National University of Singapore (NUS) has partnered Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, to jointly launch a programme to nurture talents in emerging technological fields.
The innovation incubator programme aims to push forward Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative and technology research.
Young science and technology talents will be equipped with knowledge from Alibaba Cloud Academy. Startups will also be given opportunities to present their ideas to venture capitalists around the world.
With the launch of the project, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Alibaba Cloud and NUS. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative witnessed the signing ceremony at the Alibaba Cloud Summit-Infinity 2018.
Under the MOU, NUS’ business analytics students will be able to participate in internships at Alibaba Cloud and gain first-hand knowledge in the technological developments in big data, cloud computing, business analytics and artificial intelligence.
During the internships, NUS students will be guided by mentors from Alibaba Cloud and provided with opportunities to use data to solve real-world problems.
Alibaba Cloud will offer an education certification programme to students from the NUS Master of Science in Business Analytics programme. This will enable them to be adept in the application of technologies in the areas of big data, cloud computing, business analytics and artificial intelligence.
“We are very excited to partner with NUS, Singapore’s leading academic institution in science and technology to help nurture the next generation of data scientists," said Raymond Ma, Head of ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand, Alibaba Cloud. "The partnership reinforces Alibaba Cloud’s ambition of building a sustainable ecosystem where young science talents can learn, develop and flourish.”
Associate Professor James Pang, Co-Director of NUS BAC, said, “NUS is fully committed to developing local talents in the areas of big data and AI to advance Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative. Our partnership with Alibaba Cloud expands students’ horizons by giving them the opportunity to learn under mentors from Alibaba Cloud, and gain access to cutting-edge technological developments. In this way, NUS students could pursue their interests beyond their curriculum."