A*STAR to open up its R&D facilities to SMEs
By Loh Kim Chin, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 12 September 2007 2158 hrs

	Photos  of

SINGAPORE : A*STAR is opening up its research facilities to small and medium enterprises to boost their technological capabilities.

Under the initiative being worked out with SPRING Singapore, SMEs will get direct access to seven A*STAR research institutes.

Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman, A*STAR, said: "Through this scheme, technology intensive enterprises embarking on their own R&D can make use of the specialised and sophisticated equipment, as well as analytical services for failure analysis, characterisation, prototyping, and solution formulation at the research institutes.

"The research institutes will also provide training to these enterprises to operate the equipment, particularly those that require certification."

The seven A*STAR research institutes are the Data Storage Institute, the Institute for Infocomm Research, the Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences, the Institute of High Performance Computing, the Institute of Materials Research & Engineering, the Institute of Microelectronics and the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology.

About 200 SMEs are expected to benefit from the programme, which is expected to be up and running by the end of the year. - CNA/ms