Biomedical sciences sector gets S$790M funding boost

S$200 million was also alloted for A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council.

The Biomedical Sciences Executive Committee has announced new funds to strengthen public-private partnerships.

One was a S$200 million Strategic Positioning Fund for A*STAR’s Biomedical Research Council to support new research areas.

Meanwhile, the basic science and clinical research community can tap on a S$590 million Open Collaborative Fund that is aimed at promoting partnerships between the two. This fund will go towards a range of grants, including:

- S$175 million in grants under the Translational and Clinical Research Flagship Programmes, which is intended for globally competitive research programmes that focus on specific diseases or clinical needs
- S$100 million BMRC-OCF Joint Bench-to-Bedside Fund for small-scale grants towards one-on-one collaborations between basic scientists and clinical investigators
- S$175 million Individual Research Grants for clinician scientists
- S$150 million Cooperative Basic Research Grants for non-clinician scientists

As part of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2015 plan, the aim is to foster more partnerships and boost multidisciplinary integration to catalyse clinical solutions.