U.S. Chamber of Commerce Launches U.S.-Singapore Partnership Program
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will launch the U.S.-Singapore Business Partnership Program at a press conference on March 15, 2002. The Strategic International business development program, funded by the Government of the Republic of Singapore, was officially announced and endorsed during the APEC Small and Med-sized Enterprises (SME) Ministerial meeting in September 2001.
The Chamber is the designer and overall manager of this project. The Trade Development Board (TDB) is the principal institutional partner for this project in Singapore. The project also benefits from the collaboration of a score of other trade associations, chamber and government partners, both, in the US and in Singapore.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, His Excellency Minister George Yeo will officially launch the program on March 15, 2002 from 10:30 to 11:30 am. The Launch will be held at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at 1615 H Street, Washington D.C.
Presiding over the event are Minister George Yeo, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore, Mr. Willard Workman, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, International Vice President and General Manager, Ambassador Chan Heng Chee, Singapore Embassy, DC. The expected audiences for this event are members of the state department and department of commerce, members of the media, corporations interested in business in Asia, industry associations in the three target sectors: information technology, life sciences and biotechnology and business services.
Up to 300 Singaporean firms and 1000 U.S. firms are expected to sign up for this program this year. 230 U.S. Companies and 60 Singaporean companies have already signed up since the program began six months ago.
The goal of the program is to design and build an ongoing process that provides value added international business development services to U.S. and Singaporean firms. This initiative is designed to assist SMEs in Singapore to grow by linkages with U.S. business partners. The program is also designed to assist firms in the Information technology and Biotechnology sectors seek institutional funding and venture capital to sustain their research and development activities.