INNOVATE 2005 (6th to 8th Mar 2005)

NUS Entrepreneurship Centre jointly organized the INNOVATE 2005 (http://www.innovate-2005.org/) with International Relations Office and US Rice University from 6-8 March 2005. It was a conference for undergraduate and graduate technical students that examined the relationship between technology, globalization and leadership in the contemporary marketplace. The program was well received with the participation of 65 students and faculty staff from Rice University, Georgia Tech University, North Carolina State University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Keio University, International University Bremen, including eight from the Faculties of Science, Engineering and School of Computing of National University of Singapore.

The themes of the Singapore programs were “Semiconductor Industry and the Role of Government”, as well as “Technopreneurship and the Life Sciences”. All participants conducted prior research and case studies on the companies they would be visiting before making actual site visits to Micron Singapore, TECH semiconductor, Biopolis, PUB Newater Facility, Zagro and Lynk Biotechnologies.

The participants also had the opportunity to get an overview of NUS Enterprise and NUS Venture support programs, presented by Prof Kau Ah Keng, Acting Director of NUS Entrepreneurship Centre and Dr. Tan Boon Tiong, Director of NUS Venture Support respectively, before they proceeded to visit the incubate companies at NUS Business Incubator on Tuesday morning.

The highlights of the conference were keynote speeches on “Overview of Singapore and Its Economy” and “Ethical Issues of Biomedical Research”, presented respectively by Mr. Phillip Overmyer, Executive Director of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce; and Professor Lee Eng Hin, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of the Division of Graduate Medical Studies, Faculty of Medicine, NUS. The 10-day program continued in Japan with visits to Toyota and NTT Docomo, etc. from 9-12 March.

One of the participants, Ms. Guo Fan Fan from IAESTE China (or The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience), complimented the 2.5-day Singapore program and expressed interests in future site visits and student exchange programs between China and Singapore. We would also like to give special compliments to International Relations Office and Rice University without whom the program would not have been possible.

NUS Entrepreneurship Centre welcomes any interests from local and overseas partners in organizing conferences on innovation & entrepreneurship and educational site visits to technology startups and MNCs in Singapore and overseas. Please write in to Mr. Patrick Chan, Technopreneurship Program Manager, at necckp@nus.edu.sg.

Prof Kau Ah keng Acting Director     Site Visit to Lynk Biotechnologies,
of NUS Entrepreneurship Centre      speech given by Associate Professor
giving his Introductory Remarks.      Lee Chee Wee, CEO.

Introduction of NUS Venture           Keynote Address by Professor Lee
Support by Dr Tan Boon Tiong,       Eng Hin, Professor of Orthopaedic
Director of NUS Venture Support.    Surgery and Director of the 
                                                Division of Fraduate Medical Studies,
                                                Faculty of Medicine, NUS; Singapore's
                                                Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC)
                                                on Ethical Issues of Biomedical Research.

Group photo at NUS Alumni            Site Visit of Newater Visitor Centre,
House.                                       Public Utilities Board.