How Singapore turns billion-dollar science research into real-world success - Singapore’s RIE plans have driven innovation in industries like marine manufacturing, with Mencast Marine adopting AI and 3D printing to boost productivity and reduce carbon footprint. - Horizon Quantum, a local deep tech startup, developed tools to simplify quantum computing, secured funding, and launched Singapore’s first commercial quantum computer for hire. - PRECISE and PREPARE initiatives advance precision medicine and epidemic preparedness, mapping genomes and creating respiratory tissue models to improve healthcare and future outbreak responses. AI generated SINGAPORE – Singapore launched its first Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) roadmap in 2010, supported by a budget of $16.1 billion, to outline the nation's priorities in research and technology. It has been 15 years since that initial launch. In 2026, the National Research Foundation is expected to publish its RIE2025 report to document the country’s progress over the most recent five-year period from April 2021 to March 2026. NRF will also release its full RIE2030 plan to set out goals and priorities for the next five years with a new budget of $37 billion. The Straits Times recaps some of the success stories that emerged from Singapore’s RIE efforts. Mencast Marine Founded in 1981 as a four-man operation designing and manufacturing propellers for tugboats and fast-boats, Mencast Marine’s production process depended on raw materials such as sand and bronze alloy ingots, imported from as far away as Europe. The propellers, typically between 1m and 3m in diameter, are made by melting the ingots into sand moulds in a process known as sand casting. It has also relied on engineers for its labour-intensive production process. In 2023, the home-grown firm tapped Singapore’s research ecosystem, partnering Enterprise Singapore and A*STAR to incorporate artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing – more commonly known as 3D-printing