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Widely recognised as a leading research-intensive university, NUS continues to receive strong funding support from government agencies and industry
to facilitate cutting-edge research which addresses important issues relevant to Singapore and globally.
We received close to S$469 million from the Ministry of Education (MOE), National Research Foundation (NRF), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and other granting agencies in the year1, marking an increase of almost 25 per cent from the year before.
Some major grants received within this period include S$63 million to promote research, education and commercialisation of environmental and water technologies; S$17 million to focus on research, forums and leadership programmes; and S$7 million for Sustainable Development Research which is carried out in collaboration with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Housing Development Board (HDB), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and National Parks Board (NParks).
Our research output reflected a very strong standing in the year of review. A total of 8342 new projects was started and 7852 projects completed in the year. The University signed 1781 research collaborative agreements valued at close to S$156 million. A total of 5,4273 papers was published in conferences and internationally refereed journals in 2009. |
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Singapore’s fifth Research Centre of Excellence (RCE), the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) was established with a funding of S$120 million over a period of five years. The RCE, which will be hosted at the Nanyang Technological University, will operate in close collaboration with NUS with part of the SCELSE physically housed at the University. The SCELSE aims to be a world leader in microbial biofilm research and control, as well as a source of novel environmental engineering
applications which can help solve problems from dirty water to toxic pollutants and infectious diseases.
We have been awarded three RCEs in the last three years – Mechanobiology Institute, Singapore (2009), Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (2008) and the Centre for Quantum Technologies (2007).
Taking the lead to establish the University as a resource hub on Asian and global issues, the NUS Global Asia Institute was set up to provide a platform for integrative Asian studies. An initial set of research
themes, which focuses on critical issues for Asian cities in a globalising world, has been identified. This includes managing resources for livable Asian cities and the future of urban society in Asia.
The University also launched the Centre for International Law (CIL), enhancing Singapore’s efforts to become a leading legal hub in Asia. CIL was established as a university-level research institute in response to the growing need for international law expertise, capacity building and thought leadership in the region.
To provide integrated and interdisciplinary solutions to critical financial issues in Asia and beyond, the NUS Finance and Risk Management Cluster was set up. It was identified as a core area to be developed to ensure Singapore’s continued stature as a financial hub. Members of the Cluster include the Risk Management Institute (RMI), the Institute of Real Estate Studies (IRES), the Saw Centre for Quantitative Finance and the Departments of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Probability, Finance and Economics.
The University unveiled its Plasmonics and Advanced Imaging Technology Laboratory (P&AIT), which focuses on interdisciplinary research in science and technology at the nano-scale level. The P&AIT
Laboratory houses the Helium Ion Microscope, the first to be showcased in Asia, which opens new doors in nanoscale imaging. The cutting edge skill and facility of this imaging system will have a great impact in the areas of biological sciences, material sciences and semi-conductors, thus benefiting a wide range of NUS researchers. |
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1 Financial Year 2009 (1 Apr 2009 - 31 Mar 2010)
2 Figures reflect number of new projects that commenced in FY2009 and
those completed in FY2009 respectively, and excludes IRC accounts.
Listing generated from OFS’ SAP PS system as at 2 June 2010.
3 Data extracted from SCOPUS online database on 21 July
2010 and represents document types Article, Conference
paper, Review, Article in Press and Editorial. |
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In the course of his 14-year career, Prof Henry Yeung (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) has chalked up numerous accolades and awards, his latest achievement being ranked first in the listing of top 50 cited human geographers on the basis of age-weighted h-index in the Journal of Economic Geography (Volume 10). This accolade places him among an elite group of world-renowned human geographers.
Working with an international team of researchers, Prof Yeung pioneered the development of a theoretical framework to understand the complex organisation of global production networks (GPNs) in contemporary globalisation.
Their GPN framework enables them to study complex organisational relations among firms, institutions and states in different economies, which helps explain why leading firms from some high growth economies can dominate specific subsectors in global industries. It also provides an insight into the dynamic growth of specific regions in a relatively weak national economy.
Prof Yeung’s research is especially useful in an era where business organisations are evolving to be more complex globally. “Our work helps policy makers, researchers and business people to make better sense of the increasingly messy corporate relationships that connect different regions of the world,” said Prof Yeung. “It makes them realise that economic fortunes are now more interdependent than ever and allows them to develop different strategies and responses to handle the global economic challenges.” |
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