51³Ô¹ÏÍø

The Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam is to visit 51³Ô¹ÏÍø today as the university celebrates and strengthens its deep links with Singapore.

As well as forming one of the College’s largest groups of international students, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Singapore connections include a recently-launched joint medical school, a new collaborative and a new cybersecurity research agreement signed this week.

President Tan’s visit marks the second occasion that 51³Ô¹ÏÍø has hosted a State Visit within a year, after President Park Geun-hye of South Korea visited in November 2013. 

At the end of , the first to be made by a Singaporean head of state, President Tan will view some of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s education and research accomplishments.

He will tour 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s four-storey Carbon Capture Pilot Plant – the most advanced of its kind in the world – where academics, students and industrial partners test and develop new ways of capturing and harnessing CO2 emissions before they can harm the planet. 

Both the British and Singaporean governments have made carbon capture technology national priorities: in 2012, the UK announced a , while, in 2014, Singapore announced a for carbon capture storage and utilisation.

Rich history of collaboration

President Tan will be welcomed to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø by the College’s President, Professor Alice Gast, who also sits on the Singaporean Ministry of Education’s Academic Research Council.

Professor Alice Gast

Professor Alice Gast, President of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, said:
“We are honoured to welcome President Tan to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, as we celebrate the College’s rich history of collaboration with Singapore. President Tan’s firm commitment to excellence in research and higher education is helping us to build on these strong foundations as our relationship develops.

“By working together, the UK and Singapore can greatly extend their capacity to produce high-quality research, tackle grand challenges and commercialise new technologies. Together we are driving innovation for the UK, Singapore and the whole world.” 

Professor Gast will introduce President Tan to some of : the College’s fifth largest group of international students, and the highest proportion of Singaporeans at any UK university. In 1965, when Singapore gained its independence, there were just 19. 

Deepening ties

President Tan will also learn about the College’s extensive ties with Singaporean research, industry and higher education, including its work with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to develop an international network of phenome centres. This builds on 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s National Phenome Centre, a state-of-the-art drug testing laboratory, and a legacy of the London 2012 Olympics. 

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine

51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s flagship collaboration with Singapore is the medical school it co-founded with NTU. The (LKCMedicine), which accepted its first students in 2013, provides Singaporean students with a technology-rich and patient-centred curriculum. President Tan will meet 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Professor Jenny Higham and Dr Naomi Low-Beer who were both instrumental in developing and launching the new School. 

During a State Banquet for President Tan on Tuesday evening, .

The Queen said: “Today 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College is helping to train a new generation of Singaporean doctors, just one of many important partnerships that it and other UK universities are building with Singapore.”

Research opportunities

Coinciding with the State Visit, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø announced plans to enhance collaboration in cybersecurity research with the . Led on 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s side by , the two universities will undertake joint research to deliver more secure infrastructure and critical services, such as water and energy. 

51³Ô¹ÏÍø West

51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Vice-President (Development & Innovation), , will tell President Tan about the College’s new 25 acre innovation district, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø West. This will allow global academics, entrepreneurs and industrialists to co-locate and create value from cutting-edge research. 

, Director of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Data Science Institute, will explain to President Tan how the College is harnessing big data to understand areas as diverse as public health trends and crowd management on public transport.

President Tan’s visit to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø marks the final event of his UK State Visit.