SINGAPORE SETS LOFTY GOAL AS SCIENTIFIC CENTER

Using some of the most advanced medical wizardry available in the world, a team of 20 doctors operated around the clock for four days to separate Siamese twins joined in the head. During the exhausting -- but successful -- procedure, the whole world watched and waited.

Typically, such medical achievements would have come from recognized technology centers in the United States or other industrialized nations. But this operation was in tiny, resource-poor Singapore, which has set its sights on becoming a life-sciences hub.

Singapore is giving tax breaks to attract biomedical companies and talented foreigners. It also is pushing a costly initiative to spur scientific education. And the government is committed to hefty support for scientific research.

If the operation on the Siamese twins is any indication, Singapore may be on track to developing a model for medical success.