Taking the long view
Meet Lena Ho, Assistant Professor at Duke–NUS Medical School and the Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore | EMBO Young Investigator
Facts and figures, life scientists in Singapore, EMBO opportunities
Meet Lena Ho, Assistant Professor at Duke–NUS Medical School and the Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore | EMBO Young Investigator
Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Research and Talent Development) A*STAR, Singapore | EMBO Associate Member
Singapore has been an EMBO Cooperation Partner since 2011 and an Associate Member State since 2015
Singapore is a city state of 710 square kilometres at the southern end of the Malay peninsula. A parliamentary democracy since independence in 1965, Singapore has become a major global centre for trade and finance with an advanced standard of living.1
Singapore has six ‘Autonomous Universities’ including two globally ranked research-intensive institutions: the nation’s flagship National University of Singapore, originally founded as a medical college in 1905, and the Nanyang Technological University, founded in 19912.
More than 64% of Singaporean residents over 25 have post-secondary qualifications and in 2022 more than 56,000 people in Singapore were employed in R&D work.3
Gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) increased by 38% in the five years to 2022 to reach 12.7 billion Singapore Dollars, although rising only slightly as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product to 1.85%. The main sectors financing GERD in 2022 were business enterprise providing 59% and government with 33%.4
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore granted 1,194 patents to residents of Singapore in 2023. The country has a formal 10-year blueprint to strengthen the nation’s position as a global IP and innovation hub. 5
Life scientists in Singapore have access to a range of national funding sources from the Ministry of Education, National Medical Research Council, National Research Foundation and A*STAR, institution-specific partnerships, 6 as well as EMBO.
Population: 6.04 million3
R&D spending as percentage of GDP: 1.85%4
People employed in R&D: 56,0814
Patents: 1,1832
Universities: 62
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships
support excellent postdoctoral researchers from Singapore to work in Europe and EMBC cooperation partners for a period of up to two years. International mobility is a key requirement. Applications open all year.
EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants
fund research exchanges of up to three months. The grants facilitate collaborations with research groups with expertise, techniques, or infrastructure that is unavailable in the applicant’s laboratory. Applications open all year.
The EMBO Young Investigator Programme
supports group leaders in the early stages of setting up their independent laboratories for a period of four years. Networking is a key aspect of the programme. Application deadline: 1 April.
The EMBO Global Investigator Network
supports group leaders setting up their laboratories. Global Investigators receive financial support for four years for training and networking activities, providing them with opportunities to form collaborations with scientists in their region and in Europe. Application deadline: 1 May.
EMBO Courses & Workshops
stimulate exchanges of the latest scientific knowledge and provide training in experimental techniques. Deadlines for applications for funding: 1 March and 1 July.
EMBO Member, and Global Investigator and Young Investigator Keynote Lectures
provide funding for EMBO Members, Associate Members, Global Investigators and Young Investigators to give keynote lectures at international conferences. Applications accepted throughout the year.
EMBO Press
publishes five journals that serve the global life science community: The EMBO Journal, EMBO Reports, EMBO Molecular Medicine, Molecular Systems Biology, and Life Science Alliance, which is published in partnership with Rockefeller University Press and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Find more EMBO schemes at embo.org/funding.
All information as of May 2025.
Meet Lena Ho, Assistant Professor at Duke–NUS Medical School and the Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore | EMBO Young Investigator
Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Research and Talent Development) A*STAR, Singapore | EMBO Associate Member