MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN “Change is the only constant” is an oxymoron that rings true in today’s fast paced world. Technology is advancing in different fields at speeds never imagined before and the ability of mankind to organise and process new information, in order to apply it for good, will determine human progress. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been enabled by the growth in computing power to provide potential insights and advances in so many fields that it will bring about fundamental changes in how we plan and operate. Human society is also changing with developments shaped by the speed of communications and the influence of ideas, together with the issues often encountered when people are pulled in different directions by external forces and question their long-held assumptions. How we will use the opportunities we have and deal with the threats we will face will be key to our future. Against this backdrop, educational institutions have a tremendous role to play, not only in readying this generation and the next for the future, but in deciding how we will transform ourselves to meet the challenge. Education in this environment of change must be always ongoing and evolving, and we need to look beyond our traditional stakeholders to be an agent for progress. SUTD was founded specifically to groom technically grounded leaders and innovators to serve societal needs through design and technology, and has been at the forefront of that change. We were the first university in Singapore to incorporate design thinking and design innovation into a multidisciplinary hands-on technology and designfocused curriculum. We rolled out the world’s first Design and Artificial Intelligence degree programme in 2020 – well before AI was a buzzword. This trailblazing spirit is part and parcel of our DNA and it is incorporated in our new Vision: “Trailblazing a Better World by Design”. SUTD’s trajectory over the last 15 years has been purposeful. The relentless pursuit of design and tech excellence in both education and research has been our hallmark since Day One. Professor Chong Tow Chong, who has been with SUTD since 2010, has been instrumental in putting the university on the Design and Tech IHL map. SUTD was named the top emerging engineering school in a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2018. His exemplary leadership – first as founding provost, and then as SUTD’s second president – has resulted in many significant initiatives including the SUTD Growth Plan (with a focus on Healthcare, Cities and Aviation, with AI/Data Science and Digital Manufacturing in its education, research and industry collaborations) and the SUTD Sustainability Plan (advancing sustainability-related research in collaboration with industry). Prof Chong stepped down as president on 31 July 2024, by which time SUTD’s strong bench strength had 29% of faculty listed among the top 2% of scientists globally by Stanford University in 2023. SUTD also grew an endowment fund, which enabled innovative programmes like the Baby Shark microinnovation fund (Baby Shark Fund) that aims to nurture innovation at every level. I am grateful for Prof Chong’s immense contribution to the University and wish him all the best. On 1 August 2024, SUTD welcomed its new president, Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, who has been SUTD’s provost since 2021. Prof Phoon leads SUTD into its next phase of growth with the launch of SUTD Leap, announced in March 2024. SUTD Leap is a multi-year, multipronged strategic plan that aims to redesign higher education with a greater focus on design and deep tech. Building purposefully on our trajectory, SUTD Leap plans to create a design and technology co-solutioning ecosystem with industry partners. SUTD will engage industry leaders to co-create curriculum and programmes to inspire students, while faculty and researchers will support key industry projects. The synergy between academia and industry will provide students with a true sense of real world demands, and our faculty and researchers will develop and help deploy design and tech to unleash value in private, public and people sectors. We aim to nurture design x tech innovators and leaders for the future. SUTD has also been exploring alternative pathways in education. Through a collaboration with École 42 from France, we launched a public tuition-free peer-learning information and communications technology programme in September 2023. The new 42 Singapore programme had a strong reception with 190 students ranging from 18 to 60 years of age in the inaugural batch, from which three recently “graduated” from level 9 in record time, putting them amongst the top 1% of École 42 students worldwide. SUTD also made significant strides in innovation and enterprise. In addition to the Baby Shark Fund, our subsidiary SUTD Venture Holdings has invested in SUTD-related start-ups including Singapore-based quantum software company, Entropica Labs, AI document processing solutions provider Staple AI, and 4D-printed cast medtech company Castomize Technologies. These are doing well with Entropica successfully raising US$6.54 million over two rounds including a US$4.7 million in Series A funding recently. We start from a small base due to size, but with a much higher intensity of innovation and enterprise activity boosted by multidisciplinarity. We have reason to be grateful for great support from our donors and benefactors, as well as mentors for our ventures. I am thankful for your generosity in time, advice and funds, and I hope for your continued confidence in us as we work together to steer SUTD forward in our next stage of growth. LEE TZU YANG SUTD Chairman p. 05 ANNUAL REPORT 2023/24
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