MIT and Singapore’s 4th university inks collaboration agreement
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) inked an agreement with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) in what is MIT’s most significant education collaboration outside the US to date. MIT would be involved in the development of curriculum, career development and conduct major joint research projects. A research initiative to be launched jointly by the two institutions would be the International Design Centre, which SUTD hopes will become a design innovation hub.
Read the article below to find out more about the collaboration and what students at SUTD can expect.
S'pore's 4th university, MIT ink pact
Joint projects, student exchanges planned
THE Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) inked an agreement with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) yesterday, in what is its most significant education collaboration outside of the United States to date.
Speaking before the signing ceremony, MIT president Susan Hockfield said: 'Our role will be extensive and direct. MIT faculty will be involved at every stage, from developing new curricula to helping with early deployment, assisting with mentoring, career development programmes and conducting major joint research projects.
'We also look forward to numerous opportunities for student exchanges and collaborations.'
Mr Philip Ng, chairman of SUTD's board of trustees, said: 'With this extraordinarily strong support from MIT, we are confident that SUTD will achieve our goal to be a global centre for learning and research.'
While MIT, a world renowned university, is nearly 150 years old, SUTD , Singapore's fourth university, will open only next year.
It aims to nurture future entrepreneurs and inventors through a multidisciplinary education that grounds students in maths and science, as well as social sciences and the humanities.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking via video, said: 'The Singapore University of Technology and Design will provide something different from the existing institutions - a very high quality education, not just an academic education, but one which is going to stimulate students to go beyond book knowledge, to apply it to solving problems.'
Professor Hockfield said history played a key part in the pact between the two universities - a 'natural' development in a relationship started in the 1990s with the graduate research programme under the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) umbrella.
SUTD president Thomas Magnanti, MIT's former engineering dean, taught with the SMA previously.
Prof Hockfield said: 'The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship and the kind of initiatives behind it (SUTD) were enormously interesting to us, and provide a great platform on which we can extend and expand the kind of activities that we are currently doing on campus.'
One research initiative that will be launched jointly by the two institutions is the International Design Centre, which SUTD hopes will become 'a hub of innovation in the field of design'.
Students and faculty members will work on projects at the centre, which will be located both at SUTD in Singapore and MIT in the US. Their projects will be in areas such as sustainable energy and information communication technology devices.
Professor Magnanti said about 50 MIT faculty members will be actively involved in SUTD. This includes about 15 to 20 staff, some of whom will spend one or two semesters in Singapore to launch the university. A number of others will be here for shorter periods to develop and teach courses.
About 40 students from both MIT and SUTD will be able to participate in a leadership programme each year at both schools, added Prof Magnanti.
Mr Ng said the university will also offer internships with the industry and the Government to its undergraduate and graduate students.
Where SUTD's other partner Zhejiang University is concerned, Prof Magnanti said things are still being formalised but there will be student and faculty exchanges, as well as collaborations in research programmes. Zhejiang will also offer some courses and electives at SUTD.
Source: 26 January 2010, The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Permission required for reproduction.