China & Singapore Strengthen Ties With Joint Research Institute

The four-party agreement will look into sustainable urban development, next-generation electric vehicles and intelligent urban transportation systems, among other research areas.

AsianScientist (Nov. 9, 2015) – Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) is setting up a joint research institute in Guangzhou, China that aims to develop new technologies ranging from electric vehicles and sustainable urban development to nutrition and food science.

The Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute is set up in partnership with the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (SSGKC) Administrative Committee, the SSGKC Investment and Development Co., Ltd. and South China University of Technology (SCUT).

The four-party agreement was inked on November 7, 2015 at the Istana, witnessed by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Xi was on a two-day state visit to Singapore—his first to the Republic since taking up the presidency in 2013.

The joint institute will focus on research that translates to technological advances for Guangzhou City and Guangdong Province, especially the Guangzhou Development District, Luogang District, and the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.

Several research areas have been identified including next-generation electric vehicles and intelligent urban transportation systems; nutrition and food science; sustainable urban development; pollution control and environmental restoration; as well as biomedical materials and medical instruments.

The institute is expected to involve a funding request of RMB200 million (~US$31 million) for the first five years and to occupy up to 20,000 square meters at the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.

“NTU has a long history of successful collaboration with our counterparts and industry partners in China. Apart from leveraging NTU’s expertise in areas such as electromobility, urban engineering, sustainability and food sciences, the new partnership is also an excellent platform for faculty, students and the industry to interact and learn from one another,” said NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson.

“More importantly, this transnational research initiative can also help to solve common issues related to research and development faced by both Singapore and China.”

Successful research outcomes arising from the collaboration will be implemented at SSGKC with the support of the SSGKC Investment and Development Co., Ltd.

“As the master developer of SSGKC, we are keen to establish a platform to help both local and foreign research innovation institutions to gain market outreach, and for our industries to gain access to latest innovation from the world’s leading institutions,” said Mr. Ng Kok Siong, Chief Executive Officer, SSGKC Investment and Development Co. Ltd

SCUT President Professor Wang Yingjun said the new joint research institute will leverage the universities’ resources in nurturing talents and scientific research to solve technological challenges in economic and societal development, and national security.

“We aim to bring in top-notch teams, hasten the application of advanced technology and products, and groom innovative talents in a new system. We also hope to build a world-class research institute and raise the research standards in the region,” commented Wang.

This collaboration is one of NTU’s many fruitful partnerships with China in recent years. In July, NTU signed two research agreements with Tsinghua and Fudan Universities to develop crowdsourcing technologies and smart liveable cities, as witnessed by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.

NTU has also worked with Guangzhou to set up the Centre of Excellence for Software Transfer (CREST) by the end of this year, fostering bilateral trade by training business executives of both countries. In addition, NTU has active MOUs with 30 of its China counterparts, promoting interactions between students and faculty of both countries.

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Source: Nanyang Technological University.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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