The Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (Abbreviation

Abbreviation

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...

: SPRING Singapore} is a statutory board

Statutory boards of the Singapore Government

The statutory boards of the Singapore Government are organisations that have been given autonomy to perform an operational function. They usually report to one specific ministry.*Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority...

 under the Ministry of Trade and Industry

Ministry of Trade and Industry (Singapore)

The Ministry Of Trade and Industry is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation of policies related to the development of trade and industry in Singapore.-Mission:...

 of Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. It is the main agency for enterprise

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

 development, and it aims to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises to develop a strong base of dynamic and innovative Singapore enterprises. It is also the national standards and conformance body.

According to SPRING Singapore, the agency helps to nurture a pro-business environment, facilitate the growth of industries and enhance innovation and enterprise capabilities of small and medium enterprises for better access to markets and business opportunities.

History

Formerly known as Productivity and Standards Board (PSB), it was formed as a result of the merger between the National Productivity Board (NPB) and the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR) in April 1996. The purpose is to bring together the soft skills of productivity handled by NPB and the technical aspects handled by SISIR.

In April 2002, it was renamed SPRING Singapore to signify the shift towards an innovation-driven economy, and its new role in promoting creativity to sustain growth for Singaporeans.

Mission

As the national standards and conformance body, SPRING Singapore 'helps to lower technical barriers to trade, provide quality assurance for products and services and promote industry use of Singapore and international standards'.

SPRING Singapore's mission is "to raise productivity so as to enhance Singapore's competitiveness and economic growth for a better quality of life for our people".

Organisational Structure

SPRING Singapore is headed by Philip Yeo

Philip Yeo

Philip Yeo Liat Kok is the Chairman of both SPRING Singapore and Singbridge International Investments. He was formerly the Special Adviser for Economic Development in the Prime Minister's Office from April 2007 to August 2011. Until 2007, he was the chairman of A*STAR, a government agency in...

, former head of A*STAR. The directors in the board of directors include:

• Chong Siak Ching
• Png Cheong Boon
• Mike Booker
• Roger Chia
• Thomas Chua Kee Seng
• RADM Lai Chung Han
• Kathy Lai Sou Tien
• Lim Boon Wee
• Leslie Loh
• Mak Keat Meng
• Viswa Sadasivan
• Saktiandi Supaat
• Tan Choon Shian
• Wong Toon King
• Janet Young
• Prof Charles F. Zukoski, IV

Departments

SPRING Singapore is divided into five departments: Enterprise Capabilities, Enterprise Promotion, Industry Development, Quality & Standards and Corporate Development.

Portfolio

The agency has three areas of focus: productivity and innovation; standards and quality; and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the domestic sector.

Scholarships

In 2008, SPRING Singapore awarded their first batch of Executive Development Scholarships (EDS) - targeting at both Junior College and University students who are keen to be their own boss or to develop the SME Industry following graduation.

The Management Development Scholarship (MDS) is also available to employees of SMEs who wish to pursue their Masters with a university on SPRING Singapore's list. Up to 90% of the course fees is subsidized by SPRING Singapore with the remaining 10% fully borne by the SME company. This scholarship comes with a bond of up to two years with the sponsoring SME company.

See also

• Ministry of Trade and Industry
  Ministry of Trade and Industry (Singapore)
  The Ministry Of Trade and Industry is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation of policies related to the development of trade and industry in Singapore.-Mission:...
  
  
• Government of Singapore
  Government of Singapore
  The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
  
  
• Economy of Singapore
  Economy of Singapore
  Singapore has a highly developed state capitalist mixed economy; the state owns stakes in firms that comprise perhaps 60% of the GDP through entities such as the sovereign wealth fund Temasek...
  
  

External links

• SPRING Singapore - official website