Job Description

What the role is:The National Research Foundation (NRF) is a department within the Prime Minister's Office, and we set the national direction for Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) by developing policies, plans and strategies; funding strategic initiatives that strengthen our scientific and technological capabilities, grow our RIE talent base, and achieve economic and national impact; and fostering RIE collaboration in Singapore and internationally.What you will be working on:The key role of the Innovation & Enterprise (I&E) directorate is to build an I&E ecosystem that enables companies and entrepreneurs to leverage our strong base of research to rapidly create globally competitive products, services and businesses. You will: Identify emerging deep tech areas with potential for large economic growth in the future, through a deep understanding of our local peaks of excellence, global developments, and market opportunities; Validate the thesis on the economic potential for these areas through: (1) a data-centric approach, (2) qualitative understanding of the R&D and innovation landscape, and (3) engagements with Key Opinion Leaders and industry experts; Work with Economic Agencies to develop sector-specific strategies and tools to grow a critical mass of companies in the emerging deep tech areas; Work with deep tech ecosystem partners and multipliers, such as Venture Builders, Incubators, Tech Transfer Offices etc to provide a comprehensive suite of support that enables innovation in the emerging deep tech areas; Monitor the overall I&E ecosystem to identify gaps in deep tech commercialisation that require interventions; and Manage relevant Innovation and Enterprise (I&E) funding schemes that are administered by NRF in support of our efforts to grow the I&E ecosystem.What we are looking for:

• Background in science, engineering, economics or public policy; 3-5 years of relevant working experience preferably working on tech policy or driving innovation in a technology startup or company; Strong analytical abilities with a broad sense of perspective; Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Ability to forge strong relationships and networks with ecosystem partners; and Ability to collaborate well with others.

About National Research Foundation:The National Research Foundation (NRF) was set up on 1 January 2006 as a department under the Prime Minister's Office. It was set up to perform the following: a) To provide secretariat support to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Senior Minister; b) To coordinate the research of different agencies within the larger national framework in order to provide a coherent strategic overview and direction; c) To develop policies and plans to implement the five strategic thrusts for the national R&D agenda; and d) To implement national research, innovation and enterprise strategies approved by the RIEC, and to allocate funding to programmes that meet NRF's strategic objectives.

National Research Foundation