Singapore (CU)_ Amgen, a global leader in biotechnology, and NSG BioLabs, Singapore’s biggest and preeminent biotechnology incubator, have announced the commencement of a three-year Golden Ticket sponsorship. Amgen’s Golden Ticket sponsorship inaugurates the NSG Tomorrow Program, which was designed to assist creative biotech businesses in achieving their goal.
Under the terms of the sponsorship, Amgen will support one “Golden Ticket” award annually for three years, with the winners getting one year of free residency in NSG Biolabs’ fully furnished turnkey BSL-2 laboratory, in addition to other facility benefits and contacts to Amgen’s scientific and business leaders. Companies and projects in Singapore that perform research in specialized biotech disciplines or develop innovative medications and therapies can register to join the competitive programme. Innovative and transformative medicines for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory, hepatic, and cardiometabolic illnesses, as well as innovative research and biomanufacturing platforms, are of interest. After an interactive pitch session, the Golden Ticket winner will be chosen by Amgen’s internal scientific committee.
Philip Tagari, Vice President of Therapeutic Discovery at Amgen, expressed confidence over the partnership. He said, “Singapore is a leading innovation hub in Asia, with high-quality biomedical science performed at internationally renowned institutions based in the country. Recognizing the growing biotech ecosystem locally, and Amgen’s high-tech biopharmaceutical manufacturing footprint located in Singapore, our sponsorship of the Golden Ticket with NSG BioLabs aims to further foster early-stage life science companies and provide unique mentoring opportunities for local scientist-entrepreneurs. Amgen R&D and Operations teams are excited to partner with NSG BioLabs to support the burgeoning bioscience community in Singapore, and further enable emerging life-science startups”.
The COVID-19 outbreak and the progress in vaccine and therapy research have attracted global interest in the biotechnology industry. Accordingly, industry leaders are launching major commercial operations and manufacturing/production facilities in Singapore, where domestic research is bearing fruit, local firms are expanding internationally and achieving major milestones, government support is robust, and the growth of the biotech sector in Singapore is accelerating. In spite of this, Singapore’s biotech entrepreneurs continue to encounter distinct technological, institutional, and cultural obstacles as they begin and expand.
Daphne Teo, CEO and Founder of NSG BioLabs, expressed hopes over the deal. He said, “With our first-hand experience in both the Singapore and US biotech sectors, NSG BioLabs has a deep understanding of the challenges biotech startups face. It is vital that we support their work as it could lead to new life-changing medicines. It is in this spirit that we started NSG Tomorrow, and we are honored that Amgen shares our vision to help biotech startups grow and facilitate Singapore’s development into an international biotech powerhouse”.
