Singapore Government Press Release
Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,
MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369
Tel: 6837-9666
Speech by Minister of State (Trade & Industry and Foreign Affairs) and
Minister of State in charge of Entrepreneurship Mr Raymond Lim
At the Official Launch of NUS Enterprise Centre in Silicon Valley and
The MOU signing ceremony between NUS and NUSS
On 30 May 2003, 11:30 am, NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House
Prof Shih Choon Fong, President, NUS
Mr Lai Kim Seng, President, NUSS
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here for the official launch of the NUS Enterprise Centre in Silicon Valley and the MOU signing ceremony between NUS and NUSS.
NUS Programmes on Entreprenurship
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has over the years, sought to inject an entrepreneurial element into its education system. It has put in place various initiatives to stoke the flames of entrepreneurship within the broader NUS community, including staff, students, and alumni.
NUS Overseas Colleges have been established in Silicon Valley and Bio Valley in the US, and also Shanghai. They give students the opportunity to live, work and learn at leading entrepreneurial hubs around the globe. During their stint in the Overseas Colleges, students undergo internships with startup companies on top of attending entrepreneurship-related courses. This unique entrepreneurial-academic experience will stand them in good stead after graduation.
NUS has also built up a wealth of technologies and intellectual property through years of successful research programmes and projects. These are potential seeds for viable products and services. It is noteworthy that the university encourages staff, students and alumni to spin off businesses from faculty research and development, and provides strong support for this. Initiatives to facilitate the formation of startups include a comprehensive IP licensing scheme for inventors, seed funding programmes, incubators for startups, and network sessions with investor communities.
The NUS Enterprise Centre in Silicon Valley
Today marks another significant milestone for the university. The NUS Enterprise Centre in Silicon Valley will be the first overseas business support centre established by a Singaporean university. It will serve as a useful launch pad for local startups into one of the world’s leading innovation and entrepreneurial hotbeds. It is a positive step forward, and I am confident that the Enterprise Centre in Silicon Valley will be the model for other such centres in the future. I would like to offer my heartiest congratulations to all at NUS.
It is also very encouraging that the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS), a society formed by university alumni, has supported this initiative. Its members’ generous donation towards the establishment of the NUS Enterprise Centre is an example of how the wider community can play a part in fostering entrepreneurship.
Conclusion
Finally, I wish to issue this challenge to the NUS community. The university has laid the path for you to embark on your entrepreneurial journey. The onus is now on you to take the first step. Step out of your comfort zone and seize the opportunities that lie in wait. A bright future belongs to those who dream and dare.
Thank you.
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