None of SUTD’s achievements would have been possible, if not for the kindness and generosity of so many organisations and individuals, who have supported us over the years, making a difference in the lives of our students and community.

I had the joy of congratulating your first batch of Graduates. And four years on, I am especially heartened to see the significant strides made by SUTD and your students; And to see so many partners and friends coming together to celebrate your achievements on this joyful occasion.

I just came from the launch of our new Entrepreneurship Centre, at which we signed Memorandums of Understanding with SingCham (the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry) in China, Spaze Ventures, a startup incubator, and with UPS (United Parcel Service), the world’s largest package delivery company.

The establishment of SUTD therefore marks a turning point in the development of the university landscape here, when we begin to have universities with distinctive offerings and niche strengths, presenting students with many more choices.

When I first joined SUTD as the founding Provost in 2010, our office was located on the 4th floor of the the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language located at Ghim Moh Road. We were truly a start-up university then.