Press Releases
Zhejiang University and the Singapore University of Technology and Design to Collaborate
Zhejiang University (ZJU) will be the Chinese partner university of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SU), Singapore’s new publicly-funded university that will open its doors to students in 2011.
The collaboration of the SU and ZJU was affirmed by the signing of a Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today, by Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, and Her Excellency Zhang Xiao Kang, The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, at the St. Regis Hotel, Singapore. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is in Singapore for a state visit and the APEC CEO Summit 2009, witnessed the signing.
In an MOU on educational collaborations signed between the Education Ministers of Singapore and China in April this year, both countries agreed to support the collaboration between the SU and a top Chinese university. The confirmation of ZJU as the SU’s partner marks another step towards closer educational ties between Singapore and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and completes the three-way partnership that was envisioned for the SU. The selection of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as the SU’s US partner was announced in May this year.
ZJU is one of the most established and prestigious universities in China, with a reputation for excellence in both education and research, and a strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. Among its luminary alumni are Physics Nobel laureate Li Zhengdao, Chinese Academy of Science President Lu Yongxiang, and Chinese Minister for Finance Xie Xuren.
ZJU currently ranks third overall among universities in China1, after Tsinghua University and Beijing University. Recognised as a premier education institution in China, ZJU is a member of the “C9 alliance” or China’s version of the American Ivy League, which was formed by nine of the country’s top universities. The university is also ranked second in Engineering and fourth in Science in China2. These are strengths that are compatible with the core disciplines of the SU.
Located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, one of the fastest growing economic regions in China, ZJU enjoys strong links to industry and businesses. The collaboration is expected to offer SU students the opportunity to gain exposure to Chinese companies and doing business in China. Together with Singapore’s strategic position in Southeast Asia, the collaboration will also provide opportunities for both the SU and ZJU to develop education and research networks in the region which will benefit students and faculty from both universities.
Dr Ng Eng Hen, Singapore’s Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, said, “The linkages that Singapore makes with the world are crucial in preparing Singapore for the future. The Singapore University of Technology and Design will be another node in the global network we want to build. Through collaborating with MIT and Zhejiang University, we hope to create an engine of knowledge that has trans-continental reach, and that is able to draw together and create synergies from different cultures of education and research. We believe that this will ultimately translate into innovations that will bring benefits not only to the universities, their students and their faculty, but also our respective countries and beyond.”
Details of the collaboration between SU and ZJU will be worked out before SU admits its first undergraduate intake in 2011.