SINGAPORE — The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) has had a total of five contracts to date with Chinese technology company Huawei but none of these involved sensitive research, the Coroner’s Inquiry into American researcher Shane Todd’s death heard yesterday.

Dr Todd, an employee at IME, was involved in one of the contracts. His parents had alleged in a Financial Times (FT) article in February that he was murdered over work he did at the IME that was linked to Huawei, which the United States government has accused of engaging in cyber-espionage.

IME Deputy Executive Director for Research Patrick Lo Guo-Qiang yesterday testified that the IME neither conducts classified military-related research nor research that is solely for military-related applications. The IME is “an economic agency”, he said.

IME projects involving defence agencies such as those under the US Department of Defense or Singapore’s Ministry of Defence “relate to subject matter that are of interest to the IME and broadens the IME’s expertise”, said Dr Lo, an American citizen and Singapore permanent resident.

He added: “Typically, such projects are upstream or academic ... in nature and often involve researchers from universities and research institutes.”

Dr Lo gave details of the five contracts between IME and Huawei: The first was in 2007 for a project titled “Hybrid 3D stack and demonstration of Optical Interconnects” and it involved a consortium involving Japanese firm Hitachi Cable. The second, in 2010, was for a project called “Feasibility study — Silicon Photonics Platform with assembly for future low cost optical transceivers”. The third contract in 2011, titled “11th Electronics Packaging Research Consortium: TSV Silicon Interposer”, involved a consortium that included Nissan Chemical Industries from Japan, and German firm EV Group Europe and Asia/Pacific.

The fourth contract, in which Dr Todd was involved, was signed in March last year and titled “Characterisation and modelling of radio frequency devices”. It was “a small value (less than S$15,000) measurement project”, said Dr Lo.

The fifth contract was signed this year and it is titled “TSI Consortium”. This project involves United Microelectronics Corporation from Taiwan, United Test and Assembly Centre from Singapore, Terrazon Semiconductor Corporation from the US and EV Groups Europe from Austria.

Dr Lo said Dr Todd led a potential project between the IME and Huawei for the development of a Gallium Nitride (GaN) amplifier. However, it did not materialise as Huawei was not keen for it to proceed.

GaN is a semiconductor and, like any other semiconductor material, can have military applications. The project’s ultimate objective was to make a device for power electronics.

Senior State Counsel Tai Wei Shyong asked Dr Lo why Dr Todd was asked to lead the GaN project despite his apparent lack of experience.

Dr Lo replied that employees may join groups that they do not have a prior experience in, as it was a “good platform to entertain and grow a young staff’s interest”. He added that although Dr Todd was the leader in some projects, he was handling more of the “logistics” rather than the “technical” side of the projects.

Dr Lo said Dr Todd was never asked to do anything that would compromise the national security of any country. He was also never asked to obtain restricted or classified information and to provide them to other countries, Dr Lo added.

Outside the courtroom, Mr Tai was asked by reporters whether the writers of the FT article, Mr Raymond Bonner and Ms Christine Spolar, would be called to testify given that the witnesses yesterday had refuted FT’s allegations about the IME’s work.

Mr Tai said the State “would welcome” Mr Bonner, who is attending the inquiry, “to give evidence ... if he wishes to do so”. “We want the full story about this case to be told,” he said.

The inquiry continues on Monday.