President’s Message

Academic Year (AY) 2020/21 was an inclement year for the world over as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods. Notwithstanding, the profound impact of COVID-19 has led us to take a hard look at the world around us and think deeply about how we want to position ourselves. At NUS, we have strengthened our resolve to prepare our students for an uncertain and uncharted future, in which our graduates will have to be flexible and adaptable to create and seize opportunities.

The NUS educational framework is being reformed to deliver a flexible, transformative education that imbues our graduates with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes for the future. Through a carefully curated and refreshed common curriculum, our students will gain exposure across traditional disciplines as well as emerging fields, and the applications to current problems. This broad academic exposure hones intellectual versatility and builds the capacity to engage in lifelong learning. The common curriculum will be rolled out in AY2021/22 for students from the newly launched College of Humanities and Sciences, as well as the Faculty of Engineering and School of Design & Environment.

The reformed educational model is also a flexible one where students can pursue a wide range of majors, second majors, minors, specialisations and crossdisciplinary programmes where they can build learning portfolios that align to their interests and aspirations. All programmes will incorporate interdisciplinary learning, which will complement disciplinary training. Learning is amplified when students harness and integrate knowledge and approaches, which in turn foster creativity and encourage the exploration of new ideas.

In research, NUS faculty are at the forefront of their respective fields. Twenty-five academics from the University have been placed among the world’s most Highly Cited Researchers 2020 by Clarivate. Professor Liu Bin, Vice President (Research and Technology) has been conferred the Royal Society of Chemistry’s

Centenary Prize for her groundbreaking work in the innovative design and synthesis of organic molecules and nanomaterials.

NUS will continue to build deep research capabilities and reach for new peaks of excellence. In 2020, we launched the new Reimagine Research Initiative to provide seed funding for researchers to band their expertise to capture emerging opportunities. Through this initiative, 100 research project teams pursuing bold, unconventional solutions will be convened.

The NUS Innovation and Enterprise ecosystem connects and supports researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs in bringing their research ideas and output from the laboratories and libraries to regional and global markets. We are especially proud of PatSnap – the first NUS-supported start-up valued at over US$1B to attain unicorn status.

Finally, talent is the vital cornerstone in positioning NUS for the future. The University is committed to nurturing a strong base of Singaporean academic talent, while also attracting top academics from around the world who will contribute to our vision and mission. We are excited that young, aspiring academic talent have joined NUS under the NUS Presidential Young Professorship and the newly launched Presidential Fellowship schemes.

Together as oneNUS, we are building a strong, resilient and innovative institution for the future.

“At NUS, we have strengthened our resolve to prepare our students for an uncertain and uncharted future, in which our graduates will have to be flexible and adaptable to create and seize opportunities.”

Professor Tan Eng Chye

NUS President