The University is setting up its fourth Research Institute in China to promote innovation and support start-ups in both countries.
The NUS Guangzhou Research Translation and Innovation Institute (NUSGRTII) in the south-eastern city of Guangzhou will be operational by the first half of 2022. It will train over 3,200 Chinese PhD and Master’s students, post-doctoral fellows as well as professionals over 10 years.
Located within the CSGKC, NUSGRTII will focus on education, research and collaborations in smart cities, infocomm technology, electronic science and technology, and advanced manufacturing.
It will also offer education programmes in technology innovation and entrepreneurship, starting with the full-time NUS PhD by Innovation Programme and the NUS Technology Access Programme which will both accept their inaugural batch in 2022. Other programmes include the Master of Science (MSc) in Venture Creation and post-doctoral training. These programmes will be conducted in Singapore.
Scholarships will be offered by the local district and city governments as well as corporate sponsors to support Chinese students for their studies at NUS.
Strengthening the innovation landscape
NUSGRTII’s proximity to multinational and local China companies will add on the synergy of knowledge and ideas exchange to accelerate and strengthen the innovation landscape in Guangzhou.
The MOU for NUSGRTII was inked in 2019, and the actual collaboration agreement was signed during the 17th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation and Related Joint Steering Council Meetings on 29 Dec.
“This cross-border collaboration is a strategic one where we will leverage on the capabilities of all the partners,” said Professor Freddy Boey, NUS Deputy President (Innovation & Enterprise).
“One of NUS’ focused areas is on building a vibrant research, innovation and enterprise ecosystem that is able to take theory into practice. It is exciting to ink this commitment, which will in turn help shape future impactful solutions that will transform both Singapore and Guangzhou.”
There will be a two-way flow of talents, technologies and start-ups where participants in China can gain access to NUS research, intellectual property and entrepreneurship programmes and courses in Singapore, said Prof Boey.
At the same time, these NUS alumni can further leverage on NUS’ market access capabilities to create their ventures in thriving Guangzhou and the Greater Bay Area. NUSGRTII will also promote the innovation and enterprise gateway between Singapore and China by supporting up to 300 China and Singapore start-ups in CSGKC over 10 years. These will consist of start-ups formed by programme returnees or any Singapore start-ups which are interested in scaling to Guangzhou or across China.
NUS and Singapore start-ups landing in the Greater Bay Area can also look forward to a new incubation facility – BLOCK71 Guangzhou helmed by NUS Enterprise – to kickstart their entrepreneurial journeys in Guangzhou and across China. This new facility, to be housed within NUSGRTII, is also expected to be operational in the first half of 2022.
NUS Enterprise has set up various BLOCK71 nodes globally which form NUS’ global network of entrepreneurial gateways to overseas hubs, enabling NUS start-ups and technologies to gain access to new markets, and vice-versa, to promote access to education and innovation programmes in NUS for overseas students and entrepreneurs. BLOCK71 hubs are currently located in Singapore, United States, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The NUSGRTII will be NUS’ fourth overseas research institute, after the NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute, the Tianjin University-NUS Joint Institute in Fuzhou, and the NUS (Chongqing) Research Institute.
By NUS Enterprise
