Speech by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance at the 15th National Engineers Day Engineering Innovation Challenge Prize Presentation Ceremony

Engineer Chan Ewe Jin, President of The Institution of Engineers, Singapore

Ms Low Khah Gek, Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Technical Education, Singapore

Distinguished guests and students

Sisters and brothers from NTUC

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.     Good afternoon. I am happy to join you here at the 2024 National Engineers Day Engineering Innovation Challenge. Let me first begin by congratulating all our young engineers here with us today! Over 200 teams submitted projects for the challenge this year, and there was a wide range of high-quality projects showcased today. These projects exemplified the spirit of innovation and persistence that underpin good engineering. You identified a problem, developed a good understanding of the theoretical and technical challenges involved, came up with creative solutions, and took practical steps to test out these solutions and turn them into reality.

Engineering as the foundation of our future

2.     The engineering approach to solving problems and improving processes has contributed greatly to our progress as a society. It begins with being observant of the everyday challenges faced by those around us. For example, the team from ITE College East came out with a good solution to help the visually impaired to navigate around more safely. While canes or guide dogs can help the visually impaired navigate around effectively, these aids don’t do well in detecting obstacles that are higher up, closer to their upper body or head. One of the things that inspired them to start the project was reading a report from the Straits Times of a visually impaired person who got a head injury after knocking into an obstacle. The ITE team then drew inspiration from the concept of echo-location, designed and prototyped a Smart Mobility Aid to help the visually impaired identify hazards and avoid danger. This project is a good reminder that being a good engineer is not just about knowing science and technology, but having the drive to find practical solutions to improve the lives of those around us.

3.     We know that Singapore is a small country with many constraints – we have land constraints. We also have labour constraints; with aging, there are more and more people that are getting older and our local workforce will not keep growing. We will hit a saturation point, after which the size of the local workforce will start to decline. We also have a new constraint – carbon constraint. If we want to achieve our goal of net-zero by 2050, we cannot do things as usual. So what we need to do is to work with all of you, and our companies and workers, to find innovative solutions that can help us to tackle the problems of today, and seize opportunities tomorrow.

4.     The theme of this year’s competition, “Innovating a Circular Economy through Engineering” is timely. Engineering innovations will be critical to supporting our economic ambitions and global competitiveness, while also strengthening climate resilience and resource efficiency. We should not see reaching net zero and protecting the environment as at odds with economic growth. If we do it well, they can be mutually supporting and reinforcing – growing in a sustainable way, and in a manner which still protects the environment. This is what we hope to do with the right solutions.

5.     Many of the projects I saw today involved reducing waste, and creative reuse of materials. Nationally, this is also something that we are pursuing in a big way. For example, we have been reusing recyclable materials from Pulau Semakau – Singapore’s only landfill – to reclaim land for the construction of Tuas Port. For those of you may not be aware, we are currently building the world’s largest container port – the Tuas Port. When completed in the 2040s, it will have a capacity of 65 million TEUs. To reclaim the land to build the port, a lot of materials are needed. If we can reuse some of the landfill materials from Pulau Semakau, we would be killing two birds with one stone – by extending the life of the landfill, while also reducing the amount of sand required for Tuas Port reclamation and construction. It is a win-win, but this is not easy because it needs to be done properly.

6.      We are now studying the possibility of mixing cement with landfill waste, such as incineration ash and wastewater, as a more sustainable alternative to conventional materials like sand. Our engineers are hard at work to see how we can achieve something that would be good for Singapore, supporting our development in a more resource constrained world.

Nurturing future generations of engineers

7.     To continue driving such innovations, the key is to have a strong core of engineers. It is the engineers and the people behind that the ideas that can make the project work. I’m heartened that IES has been successfully organising the Engineering Innovation Challenge for the past decade, to inspire our students with the possibilities of engineering, and to encourage them to consider a future in engineering fields.

8.     This is but one of the many initiatives by IES to build a talent pipeline needed across various sectors of our economy. For example, IES has partnered with ITE to jointly develop certification courses for Technical Officers in Mechanical & Electrical engineering, and Civil & Structural engineering.

9.     Speaking for our public transport sector, a strong pipeline of talent is crucial in helping us to provide a core service for Singaporeans. From the challenges of building rail lines in a densely -populated city, to maintaining the intricate mechanical and electrical systems required to keep our rail network operating smoothly, engineers play a critical role to keep Singapore moving. The same is true for the development and operation of our airport and seaports. As we continue to strengthen our connectivity, engineers will have many opportunities to make a difference to the lives of fellow Singaporeans. At the airport and seaports, we are also embarking on automation projects that will allow us to improve productivity and reduce labour costs.

10.    I am also glad that IES will be launching a new Scholarship Fund to provide financial assistance to deserving students to pursue engineering studies. I thank the donors for their generous contribution to the fund, and for nurturing the aspirations of our next generation of engineers, so that they too can contribute back to our community.

Concluding Remarks

11.    I encourage our young student engineers to make the best use of these opportunities to pursue your dreams. Your journey as an engineer certainly does not end today. I hope that each of you will continue to pursue your interests in engineering in one way or another, and challenge yourselves to continue innovating and exploring the limitless possibilities within the field.

12.    Let me conclude by once again thanking all students for participating in this year’s Engineering Innovation Challenge. I look forward to seeing more of your great ideas come to life, and your contributions to a more sustainable, prosperous Singapore.

13.    Thank you.