The family of a late real estate magnate, Ng Teng Fong, decided to strengthen the educational ties between the two countries. The family donated $33 million to sponsor bilateral programs between three sets each including a Singapore as well as a Chinese university. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this was signed on Monday. This is the largest donation made by the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation towards the education sector so far.
The following tie-ups were worked out (Singapore university on left – Chinese on right):
National University of Singapore (NUS) – Tsinghua University
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) – Peking University
Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) – Zhejiang University
Robert Ng, chief executive of real-estate company Sino Group, and son of late Ng Teng Fong, believes that the partnership(s) will not only strengthen the bond between the two countries and its students, but also help them get an insight into both the nations. Ng Teng Fong ruled the real estate markets of Singapore as well as Hong Kong, while his company Sino Group, is still a big player in the Hong Kong market.
Each of the partnerships were granted a sum of $11 million. Any partnership directs the two universities involved to include various programs such as student exchange, research and development. Other fields such as data analytics, digital manufacturing and sustainability will be a part of these programs. All the six universities agreed to their respective ties with universities of the other nation.
NTU and Peking University are looking forward to set up a research institute to work together on data analytics technologies. Through this venture, the two universities look forward to planning smart cities, and pave the way for healthy living.
Similarly SUTD and Zhejiang University will form a joint Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Alliance (IDEA), which would focus on design innovation in the areas of urbanisation, manufacturing and sustainability.