The chairman of Singapore’s leading public sector agency for scientific research, technological development, and economic growth has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Warwick.

Mr Lim Chuan Poh, who was appointed Chairman of The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in 2007, received the award with an oration by Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG.

Since 2007, Mr Lim has Chaired A*STAR, Singapore's lead agency that spearheads research to advance scientific discovery, create innovative technology, further economic growth and improve lives both in knowledge-based, innovation-driven Singapore and internationally.

At A*STAR he has pioneered an open innovation framework, reflecting the fact that no single entity has all the resources, capabilities and research required to solve the ‘big questions’. His inspirational vision is that new knowledge creation and innovation are hugely accelerated when scientific communities around the world galvanise to work collaboratively towards a common purpose.

One example is the innovative collaboration between A*STAR and WMG with the first international Engineering Doctorate scholarship programme. Here we address major global challenges including advanced materials, digital healthcare and autonomous systems through selecting highly talented individuals, who spend two years in each country, benefitting from the excellence and complementarity of the research and exploitation environments.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya said “I was extremely delighted, today, to present Mr Lim Chuan Poh with his honorary Doctor of Science degree. He has had an exceptional and distinguished career, and has embraced major contributions to science and innovation, peacekeeping and defence diplomacy. He is renowned as a longstanding advocate of international cooperation and the central role that science and technology plays in economic development and societal progress.”

Prior to leading A*STAR, Mr Lim was the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education (MOE) from July 2003 to March 2007. At MOE, Mr Lim oversaw the transformation Singapore’s publicly funded universities into Autonomous Universities (AUs) to enable them to reach new peaks of excellence. He also reviewed the university research framework that led to the creation of the Academic Research Council and a new Academic Research Funding Framework. Before joining MOE he spent 23 years with the Singapore Armed Forces in a range of senior appointments and last held the office of the Chief of Defence Force.

Mr Lim has been a Board Member of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) since 2003, and Singapore’s National Research Foundation since January 2006. He was the Chairman of the National Infocomm Security Committee from 2010 to 2015, and is currently the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, a joint Medical School between NTU and Imperial College. He co-chairs the Health and Biomedical Sciences, and the National Cybersecurity R&D Executive Committee, and is a member of the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Executive Committee. He is also a member of the Singtel Technology Advisory Panel (TAP). Mr Lim was appointed as an Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY SPP) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) since July 2013.

He is a Board and Council Member of the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum; and a Member of Japan’s World Premier International (WPI) Initiative Programme Assessment and Review Committee since 2007; as well as being a Special Committee Member of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Advisory Committee since 2014. He became a founding member of Frost and Sullivan Board of Governors of the Economic Development Innovation Council in 2014.

After graduating with degrees in Mathematics from Cambridge University, he then attended the Camberley Staff College in 1988 and graduated with the Best Overseas Student Award. He received a Masters in Business Administration degree (with distinction) from Cornell University in 1993. He also attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2003.

He has been awarded the Public Administration Medal, Gold in 1999 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2003. He was awarded the US Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) in 1999 and again in 2001; Thailand’s the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant in 2001; and Indonesia’s Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama 1st Class in 2001.