On 15 November 2016, Prime Minister and Minister of State Xavier Bettel travelled to Singapore for a working visit, where he was welcomed by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. They talked about subjects such as the strengthening of bilateral relations and international current affairs. “Our two countries have many points in common,” said Prime Minister Xavier Bettel at the start of his visit; “we are both small States with big ambitions, and we are both aiming for a globalised economy nourished by innovation”.
Xavier Bettel felt that “Singapore and the Grand Duchy are very closely linked, not only in terms of foreign trade and financial services, but also in terms of logistics, ICTs and RDI”. He felt that even greater synergies were both possible and desirable for the two countries in many other areas.
In keeping with the theme of stronger cooperation, the two Prime Ministers were present at the signing of a memorandum between the National Research Fund of the Grand Duchy and the National Research Foundation of Singapore aimed at intensifying collaboration on scientific research and implementing joint research projects, giving priority to the field of materials science and more particularly to composite materials and 3D printing, and to FinTech.
Xavier Bettel welcomed this initiative: “This stronger cooperation between Singapore and the Grand Duchy will enable both countries to increase their respective competencies. It will be beneficial for both partners.”
The stronger cooperation was implemented and became a reality immediately, with the signature of a partnership agreement between the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the Singapore Center for 3D Printing (SC3DP) at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Under this agreement, LIST and SC3DP both undertake to develop together their respective competencies in a sector in which they complement each other. While LIST’s strong points lie in the development of composite materials, those of SC3DP lie in printing technology; pooling the two will make it possible to make rapid progress in research on 3D printing using new materials.
The Prime Minister also addressed 400 guests at the Singapore Management University (SMU), as part of the ‘Presidential Distinguished Lecturer Series’, speaking on “political leadership in the digital age”. In his speech, Xavier Bettel stressed the importance of ICTs for the political, economic and cultural evolution of society. On the subject of the diversification of the Grand Duchy’s economy, Xavier Bettel explained that “credibility, foreseeability and stability, combined with pragmatism, innovation and reactivity in the face of the new challenges, have enabled the Grand Duchy to create an attractive business environment”.
