Research Activities in NTU

As a research-intensive university with globally acknowledged strengths in science and engineering, research and development (R&D) form an important part of the University’s activities. NTU conducts R&D works and prioritises its focus areas to galvanise its resources towards areas where the University have particular strengths in, and which are aligned with the national strategic thrusts. NTU also promotes science and technology at the highest level through the endowed Institute of Advanced Studies, which regularly flies in Nobel laureates and other scientific giants to enrich the life and work of the university community.

NTU has made great strides in its journey towards research intensity and has become increasingly competitive in seeking external funding, reflecting the span of research strengths and interests across the University. NTU is also actively looking for strong support from major corporations and industry leaders, in terms of both research funding and partnerships. Compared to the FY 2007, the University has seen an increase of 30% in the number of external competitive grants in FY 2008 (up to February 09) demonstrating a renewed activity amongst the faculty.

The most significant milestone of NTU’s success in competitive research grants is the award by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for its first Research Centre of Excellence (RCE) - the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS). This award marks a big step forward for NTU in our efforts to become a world-class research-intensive university. Not only does the RCE bring influential and accomplished researchers to NTU to help propel research to a higher level, it also introduces the earth and environmental sciences to the University portfolio. For this, MOE provides funds totalling $150 million over 10 years to support the running of the Centre. The RCE is helmed by world-famous seismologist, Kerry Sieh who is joined by Paul Tapponnier, a world-leading tectonicist from the University of Paris, and Chris Newhall, formerly from the US Geological Survey and the foremost authority on Southeast Asian volcanology

To sustain the enhanced research intensity, the University has also developed initiatives to rapidly expand the faculty talent pool. NTU has been very successful in attracting the World’s best young researchers through global competitions at the Post-doctoral and faculty level through the Nanyang Postdoc and Nanyang Assistant Professorship (NAP) schemes respectively. These schemes are the latest initiative set up to recruit top researchers from around the world for them to play leading roles in the University’s new wave of multi-disciplinary and integrative research.

The University is developing active partnerships and networks of leading research intensive universities with renewed emphasis on innovation, especially through partnerships with leading technologically based multi-national companies.