MOE to raise spending to $556m over next five years to boost social science and humanities research

The festival, which runs from Feb 26 to March 27, will feature more than 100 researchers sharing insights on themes such as mental well-being and adaptation to emerging technologies.

In addition to producing strong scholarship, the Government wants to support applied research that can achieve real-world impact and help overcome Singapore’s challenges, Mr Lee said.

“To do so, we must grow our own pool of world-class researchers who understand Singapore’s unique context and can harness research to make a difference.”

Singapore’s social science and humanities research can also help to address global challenges, he added.

Mr Lee said the $457 million set aside for such research from 2021 to 2025 has supported close to 80 research projects in areas such as behavioural science, medical humanities, and sustainability, and trained many local researchers, including around 200 PhD students.

He said work in the social science and humanities has contributed to efforts to improve lives in Singapore.

For example, NUS social work professor Irene Ng’s research on the lived realities of in-work poverty among young platform workers informed enhanced protection for platform workers, through the Platform Workers Act passed in September 2024.

Meanwhile, SMU’s Centre for Research on Successful Ageing, led by SMU sociology professor Paulin Straughan, works with government agencies to use research insights to advance the holistic well-being of older people in Singapore, he said.

“So I would encourage my colleagues from government agencies as well as our researchers to actively seek out and deepen such collaborations to address Singapore’s challenges and to make a contribution to global efforts,” said Mr Lee.

Since SSRC was founded in 2016, it has awarded funding to 54 research projects under the Social Science Research Thematic Grant, 21 early-career researchers, and 48 Graduate Research Fellowship projects.

The research projects span topics such as evolving geopolitics in a changing world order, public housing and insights on ageing in Singapore.

Mr Lee said the new tranche of funding will further strengthen the core of Singaporean researchers through initiatives such as the Graduate Research Fellowship.

Launched in 2021, the fellowship aims to encourage early-career Singaporean researchers based overseas for their PhD or postdoctoral training to return and take up appointments in local educational institutions.

“In this new tranche, we are looking to invest more in such initiatives to further expand our talent pipeline for outstanding Singaporean researchers,” said Mr Lee.

He cited upcoming projects supported by SSRC, such as a study of regional challenges like cyber vulnerabilities that cut across borders, to provide insights into how Singapore and other countries in South-east Asia can strengthen regional resilience.

The 2026 Ideas Festival, supported by the SSRC and jointly organised by the autonomous universities, the University of the Arts Singapore and research institutions, draws upon the work of local social science and humanities researchers to look at critical issues facing Singapore and the world.