Nestlé opens new research centre in Singapore
SINGAPORE, April 1, 2016
Nestlé is set to expand research and innovation activities in Asia with the establishment of Nestlé Research Centre (NRC) Asia in Biopolis, the biomedical research hub of Singapore.
The expansion builds on Nestlé’s strategic innovation partnership with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and provides a new base for Nestlé Research Centre, with a focus on Healthy Ageing, said a statement.
Longer life expectancy and a marked decline in fertility rates have resulted in a rapidly ageing global population, with significant economic, healthcare and societal repercussions.
In particular, Asia’s ageing population is expected to reach 1.2 billion and account for 60 per cent of the world’s population of older people by 20501.
Nestlé has identified a strategic need for a research footprint within Asia to study the role of nutrition and early development in health and disease, so as to better address the needs of the region’s ageing population.
NRC Asia’s strong focus on Healthy Ageing will leverage Singapore’s strong biomedical research capabilities and diverse ethnic population to enrich the wellbeing, health and longevity of Asia’s aged.
The regional insights gleaned on geriatric nutrition could also lead to nutritional interventions across the globe.
The establishment of NRC Asia builds on the success of Nestlé’s strategic innovation partnership with A*STAR, Singapore's lead public sector research agency driving economic-oriented research.
The origins of Nestlé’s partnership with A*STAR date back to 2011, when NRC began collaborative projects in clinical nutrition research with A*STAR’s Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS).
Since the signing of a Framework Research Agreement with A*STAR in January 2014, Nestlé Research has set up strategic platforms around food science and technology, materials science and packaging, nutrition, health and behaviour.
The collaboration will also increasingly expand on biotransformation – the use of natural processes, such as fermentation, to transform raw materials into ingredients with nutritional or functional benefits.
Meanwhile, the ongoing research collaborations between both partners are already delivering impactful outcomes.
With the new focus on Healthy Ageing, key platform projects between Nestlé and A*STAR are also in progress.
One such project, a multi-party collaboration with Nestlé, A*STAR’s Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Sanofi Pasteur rides on an existing vaccination study in the elderly.
With the centre’s close proximity to private and public sector research at Biopolis as well as neighboring hospitals and universities, Nestlé will be able to tap on Singapore’s integrated R&D ecosystem to conduct collaborative research to develop quality nutritional products.
Nestlé is expected to increase its total headcount at NRC Asia by 25 in the next three to five years. This includes key positions such as Dr Fabrizio Agrigoni, head of NRC Asia and head of Nestlé’s Healthy Ageing programme.
“The Nestlé and A*STAR partnership has shown significant results and great potential for both partners. The collaboration and the founding of our Healthy Ageing programme also marks the start of a new drive of scientific innovation efforts which support unmet nutritional needs of Asia’s ageing population,” said Dr Arigoni.
Professor Stefan Catsicas, chief technology officer, Nestlé, added: “Singapore’s focus on higher education and scientific excellence with strong industrial development purpose makes it an ideal place to broaden our research base while bridging our NRC presence in China and Japan.
“Our priority is to participate in building an unprecedented ecosystem where the government, academia and industry worlds come together to improve people’s quality of life. Through open innovation with key players in the region, Nestlé believes that nutritional science will provide enhanced solutions that support health and wellness." - TradeArabia News Service
