PMO’s mission is to:

• co-ordinate the activities of Ministries and provide overall policy direction;
• oversee national security strategies and policies;
• maintain readiness for elections;
• eradicate corruption;
• ensure the efficient and effective management of Public Service officers through sound personnel policies in service conditions, career development and staff training;
• advance strategic policy development and thought leadership in the Public Service;
• promote quality service and productivity;
• provide secretariat support to the Public Service Commission (PSC);
• co-ordinate research of different agencies within the larger national framework in order to provide a coherent strategic overview and direction; and
• guide and co-ordinate whole-of-government efforts in the implementation of national population policies and programmes.

A total budget of $219 million has been allocated to PMO in FY2007 to achieve this mission.

Public Service Division

The Public Service Division (PSD) of PMO aims to build a first class public service for a successful and vibrant Singapore. It aims to develop talent and nurture a forward-looking public service through public sector leadership development, capacity and capability building and the promotion of quality services at all levels of the Public Service.

To achieve these objectives, PSD’s Training and Development Programme provides training for all-round development of officers. Under this programme, $7.0 million is set aside to fund PS21-related training courses to help enhance capability and capacity in the public service in the following areas:

• Total Organisational Excellence;
• Improvement, Innovation and Enterprise; and
• Openness, Responsiveness and Involvement.

The amount will also fund actions to resolve issues regarding cutting red tape and multi-agency cooperation through the Zero-In-Process (ZIP) initiative.

Additionally, the Talent Management Programme awards and administers scholarships to attract and groom leaders for the Public Service. It also helps scholars better understand the fundamentals supporting the economy and society, and the role of the Civil Service in Singapore’s development.

PSC has set aside $10.9 million to recruit PSC scholars and develop potential public sector leaders for the Civil Service.

National Population Secretariat

The National Population Secretariat (NPS) was set up to guide and co-ordinate whole-of-government efforts in the implementation of population policies through programmes to engage Overseas Singaporeans, encourage naturalisation of suitable foreigners and promote marriage and parenthood.

NPS has started reaching out to overseas Singaporeans last year. Going forward, it will continue to engage Singaporeans based overseas. At the same time, it will also enhance its effort in immigration and encourage Singaporeans to have more babies so as to augment Singapore’s population.

NPS has allocated $24,540,550 and $3,228,100 of its total budget to operating and development expenditure respectively.

National Research Foundation

The National Research Foundation (NRF) sets the national direction for research and development (R&D) by developing policies, plans and strategies for research, innovation and enterprise, funds strategic initiatives, builds up R&D capabilities and capacities through nurturing our own and attracting foreign talent, and coordinates the research agendas of different agencies to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy. It provides secretariat support to the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC), chaired by the Prime Minister. A five-year budget of $5 billion has been allocated to the NRF in 2006 to achieve this mission.

NRF aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• Transform Singapore into a vibrant R&D hub that contributes towards a knowledge-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy NRF aims to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive economy using R&D as a key driver for existing and new industry sectors. A major outcome is to make Singapore a vibrant R&D hub. NRF has identified three strategic R&D areas of focus – Environmental and Water Technologies, Interactive and Digital Media, and Biomedical Sciences – and has allocated some $1.4 billion to drive these areas from 2006 to 2010. This constitutes 28% of the NRF’s budget.
• Make Singapore a talent magnet for scientific and innovation excellence For the long term sustainability of our R&D capabilities, NRF aims to build up a concentration of passionate research talent capable of achieving breakthrough results in Singapore. NRF will set up an international Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) as a platform for a select few of the world’s top research universities to establish a research presence in Singapore and work collaboratively with Singapore-based research entities. CREATE will be a magnet to attract young graduate and postdoctoral talent to Singapore, and will nurture a cadre of extraordinary scientists, whose discoveries and innovations can generate new growth engines for Singapore. NRF has allocated about $1 billion to develop CREATE. This constitutes 20% of the NRF’s budget.

To achieve these outcomes, we will be undertaking the following major initiatives and programmes:

• Environmental and Water Technologies
• Interactive and Digital Media
• Biomedical Sciences (Phase II)
• CREATE
  
  Environmental and Water Technologies
  
  The scale of the world’s water problem, in our region and beyond, has increased. With climate change, even rain abundant areas can face severe drought, further exacerbating water shortage in the world. Singapore, with its capabilities and technologies for water recycling and water resource management, is well placed to take a leading role in developing new technological solutions for managing the water life cycle. The Environmental and Water Technologies (EWT) programme will build on Singapore’s strong foundation in water technologies and management to develop Singapore as a global hydro-hub and a leader in water technologies.
  
  An integrated strategy covering research, test-bedding, incubation of companies, international linkages and talent development will be undertaken, driven by a multi agency effort (MTI, PUB and MEWR) coordinated through the EWI – Environment and Water Industry Development Council.
  
  NRF has allocated $330 million to EWT.
  
  Interactive and Digital Media
  
  The digital revolution, driven by the internet and the convergence of media and information technologies, has impacted every aspect of modern life. With Interactive and Digital Media (IDM), established business models are being challenged and disrupted by new technologies, new players, and new business models. The landscape continues to evolve. The IDM programme aims to grow Singapore into a global IDM capital, leveraging our unique multi-cultural, multi-lingual identity with our strong foundation in infocommunication infrastructure to create new innovative niches in this vast and fast-changing sector. Games and edutainment are the initial focus areas in the programme.
  
  An integrated strategy covering education and manpower, finance, infrastructure, legal, social and ethical issues and R&D will be adopted. This is driven by a multi-agency team (MTI, MICA and MOE) coordinated through the IDM Programme Office set up in MDA.
  
  NRF has allocated $500 million to IDM.
  
  Biomedical Sciences (Phase II)
  
  Biomedical Sciences (BMS) Phase II will focus on efforts to translate basic science into better medicines and treatments to improve patient care, i.e. translational and clinical research. The programme aims to develop Singapore into the Biopolis of Asia and an international BMS cluster advancing human health. It will build on Singapore’s basic research and drug discovery capabilities developed in the first phase of the BMS programme, the BMS industry cluster, and the country’s strong foundation in healthcare services delivery, to position Singapore as the best location in Asia for scientific proof of concept in man.
  
  The government will invest $1,442 million for the next five years in BMS, of which $550 million will be contributed by NRF. A*STAR and MOH will jointly drive this effort.
  
  CREATE
  
  CREATE will enable Singapore to build strong linkages with global institutions to enhance our connectivity to top research centres in the world and accelerate Singapore’s thrust towards an inventive, innovative and entrepreneurial economy. It will also be a talent magnet for scientific and innovation excellence. The MIT will set up the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre as the first centre within CREATE in 2007. Swiss technology powerhouse ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) has also declared its intention to establish a research centre in CREATE.
  
  NRF has allocated $1 billion to develop CREATE.