On October 17, 2025, celebrations marking the 120th anniversary of the National University of Singapore (NUS) were successfully held at the NUS Guangzhou Research Translation and Innovation Institute (NUS GRTII) located in the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City. Organized by NUS GRTII, this event, which also marked the 35th anniversary of China-Singapore diplomatic relations and the 15th anniversary of the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City's development, held significant commemorative meaning by bringing these three milestones together. Distinguished guests in attendance included Professor Tan Eng Chye, President of NUS; Ms. Xian Yinsong, Executive Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Development District Administrative Committee and District Mayor of Huangpu; Ms. Cindy Wee, Consul-General of Singapore in Guangzhou; Professor Hang Chang Chieh, NUS Honorary Provost; Mr. Wang Datong, Deputy Secretary of the Guangzhou Development District Party Working Committee; and Professor Shuzhi Sam GE, Director of NUS GRTII, celebrating NUS’s 120th anniversary and jointly mapping a new blueprint for China-Singapore research collaboration.
Fruitful Outcomes from Transnational Technology Cooperation
Since its official unveiling on March 28, 2024, NUS GRTII has achieved leapfrog development in less than two years, becoming an important bridge for sci-tech innovation cooperation between China and Singapore and further promoting the translation of international scientific and technological achievements.
Currently, in research translation, NUS GRTII has established three major research platforms: Robotic Systems, Smart Healthcare, and Intelligent Systems, gathering research teams led by NUS academic leaders, including seven academicians and eight highly cited researchers.
In talent development, NUS GRTII has focused on key industrial sectors prioritized by the city and district. It has selected outstanding talents with a global perspective and awarded scholarships to multiple PhD and Master’s students. It has also received approval to establish a branch of the National Postdoctoral Research Station, and several postdoctoral researchers are now in place, conducting cutting-edge research and industrial application studies.
In fostering an innovation ecosystem, NUS GRTII has introduced 21 high-potential enterprises in fields such as smart healthcare, AI applications, and smart logistics, and has entered into strategic cooperation agreements with 15 industry-leading enterprises, thereby deepening the integration of industry, academia, and research.
Simultaneously, several companies incubated by NUS GRTII have achieved excellent results in innovation and entrepreneurship competitions at the municipal level and above. Several NUS alumni have also returned to Guangzhou, integrating into the local innovation ecosystem and jointly advancing China-Singapore cooperation.
Addresses by Dignitaries
Strengthening China-Singapore Ties, Charting a New Chapter of Cooperation
At the ceremony, Mr. George Loh, Associate Vice President (Strategic Partnership) of NUS, delivered a speech. Using the metaphor, “Research is not a sprint, but a relay marathon,” he reviewed Singapore’s research development journey from “Laying Foundations and Nurturing Talent” to “Systemic Linkages,” pointing out that Singapore, with its spirit of “Pragmatism, Rationality, Openness, and Collaboration,” and supported by long-term government investment and institutional culture, has forged a path of “Small Nation, Big Tech.”
Associate Vice President Loh emphasized the increasingly close China-Singapore research and education cooperation, noting that the establishment of research institutes in Suzhou, Chongqing, Guangzhou, among others, represents “contributing tangible investments to the China-Singapore friendship.” He particularly encouraged the younger generation to “transform curiosity into questions, methods into outcomes, and outcomes into public benefit,” and looked forward to working with all parties to write a new chapter in China-Singapore research collaboration.
Subsequently, Mr. Wang Datong, Deputy Secretary of the Guangzhou Development District Party Working Committee, reviewed the process of producing the Chinese edition of The Singapore Research Story. He recalled that in February, he and Professor Hang Chang Chieh reached a consensus that systematically translating and introducing Singapore's research innovation experience is of significance to deepening China-Singapore cooperation and empowering regional development. Under his promotion, a joint task force was quickly established and completed the translation and proofreading with high efficiency, finally bringing this important work to fruition.
He further emphasized that, as the only national-level bilateral cooperation project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, centered around the “One Core, Two Hearts, Three Belts, Multiple Clusters” urban layout, continues to strengthen synergistic linkages with top international universities like NUS. Looking ahead, he expressed hope that NUS GRTII would closely align with the six future industry directions laid out by Guangzhou, accelerate the landing of key technologies and the translation of outcomes, and join hands with all parties to “jointly plan development and create the future.”
Keynote Speech
Unveiling the T-UP 2.0 Model of “Small Nation, Big Tech”
Next, Professor Hang Chang Chieh, NUS Honorary Provost and Advisor to the President (NUS GRTII), delivered a keynote speech entitled New Practices in Research Translation in Singapore: Towards T-UP 2.0, providing a comprehensive overview of Singapore’s T-Up Plan for technology upgrading in enterprises and its development path.
He first explained the core mechanism of the T-Up plan – enhancing the R&D capabilities and technological innovation levels of SMEs by seconding high-caliber talent from public research institutions, and emphasized the flexibility and pragmatism of the plan's intellectual property arrangements. Subsequently, Professor Hang shared new developments of the T-Up plan since 2016, including the deployment of over a thousand researchers in total, the introduction of student internship programs, and the expansion of support for talent in the AI field.
Looking forward, Professor Hang Chang Chieh outlined the development direction for T-Up 2.0: further expanding coverage of deep tech startups, supporting R&D projects at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3-5, and promoting the internationalization of the plan. He also expressed hope to collaborate with platforms such as the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City to jointly expand the innovation ecosystem of the Greater Bay Area.
Major Release
Unveiling of the Chinese Edition of The Singapore Research Story
The event also witnessed the official release of the Chinese edition of The Singapore Research Story. The book was edited by Professor Hang Chang Chieh, NUS Honorary Provost and Advisor to the President (NUS GRTII). As one of the founding figures of Singapore’s research system, Professor Hang systematically reviews in the book how Singapore, despite limited resources, drove technology and industry development through innovation via research institution building, talent cultivation, and industry-university-research collaboration, creating the “Small Nation, Big Tech” development paradigm.
As a key highlight of the event, the book launch ceremony for the Chinese edition began with a countdown led by all attendees. Professor Hang Chang Chieh and Mr. Wang Datong jointly unveiled the book.
The translation, proofreading, and publication preparations for the Chinese edition were completed by the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Joint Task Force for The Singapore Research Story, with NUS GRTII serving as one of the key contributors to the project. The Chinese and Singaporean teams collaborated closely throughout the translation and publication process. The publication of this book represents another milestone in the deep cooperation between China and Singapore in education and technology, providing a “knowledge framework” and “external experience reference” that can serve as a valuable guide for the Knowledge City’s advancement of scientific and technological innovation.
In the future, regarding research system development, translation of scientific and technological achievements, and cultivation of innovative talent, the Knowledge City will be guided by Singapore's advanced experience in sci-tech innovation, combined with its actual innovation development, to allocate resources more scientifically and achieve higher-quality development.
120 Years of Legacy, Looking Forward to the Journey Ahead
Celebrating NUS’s 120th Anniversary
The atmosphere reached its peak during the celebration ceremony for NUS’s 120th anniversary. Distinguished guests, including Professor Tan Eng Chye, President of NUS; Ms. Xian Yinsong, Executive Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Development District Administrative Committee and District Mayor of Huangpu; Ms. Cindy Wee, Consul-General of Singapore in Guangzhou; and Mr. Wu Hanrong, Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, jointly cut the celebration cake to mark NUS’s 120th anniversary.
This warm and solemn segment was not only a tribute to NUS’s 120 years of academic heritage, but also reflected the hopes for enduring friendship between China and Singapore and for further fruitful cooperation.
120 years marks a milestone, and more importantly, a new beginning. With its profound academic heritage and cutting-edge research, NUS continues to promote in-depth cooperation and shared development between China and Singapore.
In the future, under the leadership of Director Shuzhi Sam GE, NUS GRTII will continue to leverage NUS’s global research resources and innovation experience, and deepen cooperation with Huangpu District and the Greater Bay Area. It will serve as a bridge in research innovation, talent development, and achievement translation, thereby contributing to building a world-class sci-tech innovation hub and providing more wisdom and strength to China-Singapore cooperation.
