On 6 September, 2000, Temasek Laboratories was launched, as a National University of Singapore research institute.  TL@NUS is a partnership established between the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and with NUS to undertake cutting-edge research and development for potential defence applications, while building up both technical and human talent capabilities in critical research areas such as aeronautical sciences, electromagnetics and information security.

Officiating the launch was Dr. Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence.  In his keynote address, Dr. Tan expressed his wish for Temasek Laboratories to evolve into a "third pillar" of national defence technology infrastructure, complementing DSO National Laboratories and the local defence industry in harnessing the potential of science and technology to enhance the security and defence of Singapore.

Besides NUS, there are sister TL @ NTU and SUTD.  While each has its specific R&D focus, the three TLs help to foster closer defence collaborations in cross-disciplinary areas.  The TLs also collaborate closely with local and overseas collaborators.  As TL’s focus is on technologies critical to defence, DSO has been appointed to help oversee research at TLs.