New NEC centre looking for R&D talent
Fifty new research and engineering jobs are headed this way, with Japan's NEC Corporation opening its Advanced Centre for Experimentation (ACE) in Biopolis yesterday.
The new centre and upcoming hires are part of a $100 million investment by the Japanese multinational in the Asia-Pacific, in its push to focus on research and development over the next five years.
ADVANCED
The facility will be a laboratory for testing advanced solutions in public safety, transport, healthcare and other real-world issues before commercial application.
It will tackle projects in partnership with both government agencies and enterprises, such as public transport operator SMRT.
NEC's previous tie-ups with the Government included providing biometric technology for NRICs in 1991.
It has also worked with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Economic Development Board to conduct facial-recognition video analytics trials in the Orchard Road area, in a public security project.
Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Trade and Industry, said at the launch: "One of our key priorities is to equip our people - Singaporean workers - with digital skills, so that they can participate in and benefit from the digital economy."
Over the next three years, 50 new researchers and solutions engineers will be hired at NEC Laboratories Singapore, which runs ACE.
They will specialise in R&D in fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and the Internet of Things.
Head of NEC Laboratories Singapore Mervyn Cheah said these Singapore professionals will add to his team of 33, already comprising nine nationalities.
"Many ICT companies are trying to get (workers with) similar skill sets and that is part of the shortage," he told The Straits Times, referring to the information and communication technology sector.
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