A vibrant hub for bilateral exchanges blooms in Suzhou

Hui Kwok Leong, the associate director of the National University of Singapore, who helms the enterprise and incubation programs for the National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Given Singapore's involvement in the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), it comes as no surprise that the Southeast Asian country would have one of their most reputable universities located within the park.

But according to Hui Kwok Leong, the associate director of the National University of Singapore (NUS), the institute's presence in SIP is in no way a token one.

Occupying 20,000 square meters in the industrial park, the National University of Singapore Suzhou Research Institute (NUSRI) is the first research and education establishment in the zone that is managed by a top Asian university. NUS was ranked first in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings which was released in June.

"NUSRI is dedicated to promoting collaboration between the two countries. It's a two-way street - we're not just here to push Singapore technology or products," said Hui, who helms the enterprise and incubation programs in the institute.

Hui added that NUSRI is also committed to fostering ties in three main areas, namely education, technology research and enterprise matters.

In terms of education, the institute offers a variety of courses spanning areas such as science, engineering, real estate, public policy and executive education focused on the development of future leaders.

With regard to research, NUSRI has established collaborations with a host of Chinese universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University and Tianjing University.

The institute also has a well-developed enterprise and incubation program that provides entrepreneurs with all-rounded support as well as access to an extensive business network in China. Hui said that there are currently more than 30 projects being incubated, with 18 of them being from Singapore and the rest originating from China.