SUTD Expands Research Efforts in China Through New Centre in China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City
Building on its reputation as a trailblazer in the field of innovation and research, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) will be establishing a research centre focused on zero carbon goals in the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City.
The SUTD Eco-City Research and Innovation Centre will be set up in partnership with the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Administrative Committee (ECAC) and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (SSTEC) under the auspices of the Tianjin Eco-City project.
The Centre will nurture talents and co-innovate solutions for sustainable and low-carbon development, in partnership with the government, academia and industry players in Singapore and China, as well as explore joint programmes for research development, education and training, and enterprise development between Singapore and Tianjin.
The SUTD Eco-City Research and Innovation Centre, which is set up in partnership with the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Administrative Committee (ECAC) and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd (SSTEC) under the auspices of the Tianjin Eco-City project, will be housed within the Low Carbon Living Lab (artist’s impression). Image credit: Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd
SUTD President, Professor Chong Tow Chong, described the centre as an innovation hub for next generation net zero solutions: "The new centre aims to be a guiding force in solutioning for a sustainable future. Tianjin Eco-City is the perfect location for the centre given its position as a front-runner in eco-city development. We are excited to be partnering ECAC and SSTEC to achieve even higher standards in environmental, social and smart-city developments, focusing on the broad theme of research 'Towards a Zero Carbon Goal'."
The interior design of the Low Carbon Living Lab (artist’s impression). Image credit: Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd
The China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is a flagship Government-to-Government project between Singapore and China that was first mooted by then-Singapore Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong and former Chinese Premier Mr Wen Jiabao in April 2007, against the backdrop of rapid urbanisation and increasing global attention on the importance of sustainable development.
Mr Teo Eng Cheong, CEO of SSTEC, said: "I am very pleased that the Eco-City has formed a collaboration with SUTD to jointly establish a research and innovation centre. SUTD is the first Singapore institute of higher learning to set up in the Eco-City. It will greatly enhance the innovative development of green and low carbon technologies, promote talent development, broaden the market for companies and drive the development of green and low-carbon industries in the Eco-City."
Signing the Strategic Cooperation Agreement for the set up of the SUTD Eco-City Research and Innovation Centre in China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City are (from left to right) Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, Provost, SUTD, Mr Yang Yong, Chairman, ECAC, and Mr Teo Eng Cheong, CEO, SSTEC.
In addition to the Strategic Cooperation Agreement, SUTD also entered into two other Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).
The first is an MOU with Tianjin University (TJU), China’s first modern university, to establish a joint educational framework that will enable TJU students, who have completed their undergraduate studies, to pursue a Master of Science in Technology and Design (MTD) degree in Sustainable Product Design at SUTD.
The second MOU is with China Green Building Council (ChinaGBC), a national non-profit academic organisation that promotes green building development in China. Under the terms of the MOU, SUTD and ChinaGBC will jointly conduct continuous education and training for built environment industry players and organise and support events on sustainability. Implementing this will be SUTD’s DesignZ research centre, which aims to establish partnerships with both the public and private sectors by offering advocacy and leadership in design through four main areas: Research, Innovation, Services and Education (RISE). SUTD will bring its unique education model, research and innovation to China, while ChinaGBC will provide its vast national network of industry players and government leadership for further collaboration. Through ChinaGBC, SUTD will be able to tap into the vast industry network in Beijing to further explore potential collaboration on net zero solutions, and help accelerate the green building industry’s transformation.