SINGAPORE — Procter & Gamble and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed a Master Research Collaboration Agreement that will span five years’ of research partnerships with Singapore’s vast network of over 25 research institutes, medical, and academic institutions, A*STAR said today (Dec 26).

The partnership will be one of the largest public-sector research collaborations for P&G, an American multinational consumer goods company.

The collaboration, as part of P&G’s Connect+Develop programme, “will marry P&G’s deep consumer understanding with A*STAR’s state-of-the-art knowledge in multi-disciplinary sciences”, according to the press release.

The agreement, which provides the potential for up to S$60 million in joint funding, both extends and expands a 2010 Master Research Collaboration Agreement (MRCA) between P&G and A*STAR.

Cooperation will now cover a broader reach and allow P&G access to research services and facilities at Singapore’s research hubs Biopolis and Fusionopolis. The company will also be able to tap into resources in Singapore’s large research eco-system that includes universities and hospitals.

The new MRCA further includes a component for joint partnership in talent development that offers industry-relevant PhD Programmes and post-doctoral fellowships.

“We are delighted by the extension and expansion of our partnership with P&G,” said Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR.

“Singapore’s flourishing R&D eco-system encompasses our hospitals and universities in addition to the A*STAR research institutes. It is therefore important that we harness synergistically the full range of capabilities that are available in the public sector to sustain our competitive value proposition as an innovation hub.”

“This agreement is part of our commitment to drive innovation and bring brands to market that create meaning and value for consumers and our shareholders,” said P&G Chief Technology Officer Bruce Brown.

Added Ms Laura Becker, head of P&G Connect+Develop: “A*STAR has proven to be a leading edge innovation partner across several segments of our business and upstream research work. Expanding our partnership allows P&G to more fully leverage the unique innovation capabilities at A*STAR and its network or research institutions.”

P&G says it will soon be opening its Singapore Innovation Centre in the centre of Biopolis, which marks its 10th anniversary this year.