Singapore has a very long history of scientific and technological innovation, spanning over 50 years since its independence. According to the [International Monetary Fund](https://www.elibrary.imf.org/display/book/9781513537863/ch004.xml), in the 60s and 70s, Singapore focused on labor-intensive industrialization, transforming Singapore from a swamp to an area with lots of factories. The initial focus was on industries like textiles, garments, electronic assembly, and ship repairing, which were relatively low-skill and could quickly absorb a large workforce. The government recognized the need for a skilled workforce, and revamped the education system to emphasize technical and vocational training, creating special industrialized training institutes. In the 70s and 80s, Singapore moved from more labor-intensive industries towards higher value-added activities, heavily relying on foreign investment and technology transfer. According to [Nanyang Technological University](https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/microelectronics/companies/texas-instruments/), Texas Instruments opened a plant in Singapore in 1974, as did other tech companies like Hewlett Packard. According to the [National Library](https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=700e8199-723a-4018-b3cd-abd49b97df01), the Singapore Science Park was built in the 1980s to encourage private sector research and development. In addition to tech, Singapore is a major air and shipping logistics hub, boosting its economic competitiveness. Today, Singapore is a major hub for semiconductor, AI, biomedical sciences, and advanced manufacturing and engineering.