On December 5, 2025, Singapore unveiled its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030). The plan was endorsed at the 15th Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) meeting. At a press conference after the meeting, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore will invest S$37 billion – approximately 1% of GDP – in research, innovation and enterprise in the next five years from April 2026. Building on the achievements of RIE2025, RIE2030 will sharpen focus on creating value in high-impact areas, sustaining long-term investments in priority domains, and ensuring our basic research capabilities and talent remain globally competitive.
Building on Singapore’s research and development (R&D) capabilities that have been developed over the past three decades, RIE2030 will introduce three key thrusts in Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC), namely intensifying R&D investment and raise ambition for high-impact sectors with significant economic and/or strategic value to Singapore; directing R&D investment to support industry development priorities and catalyse emerging sectors that could become key contributors to Singapore’s economy, and investing in horizontal enabling technologies with cross-sector applications.
RIE 2030 builds on the strong foundation of RIE 2025. Among significant outcomes of RIE 2025, Singapore has become a more R&D-intensive economy, with Business Expenditure on R&D rising from S$4.2 billion in 2012 to S$8.1 billion in 2022, alongside a 25% increase in industry researchers, supporting high-value job creation. The deep tech ecosystem has expanded rapidly, attracting over US$1 billion in venture capital annually, and producing global successes such as Mirxes, Singapore’s first biomedtech unicorn, and Advanced Micro Foundry, acquired by GlobalFoundries. Today, Singapore hosts over 4,500 tech start-ups and 500 venture capital firms, with venture investments reaching US$6.1 billion in 2023. Globally, Singapore also ranks an impressive 5th in the Global Innovation Index 2025 and 4th in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index.
RIE2030, identifies sectors with economic and/or strategic value to Singapore, and aims to double down on R&D efforts in these sectors. The Semiconductor RIE Flagship aims to make Singapore a strategically important R&D node in the semiconductor industry. Currently, Singapore accounts for 10% of all chips produced worldwide and 20% of global semiconductor manufacturing equipment production.
Aerospace, aviation and maritime are other important sectors identified in the RIE 2030. Singapore strives to be a global leadership in Aerospace Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and Manufacturing. RIE 2020 aims to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global node for aerospace MRO and manufacturing through the development of technologies such as next-generation MRO and manufacturing processes, sustainable materials and processes to enhance efficiency and productivity. Further, R&D investment will be directed to support industry development priorities and catalyse emerging sectors that could become key contributors to Singapore’s economy. Space and Bioeconomy are two such sectors identified.
RIE 2030 also aims to invest in horizontal enabling technologies with cross-sector applications to drive economy-wide impact, with a strong focus on AI, Additive Manufacturing, and Robotics. It seeks to scale industry adoption of AI solutions, including Agentic AI and Sustainable AI, to enhance productivity and global competitiveness across Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity sector.
The first RIE Grand Challenge in Maximising Healthy and Successful Longevity will address Singapore’s rapid transition to a super-aged society, by increasing our understanding of the biology of ageing in the population and our ability to intervene early and effectively. It will generate research insights to develop new approaches to maintain brain health and physical function as people age and delay the onset and progression of cognitive and functional decline.
As part of these efforts, NRF will establish the Singapore-Horizon Europe Complementary Fund to promOn December 5, 2025, Singapore unveiled its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030). The plan was endorsed at the 15th Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) meeting. At a press conference after the meeting, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore will invest S$37 billion – approximately 1% of GDP – in research, innovation and enterprise in the next five years from April 2026. Building on the achievements of RIE2025, RIE2030 will sharpen focus on creating value in high-impact areas, sustaining long-term investments in priority domains, and ensuring our basic research capabilities and talent remain globally competitive.
