SINGAPORE and India have inked four agreements to advance cooperation in the fields of digital technologies, semiconductors, education and health.

The exchange of these memoranda of understanding (MOUs) was witnessed on Thursday (Sep 5) by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his counterpart Indian PM Narendra Modi during his official visit to the city-state.

Digital technologies

The MOU related to digital technologies is expected to deepen exchanges and cooperation, Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said on Thursday.

This was signed on the sidelines of the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) held last Monday by Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo and India’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw. He is also the minister for railways, and for electronics and information technology.

The agreement aims to encourage greater interoperability between Singapore and India’s digital economies, MDDI said.

To operationalise the agreement’s provisions, both sides will establish a joint working group that will meet on a regular basis to oversee its implementation.

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Key cooperation areas under the agreement involve cybersecurity and sharing information on data flows, as well as enhancing business-to-business linkages, particularly between startups and small-and-medium enterprises from both sides.

They also intend to share experiences and technical expertise related to digital utilities and digital public infrastructure.

MDDI added that Singapore looks forward to sharing knowledge on policy and regulatory practices, as well as on training, upskilling and reskilling of workers related to the digital domain.

Semiconductors

The MOU on semiconductor ecosystem partnership will provide a platform to “better connect and strengthen the complementary semiconductor ecosystems in both countries”, said Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

Through the agreement, they will leverage complementary strengths in their semiconductor ecosystems and tap opportunities to advance resilient semiconductor supply chains, the ministry added.

This comes as India is hoping to establish a global node for chipmaking, while Singapore’s established players are keen to enter emerging global nodes.

The agreement was also signed on the sidelines of the ISMR by Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Vaishnaw.

Education

Under an MOU on educational cooperation and skills development, both countries hope to encourage and facilitate collaborations to build capability in technical and vocational education, Singapore’s Ministry of Education noted.

This involves collaborations between higher education institutes, cooperation on teacher training and the exchange of best practices related to reskilling and upskilling. The countries also plan to facilitate student internships and faculty industrial attachments.

This was signed by Singapore’s Education Minister Chan Chun Sing and India’s Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary.

Singapore has, in the past, helped to establish five skill centres in India through the provision of consultancy services and undertaking turnkey projects. This was carried out by ITE Education Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the city-state’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Health

Both countries plan to strengthen cooperation in healthcare, medical education, research and human resource development through an MOU on cooperation in the field of health and medicine, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

This involves cooperation in areas such as disease surveillance, maternal and child health, prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as pandemic preparedness.

The agreement will also establish a common understanding and partnership in the health sector in both countries, MOH said.

It was inked by Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and India’s Minister for Health Jagat Prakash Nadda, who is also minister for chemicals and fertilisers.