Peter Ong To Launch New Economic Research Centre In Singapore

Peter Ong, the head of Singapore’s civil service, will tomorrow launch a new research centre, which will seek to establish how Singapore can respond to economic challenges while maintaining strong links with Australia.
The new Asia Growth Research Centre, which will be based at the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre in Singapore, is funded by the University of Adelaide – where Ong studied.
The launch will be held at the Australia-Singapore Relationship Conference at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, where Ong will give a key note address.
Other speakers at the event will include senior government officials, academics and business economists from Singapore and Australia, as well as Japan.
Professor Christopher Findlay, executive dean of the Faculty of the Professions at Adelaide University’s, said: “Our new Asia Growth Research Centre will draw together great minds from Singapore and around the world, focusing their energies to address key economic challenges for the country. We hope this knowledge will have important flow-on effects for prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia.”
He said that since gaining independence 50 years ago, Singapore has emerged as one of the world’s most successful industrialising nations, added: “There is much current debate about the nation’s demographic structure, competitiveness of the economy, and labour policies, and how they might need to adjust to deal with new economic realities.”
He said the new centre would offer clarity around the expectations for growth in Singapore, and inform the policy and business responses required for economic sustainability.
“In this way, our centre stands to make a significant contribution as Singapore charts its way forward regionally and globally, offering long-term benefit to the whole community,” professor Findlay said.
Tomorrow’s conference will feature sessions on services, competitiveness and growth; connectivity, infrastructure and cities; and skills and structural changes needed to achieve growth.