Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
at a rate of close to 37 per cent per year and that it is the third largest
in the Asia-Pacific region, behind Australia and China (Salter et al.,
2007). A large healthcare workforce with strong international
linkages and an established pharmaceutical sector to take over the
translation stage of stem cell research are also seen to be particular
advantages for stem cell science in India (Salter et al., 2007).
Australian policy towards developing the stem cell sciences has
included the development of specific regulations governing the
conduct of stem cell science, the establishment of an embryo research
licensing authority, the formation of two dedicated stem cell research
facilities (one of which is now defunct) and specific funding
programmes for basic research. The Australian Stem Cell Centre,
established in 2002, was the first research centre to be funded under
the then national government's policy platform for building research
capacity in biotechnology by strategically developing national
'research centres of excellence' in specific fields. This programme
was one approach developed out of the Backing Australia's Ability
research and development strategy published in 2001 (Harvey, 2009).
Singapore's Biopolis
demonstrates another strategy used by
governments in leveraging up the existing capacity of a nation-state
for performance in the stem cell sciences. Established in 2003, the
aim of Biopolis was to make Singapore the centre of biotechnology
excellence in the Asian region (Waldby, 2009). Supported by large
amounts of government funding, the Biopolis facility represented the
Singaporean government's investment and vision for the future of
biotechnology among fierce competition from neighbouring countries
(Waldby, 2009). Biopolis is a large, high-tech science park, where
state-of-the-art facilities could combine with community-style living
and provide an engine room for future development in the life
sciences.
3.1.1 Innovatingforenhancedcompetitiveness
The principles of creating the right conditions for innovation are
predicated on the desire for competitiveness in the international stem
cell economy. In an economic context, competitiveness means '… the
