GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES

The Singapore Government is highly supportive of those industries which could provide citizens with the skills set necessary for ensuring Singapore's competitiveness into the 21st Century. Lately, this direction would be in IT, as shown by the IT Master Plan in Education and the establishment of the Technopreneurship 21 (or T21) - an initiative involving high-level government and private-sector efforts to prepare and lay the foundation for the successful development of a technopreneurship sector in Singapore.

The government has several institutions tasked to offers assistance schemes to help companies based in Singapore at the various stages of their growth. These institutions are:

Enterprise Promotion Centre (EPC)

The EPC is a first-stop business centre offering a holistic approach to enterprise development. Their services range from general promotion and facilitation to specific hands-on assistance: from business communication to business facilitation to multi-disciplinary consultancy and regionalization.

Agency For Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR) - lead agency spearheading technopreneurship development in Singapore

Standards, Productivity & Innovations Board (SPRING) - for assistance on product & process development, testing and evaluation.

Economic Development Board (EDB) - for R&D grants and tax incentives

International Enterprise Singapore - for assistance on branding, marketing, regionalisation

Info-communications Development Authority - for assistance on e-commerce issues

Assistance to SMEs

SPRING operates a phone-based helpdesk to SMEs known as SME First Stop First Stop integrates the government's efforts in upgrading and developing the local enterprise sector. It facilitates SMEs' participation in more than 60 Government Development Assistance Programs (GDAPs) and provides value-added services to local enterprises seeking information and facilitation on business and operations upgrading.