Singapore's bio strategy differs from the usual path of "starting with research and moving into manufacturing." It first built a manufacturing base capable of large-scale production, then chose to raise its research and innovation capacity on the back of the process experience and workforce accumulated along the way.
The agency executing this vision is JTC, Singapore's state-owned industrial park developer. JTC has divided the bio industry into three stages—research and development (R&D), prototype and early manufacturing, and mass production—and has placed facilities tailored to each stage in different areas. It put research hubs in the city center and manufacturing infrastructure in the western industrial zone.
On the 5th (local time), Siying Chen, deputy director of the JTC biomedical institutional sector, told ChosunBiz, "From the early days of nation building, Singapore has made manufacturing a central pillar, and even now manufacturing is the backbone of the economy, accounting for about 20% of gross domestic product (GDP)," adding, "We have focused on maintaining and strengthening this pillar because it is the 'livelihood base' that creates both jobs and technology."
Chen said, "We have continued a strategy of attracting global corporations by leveraging our geographic position as Asia's gateway, focusing on strategic industries such as biomedical, aerospace, and semiconductors," and explained, "The biomedical field has established itself as a major industry, accounting for about 3% of GDP and about 10% of manufacturing output."
◇ Research in the city, production in the west… a "buffer zone" for early manufacturing as well
Biopolis, built in One-North in the northwest of the city center, is a research hub corresponding to the "upstream" of Singapore's bio industry. It is also the space where the national strategy to raise research capacity after first building a manufacturing base began to take concrete shape. Starting with phase one in 2003 and expanding six times, it now spans about 382,000 square meters.
The complex houses 115 corporations and institutions, including biomedical institutes under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), as well as global and local pharmaceutical and bio corporations and medical device corporations. Its proximity to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and National University Hospital (NUH) also makes it easy to link basic research with clinical research.
Its biggest feature is a structure that shares research infrastructure. Through the Research Support Centre (RSC) under A*STAR, it shares expensive analytical equipment and specialized expertise, reducing the facility burden and research preparation time for early-stage corporations. A JTC official said, "Thanks to this, occupancy exceeds 95%."
At the stage where research results move into actual products, the stage for corporate activity shifts to Tuas in the west. The Tuas Biomedical Park is a specialized bio and nutraceutical industrial complex established in 1997, covering about 2,460,000 square meters.
In the late 1990s, Singapore did not yet have sufficient basic life sciences research capacity. Instead, it had strengths in political stability and regulatory predictability, port and logistics infrastructure, and a skilled process workforce. Before the government aimed to become a "new drug development nation," it pursued a strategy of first attracting global pharmaceutical manufacturers' production bases.
Through this complex, multinational pharmaceutical companies built a structure in which research and development remained in their home countries while large-scale production was carried out in Singapore. Singapore secured a manufacturing base that could enable technology transfer, operational experience compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and the training of regulatory and quality personnel. Today, 19 global pharmaceutical and bio corporations, including Merck (MSD), Pfizer, and GSK, have bases here and produce vaccines and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Not only JTC but also relevant ministries such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Public Utilities Board (PUB), and Energy Market Authority (EMA) participated in building the complex. They pre-built key infrastructure such as roads, power, and water so that corporations could start production immediately after moving in.
There is also an intermediate-stage space that connects research and mass manufacturing. It is the MedTech Hub, Singapore's first dedicated medical device multi-user manufacturing facility. The total area is about 38,000 square meters, comprising 36 units of various sizes.
Designed as a space for early manufacturing in consideration of the characteristics of the medical device industry, where it is difficult to transfer research results directly to a large factory. A notable feature is that with only the basic framework and utilities in place, tenant corporations can configure the interior to suit their purpose.
A JTC official said, "Biopolis houses Eli Lilly and Company, P&G, the Diagnostics Development (DxD) Hub under A*STAR, as well as regulatory agencies such as the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA)," adding, "If Tuas Medical Park and the MedTech Hub handle manufacturing, Biopolis is the center of an ecosystem where research, regulation, and corporate headquarters interlock," the official said.
Chen said, "More than 80 of the world's major bio corporations have their regional headquarters in Singapore, and many are conducting research and development at Biopolis," adding, "A defining feature of Singapore's bio ecosystem is that research, manufacturing, and regulation are connected in a single spatial network."
◇ More than separating research and manufacturing… a "growth path" designed by the state
Singapore's bio infrastructure strategy does not simply focus on spatially dividing research and manufacturing. The state defines the industry's growth stages and proactively designs spaces tailored to each stage to prevent corporations' "next move" from crossing national borders.
This dovetails with Singapore's medium- to long-term national industrial plans. Through its "Manufacturing 2030" vision, the government has set biomedical as a core pillar of advanced manufacturing and set a goal of increasing manufacturing value-added by 50% by 2030 compared with 2020.
At the same time, through the "Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030" plan, it will invest about 37 billion Singapore dollars (about 37 trillion won) from next year through 2030 to strengthen research and development in biomedical and advanced manufacturing. In this policy environment, global and local corporations such as AstraZeneca, WuXi Biologics, and SCG Cell Therapy are successively building production facilities and R&D centers in Singapore.
Singapore plans to continue expanding infrastructure under state leadership. JTC is reviewing additional development of industrial land and is preparing to refurbish Biopolis in response to changing research demand.
Deputy Director Chen said, "The bio industry is not a field that yields results in just a few years like ICT," adding, "The history of Singapore's bio industry is only about 20 years, but sustained investment in research and development has increased the number of corporations that started in Singapore, and public-private partnerships have expanded noticeably."
Chen said, "In the process, the research domain expanded to include consumer goods, food and nutrition, agri-life, and chemicals, and the ecosystem supporting the bio industry naturally grew."