneurship, i.e. seeing entrepreneurship as a viable career option. For<br />
example a recent study iii on entrepreneurship attitudes in <strong>Europe</strong> indicates that 45% of<br />
EU citizens would prefer to be self-employed (although there is wide variation across<br />
countries) compared to 55% in the USA and 71% in China. The study also indicated that<br />
the perception of the impact of school education on entrepreneurship was considerably<br />
higher in the US and China than in <strong>Europe</strong>.<br />
5.1.1 Transferability<br />
In principle there is no difficulty in transferring such a policy approach and indeed the<br />
approach used in <strong>Singapore</strong> is of relevance in a <strong>Europe</strong>an context as many member<br />
states already recognise the importance of entrepreneurship education with several<br />
countries recently implementing dedicated strategies iv . It is also well recognised in <strong>Europe</strong><br />
that there is a need to stimulate entrepreneurship in young people with this being<br />
a part of the EU 2020 strategy. There already exists many schemes in <strong>Europe</strong> targeting<br />
youth entrepreneurship, the Erasmus Young Entrepreneur programme, the activities of<br />
the <strong>Europe</strong>an Institute of <strong>Innovation</strong> and Technology (EIT), the Young Entrepreneur<br />
Programme for postgraduate and postdoctoral students in the UK, and the Education<br />
Networks Enterprise in the Netherlands, being just some examples. Although most <strong>Europe</strong>an<br />
countries have some form of Entrepreneurship education at primary and secondary<br />
level iv very few seem to focus on the practical “learn by doing” approach which<br />
is emphasised in the <strong>Singapore</strong> YES!Schools programme.<br />
The <strong>Singapore</strong> approach, which seems to be characterised by a co-ordinated effort to<br />
address different aspects, probably requires a top-down will to address all the barriers<br />
mentioned above. Addressing regulatory and legal framework issues may also be necessary.<br />
For example in <strong>Singapore</strong> the age at which you can start a company was revised<br />
downwards from 21 to 18 in 2009. Another important consideration in this respect is<br />
perhaps bankruptcy legislation. If failure of the business is not an unexpected outcome<br />
then national rules relating to bankruptcy, etc. must not be such as to attach a significant<br />
stigma to failure – otherwise the point of the programme is defeated v .<br />
5.2 EntepriseOne Approach<br />
The overall concept of the EnterpriseOne approach can be considered a good practice in<br />
terms of integrated service delivery of basic information and advice to a very broad client<br />
base. What is perhaps most important as a good practice is that it attempts to provide<br />
a single first point of contact for <strong>SME</strong>s into the public support system. It is a good<br />
example of a delivery system set-up to cater to the basic need for non-customised advice<br />
and guidance required by the large number of <strong>SME</strong>s and micro-enterprises. An important<br />
aspect of the provision of such systems is the need to achieve some balance between<br />
the on-line provision of standard information and the more customised support<br />
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which can be given by human interaction. EnterpriseOne achieves this though the use of<br />
the hotlines and the enterprise development centres. Moreover EnterpriseOne seems<br />
to have been designed with the client, - i.e. the <strong>SME</strong> firmly in mind, i.e. the focus is on the<br />
presentation of the information in a manner which is expected by the <strong>SME</strong>s as opposed<br />
to the manner in which the information might be organised within an agency.<br />
There is quite a significant depth of information available though the website, with “how<br />
to” guides, case studies, links to news and events under a topic, toolkits (to help <strong>SME</strong>s in<br />
aspect such as customer service, design, human resources, marketing, etc.). Also impressive<br />
is the way in which the website attempts to co-ordinate and provide access to the<br />
information from a relatively large number of agencies.<br />
5.2.1 Transferability<br />
The concept of providing an information portal and first access point to public services<br />
is entirely transferable. Indeed the EnterpriseOne approach of providing an information<br />
front end, applied on top of existing information from a different agencies, is in some<br />
ways easier to set-up than a fully integrated e-service delivery. Nevertheless there are<br />
important barrier to successfully implementing such as system. The learning from <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
is that it requires a significant top-down push to make such a system work and to<br />
ensure that all agencies co-operate effectively in keeping the information up to date and<br />
relevant.<br />
The resources required in larger countries may also be considerable, e.g. in <strong>Singapore</strong><br />
the service with hotlines and EDC is provided by approximately 30 staff, serving a client<br />
base of approximately 150,000 companies. The back-up by hotline is an important aspect,<br />
although transfer to larger countries might involve significant investment to make<br />
such a hotline effectively complement the on-line service with more detailed/customised<br />
help and information.<br />
Transferring the service to a different context, particularly a country which has a complex<br />
pre-existing support system (i.e. numerous different agencies which do not necessarily<br />
collaborate), would be challenging due to the need for constant updating of information,<br />
which requires excellent relationships between contacts at agencies and the<br />
EnterpriseOne team, as well as a top down or strategic agreement to work together.<br />
There are similarities between EnterpriseOne and some of the US websites such as<br />
Grants.Gov. In considering implementation of an EnterpriseOne type service in such a<br />
country it would be worth considering also transferring the collaboration protocols developed<br />
by Grants.Gov etc. 1<br />
i ”<strong>Singapore</strong>’s Salad days are over” Nature 468, 731, December 2010,<br />
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v468/n7325/full/468731a.html<br />
ii Stimulating Youth Entrepreneurship: Barriers and Incentives to enterprise start-ups by Young People,<br />
Ulrich Schoof, SEED Working Paper No. 76, International Labour Office, Geneva, 2006.<br />
1 Covered in more detail in IPF ‘First Stage Review Report’.<br />
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iii Entrepreneurship in the EU and beyond, Flash Eurobarometer Series #283, <strong>Europe</strong>an Commission,<br />
December 2009.<br />
iv Entrepreneurship Education at School in <strong>Europe</strong>,. Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency<br />
(EACEA P9 Eurydice and Policy <strong>Support</strong>) March 2012 http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice<br />
v The Performance and Prospects of <strong>Europe</strong>an Venture Capital, Roger Kelly, <strong>Europe</strong>an Investment Fund,<br />
Working Paper 2011/09,<br />
http://www.eif.org/news_centre/publications/eif_wp_2011_009_EU_Venture.pdf<br />
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