Expansion of Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme a Boost for Singapore's Pipeline of Research Talent

1 The 8th Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme (START) Award Ceremony today marked the addition of the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) onboard the scheme. They join the other four Autonomous Universities (AUs) on the START initiative, which aims to nurture Singaporean talent for a career in research and academia. The inclusion of SIT and SUSS will enhance our pipeline of academic talent who work closely with the industry on research translations and their applications.

2 SIT President Professor Chua Kee Chaing said: "SIT has pioneered the applied learning pathway in university education in Singapore. We are keen to grow our talent pool of applied learning academics through START in addition to our current recruitment and talent development efforts."

3 "SUSS is happy to be part of START. The scholarship will attract talent to grow our pool of faculty members, adding to those who are keen to do applied research in various disciplines, particularly the social sciences, to enhance the good of society. Our START scholars can either study in Singapore, including SUSS, or overseas. They can choose from our wide suite of undergraduate and graduate programmes according to their interests and learning needs," said SUSS President Professor Cheong Hee Kiat.

Supporting the Next Generation of Academic Talent

4 START provides a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and awards to Singaporeans keen on pursuing an academic career at the AUs, strengthening the AUs' pool of Singaporean academic talent in both research and teaching. Awardees study at local or overseas institutions, before embarking on their research and teaching careers in Singapore. This year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the AUs conferred 23 awards to Singaporeans keen on pursuing an academic career at the AUs.

5 Since its establishment, START has supported 185 scholars across more than 30 disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines as well as the Humanities and Social Sciences. This year's awardees broaden this range of disciplines, by pursuing studies in fields such as Photonics, Sustainable Futures and Film Studies. Details of the various START schemes and the list of award recipients are in the Annex.