Singapore A. How to Commercialise
PART I General Overview of Items (A) – (F) COUNTRY: SINGAPORE A. HOW TO COMMERCIALISE INVENTIONS 1. Technology Transfer and Research Collaboration in R&D and Academic Institutions In Singapore, technology transfer and collaboration with industry play a central role in the two main universities as well as the five polytechnics. Besides these institutes of higher learning, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) looks after twelve research institutes. The National University of Singapore (NUS) has an enrolment of 32,000, including 9000 postgraduate students. It has eight schools/faculties, an academic staff of 2080 and another 1130 research staff. In 2003, the NUS produced some 6150 graduates and 2660 postgraduates in the fields of engineering, science, medicine, business administration, architecture and building and estate management, law, arts and social sciences, and dentistry. The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has a full-time student population exceeding 22,800, including 7100 postgraduates. It has 1400 academic and 580 research staff members. In 2003, some 5400 graduated in the fields of engineering, applied science, accountancy, mass communications, and education. Of these, about 1260 obtained higher degrees. The two universities are major producers of research output and they have been involved in a succession of initiatives aimed at capitalising opportunities latent in their research laboratories. This is to disseminate new and useful knowledge resulting from research and ensure that technology transfer obligations of the university towards a research sponsor are met. The NUS and the NTU have taken steps to enhance infrastructure and mechanisms to facilitate university-industry interaction with technology transfer being central to the research process.
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