Ministerial visit by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean to NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute
On 27 October 2014, Minister Teo Chee Hean, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security, led a group of representatives visited the National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute (NUSRI).
The visit incorporated a research exhibition and dialogue session, during which researchers highlighted research findings on, among other things, interactive media, bioengineering, biomedical studies and advanced 3-dimentional bio-printing. Minister Teo also congratulated the researchers on their research achievement.
Minister Teo also visited the Singapore-China (Suzhou) Innovation Centre, a culmination of President Xi Jin Ping’s call to “establish a new cooperation research centre as soon as possible to provide intellectual support for bilateral cooperation”. Led by China’s Ministry of Science and Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) agreed to establish the Singapore-China (Suzhou) Innovation Centre for scientific and technological cooperation of international standards.
The Singapore-China (Suzhou) Innovation Centre focuses on building the following three innovative platforms:
1. International technology transfer centre
2. International industry incubation centre
3. International science and technology exchange centre
Tapping on Singapore’s advanced experience with technological services, the Singapore-China (Suzhou) Innovation Centre hopes to transfer international system software into China to establish in SIP a technologically advanced global industrial environment.
In addition, Professor Yang Xian, Dean of NUS Business School, Professor Chen Kang of the NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and Professor Deng Yongheng, Director of Institute of Real Estate Studies, updated Minister Teo on the progress of the newly built NUS Business School China Business Centre, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Suzhou Centre, and The IRES Global Logistic Properties Research Centre. Minister Teo visited the classrooms and observed the seminars on “Management of Singapore’s appearance, building an elegant society” and “The role of logistics and infrastructure in urban planning”. Minister Teo also had a dialogue with the lecturers and participants.
Finally, NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan presented to Minister Teo NUSRI’s international development strategy, with hopes that NUS’ resources, and scientific and technological achievements may be shared with the world. With the establishment of NUSRI, NUS continues to be a leading global University, centered in Asia, influencing the future. As such, NUS will continue to assist NUSRI in every step of the way, as NUSRI focuses its work on a few niche areas of research.
Minister Teo is encouraged by the success of NUSRI thus far, and has highlighted to Singaporean media that NUSRI is certainly a platform through which the fruits of scientific research may be incubated and packaged commercially, thereby helping budding entrepreneurs ride in the waves of the huge Chinese market.
Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education observed that the next stage of Suzhou’s industrial development would revolve around innovation and value added services. As such, NUSRI is strategically poised to compliment Suzhou’s development in its nurturing of human capital and unique focus on research.
The ministers on the visit urged NUSRI’s researchers to be practical and dauntless, be creative, collaborate with one another, and strive towards strong Singapore China cooperation in scientific development.
On this note, the Ministers hoped NUSRI would continue to keep its value as a bridge between China and Singapore.
The ministers on the visit comprised:
● Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for National Development
● Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education
● Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources; and Foreign Affairs
● Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Defence
● Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry; and National Development
● Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State for Finance; and Transport
● Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Trade and Industry
