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 accomplishments and contributions would generally be acknowledged by the S&T ecosystem as having a significant impact on the ecosystem’s capabilities or international stature. 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.

Examples of achievements recognised by the PSTM include, but are not restricted to:

• Being the driving force in pioneering the establishment of an important field of study in Singapore.

• Being the leader who was instrumental in the raising of an S&T institution to world-class status.

• Contributing exceptionally to a major levelling-up of our S&T ecosystem’s capabilities or international stature.

President's Science Award (PSA)

The PSA recognises accomplishments generally acknowledged by other S&T practitioners as being significant and impactful to their field. They need not have led to practical applications or products.

Achievements recognised by the PSA include, but are 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, or the potential for such advancement

President’s Technology Award (PTA)

The PTA recognises accomplishments that have led to transformative changes in the use or potential of technology in Singapore or further afield. The relevant technology need not be fully adopted or deployed at the point of nomination, but its potential must be acknowledged, and it must have progressed beyond academic or theoretical potential and be in the process of translation or adoption by end-users.

Achievements recognised by the PTA include, but are not restricted to, individual breakthroughs or a collective body of R&D work that has led to:

• Disrupting the industry’s status quo with a new technology,

• Advancing the state-of-the-art performance of an impactful technology,

• Innovative application of existing technology in a new, impactful way,

• Pioneering development of local technology capabilities.

Young Scientist Award (YSA)

Awarded to researchers aged 40 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