Creativity is alive and well in Singapore and it can continue to flourish in spite of the political climate, say foreign experts who were in town for a two-day meeting to chart the Republic's media blueprint for the next decade.

Among the recommendations yesterday of the 10-member Media Development Authority (MDA) International Advisory Panel, was one which called for Singapore to "foster an ecosystem that breeds talent for the media industry".

Asked if restrictions on political expression would impede the development of a creative culture and Singapore's aspirations to become a global media hub, Stanford University professor Paul Saffo said on Wednesday: "Singapore will continue to be hard on itself and keep asking searching questions like: 'Are we creative?' Of course, you are.

"There are lots of new media products, there's lots more money in the industry," he added.

Acknowledging that "technology would come to terms with the environment", Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, who lives in Europe, nevertheless said that it "works the other way round too", with new media influencing political culture.

MDA chairman Tan Chin Nam, who heads the panel, said it was a "stereotypical view that there is no creativity and expression here". In fact, a " renaissance" has been taking place in the arts scene over the last five years, said Dr Tan, who is also the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts.

"We are seeing a very vibrant arts sector. With the establishment of the Esplanade, we are seeing a lot of new spaces being provided for creative talents to express themselves."

And with increased Government investment and new infrastructure such as the integrated resorts coming up, there would be an "explosion of entertainment activities and creativity", he said.

Added MDA CEO Christopher Chia: "'Creative' is as good as how you apply it to objects you can do something with."

The panel suggested that Singapore leverage on its strength in education, medicine and technology by developing media content in these sectors. These products could tap on interactive digital media technologies, tools and applications to produce materials such as professional publications or training materials.

The music and publishing sectors were also identified as potential growth areas.

Some of the panel members also reviewed 50 research proposals submitted by institutes of higher learning. Of these, 15 proposals, covering topics such as games and computer graphics, were recommended and were expected to receive a total of some $20 million in Government funding.

Film-maker Mr Kapur remarked: "I will not be surprised if in the next few years, the next Google comes out from here." - TODAY/sh