The Tanoto Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sukanto Tanoto and his wife Tinah Bingei Tanoto, has a long tradition of supporting causes that enhance the quality of life through medical research. The most recent of such philanthropy is the contribution of a transformational gift to the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre to establish the Viral Research and Experimental Medicine Centre @ SingHealth Duke-NUS (ViREMiCS). The gift will accelerate the full operational capabilities of ViREMiCS and bring it to its full potential to enable pre-clinical and clinical trials to take place within the shortest time possible.

"Healthcare is an area that Tanoto Foundation is an active supporter of, in line with our 3Es mission to Educate, Empower and Enhance lives. When a person falls ill, especially suddenly, the knock-on effects can be swift and wide-ranging. Physical and emotional stress may be compounded by the inability to work, loss of income, and high cost of treatment. Often, a threat to good health can become a financial and emotional burden as well. The sooner effective interventions can be introduced to patients, the higher their chance for their recovery, and regaining normalcy and quality life," remarked Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees Member, Belinda Tanoto.

"Today’s gift to ViREMiCs not only extends our footprint in healthcare research, but also translational medicine benefiting a global community that is at risk during an epidemic. We are excited and look forward to seeing the achievements and breakthroughs of ViREMiCs," she concluded.

This gift continues a productive philanthropic partnership between Tanoto Foundation and SingHealth Duke-NUS starting from 2013 when the foundation established a Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Diabetes Research at the medical school.The S$2.5 million gift saw internationally renowned scientist Karl Tryggvason conferred the professorship.

In September 2014, Founder and Chairman of the Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees Sukanto Tanoto gave S$3 million to establish a new Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine and to fund research initiatives undertaken by the National Heart Research Institute. Noted British physician-scientist Professor Stuart Cook was conferred the endowed professorship.

In May 2016, leading cancer authority Professor Lim Soon Thye was named Tanoto Foundation Professor in Medical Oncology through a S$2.5 million gift from Tanoto Foundation.