The Awards

President’s Science & Technology Medal (PSTM)

Awarded to individuals who have made distinguished, sustained and exceptional contributions, and played a strategic role in advancing Singapore’s development through promotion and management of science and technology (S&T).

The PSTM is not meant to recognise research accomplishments or contributes to advancing individual technologies, as these are awarded under the PSA and PTA respectively.

Nominees are evaluated on:

Impact of Contributions
- Accomplishments and contributions are acknowledged by the S&T ecosystem as having a significant impact on the ecosystem’s capabilities or international stature
Examples include, but are not restricted to:
- Driving or pioneering the establishment of an important field of study in Singapore
- Providing instrumental leadership in raising a Singapore S&T institution to world-class status
- Exceptional contributions that boosted the capabilities or international stature of Singapore’s S&T

President’s Science Award (PSA)

Awarded to individuals or teams for outstanding contributions that have had a transformative effect on one or more S&T fields.

Nominees are evaluated on:

Impact of Contributions
- Accomplishments and contributions are acknowledged by other S&T practitioners as being significant and impactful to their field
- Contributions need not have led to practical applications or products
Includes, but is not restricted to, individual discoveries or a collective body of research work that has led to:
- Spawning or enabling new avenues of study
- Revolutionising or significantly advancing the research methodology of a field
- Significantly advancing or overturning our previous understanding of a field
- Potential for significant scientific or industrial application

President’s Technology Award (PTA)

Awarded to individuals or teams for outstanding contributions that have led to transformative changes in the use or potential of technology.

Nominees are evaluated on:

Impact of Contributions
- Accomplishments and contributions are acknowledged by other S&T practitioners as resulting from deep innovative input or ingenuity, marking a turning point for that technology’s use or potential, with significant impact on society
- While the relevant technology need not be fully adopted or deployed at the point of nomination, it must have progressed beyond academic or theoretical potential, and be in the process of translation by industry or adoption by end-users
Includes, but is not restricted to, individual breakthroughs or a collective body of R&D work that has led to:
- Overcoming key obstacles that unlocked an impactful technology’s potential
- Significantly advancing the state-of-the-art performance of an impactful technology
- Innovative application of existing technology in a new, impactful way
- Demonstrating a technology that disrupts the industry’s status quo

Young Scientist Award (YSA)

Awarded to researchers aged 35 years and below, who are actively engaged in R&D in Singapore, and who have shown great potential to be world-class researchers in their fields of expertise. This award is administered by the Singapore National Academy of Science (SNAS) and supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF).

There are two categories of Awards, namely:

Biological and Biomedical Sciences; and
Physical, Information and Engineering Sciences

Eligibility for the Awards

PSTM, PSA and PTA

Nominees must be outstanding contributors who have made an impact to Singapore’s R&D landscape

Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and foreigners may apply, as long as a substantial amount of research has been carried out in Singapore
(Note: most of the projects submitted have at least 50% of the work done in Singapore)
No age limit
Selected candidate(s) should still be active in research in the year the award is presented