Identified as the fourth pillar of the manufacturing industry by the Singapore government, bioinformatics is a sector that shows growth potential.

IBM Corp., for one, has made significant investments in the Life Sciences area in Asia Pacific.

Infineon Technologies is also actively working in collaboration with local institutions, such as National University of Singapore and A*Star, on various projects covering a variety of subjects in exciting fields such as biometrics and digital imaging.

According to IDC, the Singapore Government plans to make Singapore a global focal point for Life Sciences research and manufacturing activities. By 2005, it aims to have 15 world class Life Sciences companies and become the region's center for clinical trials and drug development.