Universities in Singapore are altering their research landscape to emphasise interdisciplinary and results-driven studies. This is meant to find more solutions for pressing global issues such as in food security and public health – the challenges of a post-pandemic era, writes Shabana Begum for The Straits Times.
Late last year, the National University of Singapore (NUS) launched a research programme and fund to put together 100 cross-faculty research teams in five years, with the aim of getting 20 new projects running every year. Injecting up to US$20 million a year on the Reimagine Research Initiative, NUS will fund interdisciplinary studies that go beyond getting published in prestigious journals, to making impact in the real world. The initiative has enrolled 21 groups so far, and it is set to be one of the largest university-wide research programmes, said NUS Deputy President of Research and Technology Chen Tsuhan.
In January, the Nanyang Technological University unveiled its five-year plan detailing goals in education and research. A key tenet of its plan is to support interdisciplinary research to address global challenges, and find ways to accelerate innovation from discoveries.