Imperial College London and NTU collaborate to offer joint PhD programmes in engineering and science

Agreement signed today to strengthen research links between the two institutions - <em>News Release</em>

Issued by Nanyang Technological University

For immediate release
Monday 6 April 2009

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Imperial College London have signed an agreement today that will enable these two leading universities to offer highly attractive joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes in engineering and science.

The NTU-Imperial College London joint PhD degree programme will commence with PhD programmes in bioengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering. It will subsequently be extended to PhD degrees for all engineering and science disciplines. Successful PhD candidates shall be jointly issued a PhD degree under the seal of Imperial and the seal of NTU.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed at NTU

This collaboration is also a milestone for both NTU and Imperial as this is the first time that they are offering a joint PhD programme with a partner university.

The programme is expected to be highly competitive as it offers participants the opportunity to be exposed to the research environments in two highly advanced universities in Singapore and UK. Synergistic combination of research resources, such as world-class talent and cutting-edge research facilities, is expected to draw the best students and faculties to the programme.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the joint PhD programme was signed today at NTU, by Sir Roy M. Anderson, Rector, Imperial College London and Dr Su Guaning, NTU President.

“We are delighted to partner Imperial College London, a world renowned institution in education and research on this very exciting joint PhD programme. The collaboration is also aimed at facilitating and strengthening the research collaboration between the two universities through joint PhD student training. We are confident that this joint programme, which will commence with programmes under NTU’s School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering(SCBE), will prove to be successful. It is our hope to see it flourish to include all of NTU’s engineering and science disciplines,” says Dr Su.

Rector of Imperial Sir Roy Anderson said:

"Imperial College London and Singapore make very good partners because we share an enthusiasm for scientific exploration and innovation. This new joint PhD programme is an exciting collaboration and we look forward to seeing our students benefit from the diversity of research experience at both institutions. Formalising the strong links between Imperial and NTU means more students will benefit from the excellent combined resources available to them and the two institutions can share knowledge and build on their existing ties."

The Joint PhD Programme is a 4-year programme with students spending two years at each institution.

The Joint PhD Programme is a 4-year programme with students spending two years at each institution.

Students admitted through NTU will spend approximately the first year in NTU, second and third years in Imperial and then the final year in NTU. For students admitted through Imperial, they shall spend approximately the first and final years in Imperial and second and third in NTU.

The tentative date for the initial intake under the Joint PhD programme is January 2010.

A Programme Management Committee setup jointly from faculty members from both institutions will manage the programme.

The idea for the Joint PhD Programme started in 2007 when NTU and Imperial began to engage in active discussions on research and collaboration, holding annual symposiums.

-ends-

Notes to editors:

For further information please contact:

Hisham Hambari
Assistant Director, Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University
Email: mhisham@ntu.edu.sg
Tel: 6790 6447

1. About Nanyang Technological University

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a research-intensive university ranked among the world's top 100 universities. The Yunnan Garden campus, NTU's main campus, is located in the south-western part of Singapore and will be the Youth Olympic Village of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The NTU@one-north campus, home to educational and alumni clubhouse facilities, is located near Singapore's biomedical research hub, Biopolis; and the new engineering and physical sciences hub, Fusionopolis.

NTU has four colleges, namely:

• The Nanyang Business School (the College of Business), the first and only Singapore business school to be ranked in the top 25 of the Financial Times Global MBA 2008 rankings
• The College of Engineering, with six schools focused on technology and innovation and a research output among the top four in the world
• The College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, home to Singapore's first professional art school offering degree courses in art, design and interactive digital media; the Humanities and Social Science School; and the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, a top journalism and media school in Asia
• The College of Science is home to award-winning faculty, world-class laboratories, and Olympiad medal winners.

The S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, one of three autonomous institutes of NTU, is a world authority on strategic studies and security research. NTU is also home to the internationally-acclaimed National Institute of Education, Singapore's only teacher-training institute. The Earth Observatory of Singapore, established in 2009 with $150 million in state funding, is dedicated to hazards-related earth science.

As Singapore's main science and technology university, NTU makes significant contributions to the nation's renewed drive for research and innovation spearheaded by the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF). NTU's strengths in biomedical sciences, environmental and water technologies, and interactive and digital media mirror the NRF's research focus. Impressed by the vibrant entrepreneurship environment at NTU, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, widely known as 'The Foundation of Entrepreneurship', has chosen NTU to be the first Kauffman campus outside the United States of America.

NTU has a strong and broad international reach covering academic and research partnerships with top institutions in the US, Europe and Asia, such as MIT, Stanford University, Cornell University, Caltech, University of Washington, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University; Cambridge University, Imperial College and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; and Peking University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Waseda University, and Indian Institute of Technology.

For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg

2. About Imperial College London

Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 13,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.< /p>

Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all conti nues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve health in the UK and globally, tackle climate change and develop clean and sustainable sources of energy.

Website: www.imperial.ac.uk