The University has joined the new UK-Singapore Universities Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (UKSAEI), which was launched on 8 April 2021 with a virtual signing ceremony hosted by H.E. Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, and H.E. Lim Thuan Kuan, Singapore High Commissioner to the UK.
Established under the auspices of the Singapore-UK Innovation and Research Partnership, the Alliance forms a new framework to strengthen collaboration between the UK and Singapore in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation. Bringing together 11 universities in the UK and all 5 universities in Singapore, UKSAEI will be a unique platform to support academic engagement with industry and government, facilitate commercialisation and knowledge transfer activities, and create new opportunities for students and researchers to partner with industry and start-ups.
The Alliance connects a number of leading UK universities engaged in Singapore, and Bath was invited join the UKSAEI Steering Committee based on our University’s existing links with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and recent partnerships with A*STAR and Singapore companies in the field of sustainable food technologies, led by Dr Marianne Ellis in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
In addition to Bath, founding UK members include Coventry University, which proposed the alliance, as well as Cranfield, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, King’s College London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester and Strathclyde. Singapore universities are represented by NTU, the National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore Management University, and Singapore University of Technology and Design.
The Alliance takes a consortium approach to address existing barriers for UK universities in building research and commercialisation partnerships in Singapore, while acknowledging the contributions UK universities can make to Singapore’s innovation ecosystem, especially by strengthening links between academia and industry. As a new platform for bilateral engagement, the Alliance will help inform bilateral funding and policy support for innovation-led partnerships, including in the areas of cross-border licencing and technology transfer. UKSAEI activities, for example, will include IP commercialisation workshops, joint R&D projects with industry, and an annual pitching event with companies from both countries. A strong focus will further be on training and talent development, including short-term student exchange programmes and joint industry PhD studentships and internships.
Signing the Alliance agreement on behalf of the University, Professor Jeremy Bradshaw, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International & Doctoral), said:
I am absolutely delighted that Bath has joined the new UK-Singapore Universities Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. As a member of the Steering Committee, we have been able to inform the Alliance’ objectives and contribute to its development, working closely with the SIN Network in Singapore and the involved UK universities. Building on our strong existing links in Singapore, engagement with UKSAEI will enable us to further raise our international profile and reputation, develop new collaborations with leading universities across the UK and Singapore, and create new opportunities for our students and staff for industry engagement and innovation partnerships.