The doors to the Dyson-SUTD Innovation Studios were jointly opened with the President of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) recently. The launch was witnessed by the Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The Studios are expected to benefit over 13,000 students across tertiary and secondary school levels over the next five years.
The Innovation Studios, representing an SG$ 1 million commitment, are the largest-ever donation to a Singapore education institution by the global charitable foundation (the Foundation) of a Singapore-based household appliances company. It forms part of the Foundation’s SG$ 3 million charitable donations to support Singapore’s engineering education and are its first-ever spaces in Singapore engineered to inspire community interest in design engineering education.
Led by engineers from the company, the studios will play host to activities including a Prototyping Workshop that provides secondary school students exposure to Design Thinking. In addition, the modular spaces will facilitate STEM educational activities for students in general education – such as the 3D printing challenge and the STEM workshop for scholars in the MOE Engineering and Tech Programme. Guest lectures, innovation forums and workshops related to Engineering Design Innovation, Intelligent Robotics, Smart Manufacturing and 3D Printing and Machine Learning may also be held there.
Meanwhile, students from SUTD’s Engineering Product Development (EPD) and Information Systems Technology and Design (ISTD) pillars will have the opportunity to consult with engineer mentors from the company in the studios, as they work in teams to develop and contribute solutions to the world’s most pressing problems in a multidisciplinary engineering environment.
Singapore’s Minister for Education stated that the Ministry of Education looks forward to partnering with industry to bolster our national efforts in STEM education. Partnerships like this continue to be crucial in nurturing future engineering and technology talents to take Singapore forward, and the challenges of today and tomorrow are tackled.
The Founder and Chairman of the company and the Foundation stated that he hopes the Studios will inspire more of Singapore’s brightest young minds to accept the challenge to solve problems and discover the rewards of a career in engineering.
He added that young engineers are the world’s greatest analytical people, and the world needs more of them to bring hardware and software together, developing intelligent solutions to sustainability and the other complex problems the world faces.
The President of SUTD stated that the University is pleased to collaborate with the pioneering minds at the company to better the world with design. The partnership is expected to continue to inspire future generations of design innovators and provide many opportunities to both the SUTD family and the wider community.
The investment supports a range of educational activities by the Foundation, and collaborations with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Science Centre Singapore (SCS), and institutions such as the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Earlier in 2022, the Foundation invested SG$ 3 million into supporting engineering and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in Singapore over the next five years. The investment is expected to benefit over 100,000 students aged 6 to 25 – from primary through to tertiary levels and aims to nurture interest in engineering and bolster national efforts in STEM learning among students in Singapore.
The investment supports a range of educational activities by the Foundation, and collaborations with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Science Centre Singapore (SCS), and institutions such as the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
In May, the Foundation officiated its collaboration with SUTD through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was also witnessed by the Minister for Education, Singapore. The MoU is a demonstration of the Foundation’s and SUTD’s commitment to furthering mutual causes and recognises the Singapore government’s dedicated support for the partnership in promoting STEM education and nurturing future generations of engineers in Singapore.
