S’pore to showcase research achievements at Lindau conference

LINDAU, Germany: Singapore is expected to showcase its achievements in science and research to Nobel Laureates and top scientists at an international conference in Lindau, Germany on Monday.

The National Research Foundation (NRF) said this will be a good platform to attract talent to pursue a research career in Singapore.

Eight younger researchers will also represent Singapore at the conference, including 30—year—old Derrick Fam.

Mr Fam’s work focuses on carbon nanotubes for applications in nanoelectronics.

And he is looking forward to sharing his experience and learning from his peers at the conference.

Derrick Fam, research fellow, School of Materials Science and Engineering, NTU, said: "In other cultures, funding may not be that copious and may not be enough for them to do what they want to do... I think the most important thing for them is the creative journey to get around the problem and to formulate solutions to do science with whatever limited resources they have."

The 62nd Meeting of the Nobel Laureates in Lindau brings together young scientists and Nobel prize winners from around the world.

Twenty—seven Nobel Laureates and 580 participants, including eight researchers from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, will attend this year’s conference.

Dr Francis Yeoh, CEO, National Research Foundation, said: "Singapore aspires to be a hub for leading edge world—class R&D, so I think a platform like this is important for us as a way of making known what Singapore has done...(and) also as a means to attract some of the bright young scientists to consider carrying out research in Singapore."

As part of his official visit to Germany, Singapore President Tony Tan met researchers from Singapore in Lindau.

Dr Tan will also be honoured at the science conference for his outstanding contributions to science and education in Singapore.

— CNA/cc