KTH part of state visit to Singapore
Mikael Lindström, Deputy President, who was on a four-day state visit to Singapore with the King of Sweden. How was the visit?
"It was a very intensive and educational trip. The delegation consisted of a large number of Swedish companies, Swedish research funding organisations and some Swedish universities. Singapore is a relatively small market with only six million people, but it serves as a hub for the whole of Southeast Asia, where the population is expected to grow from 650 million to 800 million over the next decade. We had many interesting meetings and discussions on education and research."
It was a big delegation and an intense programme - what did you see?
"We had the opportunity to visit several prominent universities, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and NTU Singapore. Something that made a fantastic impression on us was the visit to their Joint Quantum Centre, where they are working in a vibrant triple helix model (universities, companies and society). In Sweden, we spend about the same amount of money on research in quantum technology, but we have not managed to make it visible in the same way."
What was KTH's role?
"To represent Swedish higher education and research and to strengthen cooperation with Singaporean institutions.
We discussed opportunities for student and researcher exchanges, joint research projects and how we can share knowledge and experience between our countries. It is worth mentioning that KTH is very popular among Singaporean students and vice versa.
"It is impressive to see how quickly it has developed and adapted to global trends. Their focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and strong links with industry is something we can learn from. Singapore also has a strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, which contributes to a dynamic learning environment where students are encouraged to think creatively and work practically."
Text:Jill Klackenberg
Photo: Mikael Lindström