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2000 to 2009
List of BAC events from the Year 2000 to 2009.
Last updated 22 September 2025
Events in 2009
23 September | "Resettling the Parameters: Public Health as the Foundation for Public Health Ethics" - Science in the Cafe with Dr Angus Dawson |
April | Ministry of Health published the Code of Ethical Practice in Human Biomedical Research |
Events in 2008
3 November | BAC published a report on Donation of Human Eggs for Research |
15 September | Singapore passed the Mental Capacity Act |
16 August | Public Forum: "Mixing Human and Animal Tissues: Is such research ethical?" |
14 August | Conference on Emerging Ethical and Regulatory Issues in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research |
6 June | Singapore enacted the Health Products Act |
21 January | Singapore amended the Human Organ Transplant Act |
19 January | Public Forum: "Human-Animal Combinations for Research" |
17 January | Workshop on Recent Ethical and Regulatory Developments in Biomedical Research |
8 January - 10 March | BAC conducted a public consultation on human-animal combinations for biomedical research |
January | Stem Cell Society, Singapore registered |
Events in 2007
12 December | Singapore enacted the National Registry of Diseases Act |
December | The Ministry of Health published its Operational Guidelines for IRBs |
22 November | Public Lecture: "Donation of Human Eggs for Research" |
7 November 2007 - 7 January 2008 | BAC conducted a public consultation on the donation of human eggs for research |
June | Ministry of Health published Governance Framework for Human Biomedical Research |
20 May | National Medical Ethics Committee published Recommendations on Clinical Trials: Update Focusing on Phase 1 Trials |
7 May | BAC published a report on Personal Information in Biomedical Research |
20 April | Official opening of the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, with research programmes in Genetic Medicine, Hepatic Diseases and Metabolic Diseases |
March | Singapore Stem Cell Bank, an initiative of A*STAR and hosted by the Singapore Stem Cell Consortium, was opened |
1 - 3 February | International Stem Cell Conference organised by the Singapore Stem Cell Consortium in conjunction with the International Stem Cell Forum Annual Meeting and Singapore Stem Cell Consortium Ethics Symposium |
31 January | BAC hosted the third meeting of the Ethics Working Party of the International Stem Cell Forum |
Events in 2006
November | BAC and the Singapore Academy of Law published a monograph entitled: Life Sciences: Law and Ethics |
15 October | Ethics Symposium for Healthcare Professionals (Part of SMA Ethics Convention): "Challenges of Consent and Confidentiality Requirements in a Globalised and Digitised Healthcare Environment" |
14 October | Public Forum: "Bioethics, Genetics and Medical Research" |
13 October | Workshop for IRB Members: Ethical Decision-Making by Institutional Review Boards |
12 October | Workshop for Researchers and IRB Members: Implementing Ethical Requirements in Biomedial Research |
October | Biopolis Phase II (Neuros and Immunos) completed |
September | Centre for Biomedical Ethics established at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore |
15 July | Public Forum: "Use of Personal Information in Biomedical Research" |
14 June - 31 July | BAC conducted a public consultation on the use of personal information in biomedical research |
31 March | The Ministry of Health updated its Directives for Private Healthcare Institutions providing Assisted Reproduction Services to include a section on research involving oocytes and embryos |
11 January | "Genetics Prediction of Common Diseases - Medical and Social Aspects" - A public lecture by Professor Martin Bobrow |
1 January | The National Research Foundation (NRF) was set up to coordinate and fund research activities of different agencies, with an initial government funding of S$5 billion |
January | Start of the Singapore Consortium of Cohort Studies, which is a long-term health study to discover how genetic, lifestyle, diet and other environmental factors interact to impact our health |
Start of Phase 2 of Singapore's Biomedical Sciences Initiative (2006 - 2010), which focuses on building up on the nation's Translational and Clinical Research capabilities, while continuing to strengthen the foundation in basic sciences |
Events in 2005
18 November | BAC published a report on Genetic Testing and Genetic Research |
2 October | Joint Ethics Symposium with the Singapore Medical Association |
October | Singapore Stem Cell Consortium set up by A*STAR |
September | Opening of the Singapore Cord Blood Bank, Singapore's first and only public cord blood bank |
6 April | NUH-NUS Tissue Repository (formerly known as NUH Tissue Bank) officially launched |
5 April - 17 May | BAC conducted a public consultation on genetic testing and genetic research |
Events in 2004
23 November | BAC published a report on Research involving Human Subjects: Guidelines for IRBs |
18 November | 5th HUGO Pacific Meeting & 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Human Genetics: Ethics, Legal and Social Issues Forum (Public Session) |
29 October | The National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR) issued Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes |
10 September | Singapore enacted the Human Cloning and Other Prohibited Practices Act |
April | National Healthcare Group (NHG)'s Domain Specific Review Boards became operational |
19 February | "Informed Consent - What Does It Mean?" A lecture by Professor Martin Bobrow |
17 February | "Your Body, Your Genes" - Confidentiality in Medicine and Research - A public lecture by Professor Martin Bobrow |
6 January | Human Organ Transplant Act revised |
Events in 2003
29 November | "Of Biotechnology and 'Man'" - A public lecture by Professor Bartha Knoppers |
29 October | Biopolis (the centre of biomedical research in Singapore) officially opened |
27 - 29 October | International Stem Cell Conference was organised by BMRC, A*STAR in Singapore |
27 October | A*STAR's BMRC and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) signed an agreement to jointly establish a new S$5.2m (US$3m) funding programme to support stem cell research in Singapore (first research funding collaboration for BMRC with a philanthropic organisation and the first for JDRF in Singapore) |
13 September | Life Sciences and The Law in Singapore |
September | National University of Singapore (NUS) established its Institutional Review Board (IRB) to review, approve and monitor the ethical aspects of all NUS research projects that involve human participants and human tissues, cells and data |
Events in 2002
12 November | BAC published a report on Human Tissue Research |
21 June | BAC published a report on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in Human Stem Cell Research, Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning |
Biomedical Sciences Core Group of the Legal Service established |
Events in 2001
9 to 30 November | BAC conducted a public consultation on human stem cell research |
22 August | BAC launched its website |
February | National Medical Ethics Committee published its Ethical Guidelines for Gene Technology |
The Ministry of Health (MOH) set up the National Disease Registries Office (renamed National Registry of Diseases Office in 2008) |
Events in 2000
December | Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC) established to address the ethical, legal and social issues arising from biomedical sciences research |
October | Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) set up under the National Science and Technology Board (established in 1991 and later renamed the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in 2002) |
June | Singapore Genomics Program launched (renamed Genome Institute of Singapore in June 2001) |
June | Singapore launched the Biomedical Sciences Initiative to develop the Biomedical Sciences cluster as one of the key pillars of the country's economy, alongside Electronics, Engineering and Chemicals. Phase 1 of the Initiative (2000 - 2005) focused on building a strong foundation in basic biomedical research) |