First-of-Its Kind Memorandum of Understanding Signed Between Youth Non-Profit Organisation and Local University

28 Aug 2021

Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Saturday, 28 August 2021. This MOU marks the start of a close working partnership between CYS and SUTD to co-create opportunities for all youths in tech in Singapore.

This unique, first-of-its-kind collaboration between a local Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) and a non-profit youth organisation aims to bring the people and academic sectors together to develop and nurture Singapore’s future tech talents. The MOU will be signed by the CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy, Mr Alwis Lim, and the SUTD Provost, Professor Phoon Kok Kwang. The signing will be witnessed by CYS’ President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Chua, and SUTD’s President, Professor Chong Tow Chong. The ceremony will be graced by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health.

(L-R) Mr Ben Chua, CYS President & Chief Executive Officer; Mr Alwis Lim, CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy; Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health; Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, SUTD Provost; Professor Chong Tow Chong, SUTD President.

The MOU will facilitate the creation of attachment programmes for youths of any age group1 and background in Singapore to be attached to university faculty to work on selected research projects. This special arrangement will significantly augment the opportunities available to youths passionate about technology in Singapore. The free-of-charge attachment programme will allow interested and passionate youths to exercise their digital creativity, to create solutions and realise ideas, under the supervision of SUTD faculty.

The MOU will also enable automatic enrolment of all current and future SUTD Computer Science and Design students as members of CYS’ Cyber Youth Collective when the official2 membership system launches next year.

This partnership with SUTD signifies CYS’ aim to build relationships with all local IHLs. As organisations deeply rooted in technology and the development of future tech talents, the fundamental objectives of both CYS and SUTD are aligned.

Mr Alwis Lim, CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy said: “We believe that this first-of-its-kind community-academia partnership will expose our members to industry experiences in Singapore’s tech landscape while leveraging on SUTD’s unique learning pedagogy and their rich pool of expert resources. With the different opportunities cultivated from this partnership, we are confident that our youths are able to seize them and support their personal growth in their skill and career development. This MOU marks an important first step that will open the door for CYS to establish more partnerships with other IHLs, which in turn opens more opportunities for our youth.”

Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, SUTD Provost, added: “SUTD is proud to be the first Singapore university to partner with CYS to nurture the next generation of information technology professionals and cyber defenders. Leveraging SUTD’s interdisciplinary education and expertise in advanced technology and research in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, critical infrastructure protection and more, we aim to stimulate the interest of young talents to explore the use of technology and design to create human-centric solutions.”

Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health, who will be the guest of honour for the signing ceremony has this to say, “As Singapore progresses into a smart nation, we will require more tech talents who will help us build a resilient and vibrant digital economy, and a world-class city that gives our citizens the best home possible. The MOU between SUTD and CYS today is a clear demonstration of how our Institute of Higher Learning and community can collaborate to deepen the skills of our youths in the area of technology. Indeed, our youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. I am looking forward to more of such partnerships, where our youths can receive good support to deepen their skills and knowledge and realise their aspirations in the digital economy.”

The MOU signing was also attended and witnessed by close partners of both CYS and SUTD. They include the student club leaders from all five polytechnics in Singapore, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Ensign InfoSecurity and the Ministry of Defence / Singapore Armed Forces C4 Command.

This partnership between CYS and SUTD will further amplify shared efforts to champion new ideas and opportunities in the technology scene with the common aim to develop the next generation of tech talents.

Please refer to the attached factsheets for more information on the terms of collaboration between CYS and SUTD and other additional information.

1 Participants will be screened to ensure that they have a minimal level of technical knowledge.
2 The Cyber Youth Collective is the brand name for CYS’ membership pool.

About Cyber Youth Singapore

Cyber Youth Singapore is a non-profit national movement, administered by a Board of Directors and the Council of Youths, committed to serving Singapore and the advancement of education in the area of technology in Singapore. It is Singapore’s first youth ground up movement focused on bringing youths in tech together to secure Singapore’s digital future.

In summary, Cyber Youth Singapore currently has over 1,700 members and is expected to grow to over 10,000 members strong in 7 years. Currently, our scope of youths are individuals presently enrolled in secondary schools, ITEs, polytechnics, junior colleges, and universities.

Cyber Youth Singapore serves to build and establish a strong foundation for our digital future. More information about Cyber Youth Singapore can be found here: https://cyberyouth.sg

Factsheet - Appendix A

Full Terms of Collaboration

  1. Co-creating opportunities for the engagement and development of CYS’ community’s (Cyber Youth Collective) members in the area of technology;

  2. Co-creating opportunities for Cyber Youth Collective members such as sharing sessions to explore and be introduced to cybersecurity efforts in Critical Infrastructure protection and its significance in our Digital Future;

  3. Co-creating opportunities for Cyber Youth Collective members to explore and understand the offerings of SUTD, through engagement programmes such as campus tours and sharing sessions;

  4. Co-creation of an attachment programme whereby Cyber Youth Collective members will be able to be attached to select research projects provisioned by iTrust Research Centre;

  5. Automatically enrolling all current and future SUTD Computer Science and Design (CSD) students as members of the Cyber Youth Collective and opening the option for other SUTD students to join;

  6. Mutual marketing of programmes and initiatives by both CYS and SUTD to its respective communities; and

  7. Establishing SUTD as an Institutional Partner for CYSummit’21 and its future iterations.

Factsheet - Appendix B

SUTD & CYS Additional Information

SUTD
Students who discover their interest in cybersecurity can consider joining SUTD’s Computer Science and Design degree programme, which offers the Security Track. This track will develop state-of-the-art knowledge in network security, system security, etc., to nurture students for careers in information security and cybersecurity.

Post-graduation, SUTD also offers the Master of Science in Security by Design programme, which focuses on the design stage of cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and enterprise networks — bringing cybersecurity talents to the next level of expertise. This Master programme develops a special type of cybersecurity expert, who can not only ensure the online security of organisations, but more importantly, design cybersecurity systems of large scale public infrastructures such as power grid, water treatment and distribution, transportation, and oil and gas processing, and more.
CYS
Together with the MOU signing, CYS announced three initiatives to be launched in the coming year in partnership with SUTD. CYS aims to continue collaborating with the people, public and private sectors to co-create, develop and launch initiatives that will be beneficial for youth who seek opportunities to explore their interests in tech and improve themselves. Youths can hold their anticipation towards these initiatives that CYS will deliver. All programmes will be free of charge and made accessible to all youths in our community.

YouthxIndustry. The attachment programme co-created and launched by CYS and SUTD will be under this initiative. The attachment programme will feature short stints of 4 weeks where any youth, ranging from secondary school to university students, can apply to be attached to selected research projects in SUTD. The programme will effectively allow direct exposure and knowledge transfer to passionate youths in the community to gain deeper appreciation of Cybersecurity and Future Communications Security, including in areas such as Critical Infrastructure Protection, to create a steady pipeline of future cyber defenders.

YouthxBootcamp. Youths can anticipate a 2 to 3-day bootcamp run by CYS and SUTD that consists of exposure and exploratory workshops that allow youths to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding about the cyber domain and to develop competency in the area. The workshops will also leverage SUTD's distinctive strengths in design innovation and interdisciplinary learning applied in the fields of digital technologies.

YouthxExplore. CYS will engage researchers from SUTD in meetup sessions to expose youths to the area of Cybersecurity and Future Communications Security. Youths can expect project showcases, expert sharing and many more activities to demystify the sector and foster an interest in the crucial cybersecurity domain.
Factsheet - Appendix C

SUTD & CYS Social Media Information

Cyber Youth Singapore
Official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cyberyouthsg/
Official Facebook http://www.facebook.com/cyberyouthsg/
Official Website https://www.cyberyouth.sg/
Official Email hello@cyberyouth.sg
Official Hashtag #cyberyouthsg
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sutdsg/
Official Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sutdsingapore/
Official Website https://www.sutd.edu.sg/
Official Email enquiry@sutd.edu.sg
Official Hashtag #ChooseSUTD

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