Research at National University of Singapore

National University of Singapore is the largest comprehensive university in Singapore that is the 22nd in the 2014 QS World University Rankings (NUS, 2015). NUS hosts 12 faculties and 21 university-level research institutes including three Research Centers of Excellence (RCEs) and a number of faculty-based research centers (Halliwell, 2010). In addition to teaching and conducting research, NUS also serves to the country. In 1985, NUS has built a National University Hospital (NUH) that allows young researchers and scientists conduct research in biomedicine and life sciences with the direct implication of research outcomes (Halliwell, 2010). Today, the expenditure for R&D at NUS constitutes over one-third of the whole expenditure for research and development (R&D) in Singapore (Wong et al., 2011). Importantly, NUS is interested in cross-disciplinary innovative research that can “break new ground and establish new paradigms” in all fields of study (Halliwell, 2010, p. FA15). Moreover, research aims to investigate the state of religion, global attitude towards Singapore, the value of culture, history, family, migration and other aspects of life that are relevant to modern Singapore (Halliwell, 2010).  NUS has a significant support from foreign universities and organizations. For instance, NUS has a joint recruitment scheme with Cambridge University (Halliwell, 2010). Currently, NUS establishes joint research programs with leading universities around the world. Interestingly, NUS is a member of group alliances such as International Alliance for Research Universities (IARU), which appears as “an alliance of 10 of the world’s leading research universities” that include Yale University, University of California, Berkeley etc. and the Universitas 21 (U21) that is “an international network of research-intensive universities” (Xavier & Alsagoff, 2013, p. 231). Xavier and Alsagoff (2013) argue that the main goal of NUS is to be the first and best in conducting certain types of research, therefore “positioning itself proudly as an innovative institution” (p. 232). NUS represents itself as an enterprise with a clear strategic plan. The “NUS Enterprise” is a ground-breaking project that integrates education and research with the purpose of providing “an entrepreneurial and innovative dimension to the University’s core research and educational activities” (Xavier & Alsagoff, 2013, p. 230).  References Halliwell, B. (2010). The National University of Singapore and what it does. Biointerphases, 5(3), FA15-FA18. National University of Singapore (2015). University Rankings. Retrieved from National University of Singapore website http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/whynus/university-rankings Wong, P. K., Ho, Y. P., & Singh, A. (2007). Towards an “entrepreneurial university” model to support knowledge-based economic development: The case of the National University of Singapore. World Development, 35(6), 941-958.  Xavier, C.A., & Alsagoff, L. (2013). Constructing “world-class” as “global”: a case study of the National University of Singapore. Educational Research for Policy and Practice,12(225), 225-238.

Research at Nanyang Technological University

            Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a young autonomous university in Singapore that is the first in the world among young universities according to the 2014 QS Top 50. Main focus of the university is in engineering field. Andersson and Mayer (2010) claim that NTU is probably “the world’s largest engineering-based institution on a single campus” (p. FA9). NTU has bilateral relations with leading universities of Asia, Europe, and North America in terms of scientific research and joint degree programs (Andersson & Mayer, 2010). 

What is important, NTU conducts a strategic cross-disciplinary research in a variety of fields such as medicine and healthcare, research in interactive digital media, and China and Asian studies that are significant to Singapore (Andersson & Mayer, 2010). In 2010, for instance, NTU established a medical school offering a joint degree with Imperial College that is the largest medical school focusing on innovative approaches in a healthcare in the United Kingdom (Gopinathan & Lee, 2011).

            Under NTU, there are several research centers. One of them is a business incubator Gintic Institute of Manufacturing Technology (GINTIC) that closely works with NTU faculty staff and performs joint research projects with the participation of graduate students (Lee & Win, 2004). In 1989, NTU with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) set a Center for Advanced Construction Studies (CACS) with the aim of training young scientists, conducting research, and transferring technology into industry (Lee & Win, 2004). Starting from 1991, the Thermal Spray Group in NTU has been productively involved in a variety of projects with foreign thermal spray research centers (Khor, 2003). 

            The government of Singapore now concerns about translating research into “intellectual property and hence into the development of the Singaporean economy” (Andersson & Mayers, 2010). For solving this issue, NTU came with a plan that includes development of entrepreneurialism among students and faculty staff and enhancing research cooperation with industry.

            Being a highly competitive on local and international arena higher education institution, NTU represents the “ambitions and success of Singapore in the 21st century – the century of Asia” (Andersson & Mayer, 2010, p. FA13). With its clear strategy, NTU certainly will be among leading universities not only in Asian region.

           

References

Andersson, B., & Mayer, T. (2010). Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University – A young country with a young university on the move. Biointerphases, 5(3), FA9-FA14.

Gopinathan, S., & Lee, M. H. (2011). Challenging and co-opting globalisation: Singapore's strategies in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33(3), 287-299.

Khor, K. (2003). Thermal spray research at the advanced materials research centre. Journalof Thermal Spray Technology, 12(3), 323-326. 

Lee, J., & Win, H. N. (2004). Technology transfer between university research centers and industry in Singapore. Technovation, 24(5), 433-442.

The knowledge-based economy with the help of foreign talents.

On one of the lectures given by Dr. Lee we discussed Singapore, the island-state country. This country welcomes the foreign students, as long as the number of local citizens drastically falling from year to year. The initial part of this blog, I want to dedicate to some historical political economy positioning, then describe the policy practices in attracting foreign talents.

http://globustur.spb.ru/resources/images/3_font.jpg

The main stakeholders of Singapore in past time were the multicultural English educated people who initiated “People Action Party” (PAP) which got power after the independence of Singapore. The PAP rethought its approach from industrialization to education. Education started to play the significant role, where the government aimed on “knowledge-based” economy (255). 

Keeping the direction of knowledged-based economy, Singapore narrowed to seek “foreign talents” and established “the Global Schoolhouse project” (258). The Global Schoolhouse project was established with the purpose of financing universities to become “world-class”, attracting foreign students, reconstructing levels of educations for “the attributes  of risk-taking, creativity and enterpreneurialism” (259).

http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/sg_1_0.png

Moreover, Singapore signed the alliance with Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) in November 1998 (261). The alliance involved two universities of Singapore: the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University. The main goal of the alliance was to attract foreign talents with the help of “bond-free scholarships for post-graduate in engineering”(261). As you know, MIT is one of the famous and the best university in the sphere of technology, so the “brand name” played its significant role in choosing Singapore (261). “The government’s trust in MIT’s capacity to contribute towards knowledge-led, innovation and entrepreneurship” (262). In addition, the foreign students are guaranteed to have a job after the graduation from the university. This sounds great!

Have you ever seen the country who are so glad to see foreign talents? So, pick your clothes up and lets go to Singapore, to have our PhD degree there.

Reference

Sidhu, R., Ho, K. C., & Yeoh, B. (2011). The global schoolhouse: Governing Singapore’s knowledge economy aspirations.                     In Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific (pp. 255-271). Springer Netherlands.