CCCS Awards Inaugural Research Grant To SMU Law Professor

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1. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) has awarded the inaugural research grant^[1] to Associate Professor Eugene Tan Kheng Boon of the Singapore Management University (“SMU”) School of Law for his research project titled “International Standards: Catalyst or Barrier for Innovative Entrepreneurship in Singapore?”.

2. A/Prof. Tan’s proposed research seeks to understand whether and how international standards, specifically those of the International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”), can function as a catalyst or barrier to innovative entrepreneurship in Singapore. It seeks to examine how such private (and quasi-public) regulation affects competition and whether such barriers are anti-competitive.

3. A/Prof. Tan said,
   “I hope to better understand how Singapore businesses will be increasingly affected by international technical standards, such as those ISO standards relating to social responsibility and anti-corruption. These standards impact competition but may not be anti-competitive. I hope the research findings can lead to real world application and draw attention to the imperative for our businesses to embrace a holistic understanding of competitiveness and consumer expectations.”

4. The CCCS inaugural research grant call on the topic “Barriers to Innovative Entrepreneurship in Singapore” attracted a total of six proposals from researchers in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. The proposals were evaluated by a panel comprising: Mr. Toh Han Li (Chief Executive, CCCS), Prof. Euston Quah (Director, Economic Growth Centre, Nanyang Technological University), and Prof. Wong Poh Kam (Professor, School of Business & Director, NUS Entrepreneurship, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore).

5. The CCCS research grant aims to encourage research on competition issues in Singapore and the region, and to promote greater awareness of competition policy and law issues. The completed research paper will be published on CCCS’s website.

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About The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”) is a statutory board of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.  CCCS administers and enforces the Competition Act (Cap. 50B) which empowers CCCS to investigate and adjudicate anti-competitive activities, issue directions to stop and/or prevent anti-competitive activities and impose financial penalties. CCCS is also the administering agency of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (Cap. 52A) or CPFTA which protects consumers against unfair trade practices in Singapore. Our mission is to make markets work well to create opportunities and choices for business and consumers in Singapore.

For more information, please visit www.cccs.gov.sg

^[1] CCCS invited researchers to submit proposals on the topic of “Barriers to Innovative Entrepreneurship in Singapore” in its inaugural research grant call on 16 April 2018. For more details, please refer to CCCS’s events page here: https://www.cccs.gov.sg/media-and-events/events-and-campaigns/cccs-grant-call-for-research-proposals-2018/