annual report 2016 / 2017

In March 2016, NP and IE Singapore signed a new Young Talent Programme-Market Immersion (YTP-MI) funding agreement amounting to S$800,000. The YTP-MI aims to groom polytechnic and ITE students to be future business leaders for Singapore-based globally competitive companies. During the period of review, 178 students benefited from this initiative.

In October, NP spearheaded the signing of a pan-polytechnic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) that covers curriculum reviews, internships and joint projects with the FinTech community. The collaboration aims to equip students with the skill sets necessary to take on the new FinTech-related jobs emerging in the financial sector. NP also kick-started PolyFinTech 100, an initiative to get companies on board to provide internship or mentorship for students, achieving the targeted number of 100 companies well ahead of time. In addition, later in February, NP and the other polytechnics also inked an MOU with the Singapore FinTech Association to deepen collaboration between educators and the FinTech industry as well as with Fidor Bank from Germany, to enhance staff and student capabilities in the online banking arena.

In November, the School of InfoComm Technology signed MOUs with seven industry leaders to create new Smart Learning Spaces in NP that will include technology enhanced classrooms, a Security Operations Centre for cyber-security training, a Digital Makers’ Zone for Agile software development, and a state-of-the-art lab. The seven companies are Autodesk, Microsoft, Quann, SAP, S3 Innovate, ThoughtWorks and V-Key.

In June, the School of InfoComm Technology inked an MOU with SalesForce.com, to allow staff and students to utilise its Cloud computing software at no cost. The company will also offer valuable training, certification and internships to build up a pool of specialists for the growing demand for expertise in customer relationship management competencies.

The Mechanical Engineering Division under the School of Engineering signed MOUs in January, to facilitate industry collaboration in the aerospace field and provide students with relevant training, mentorship and career guidance in various aspects. The MOUs were with Blue Waves Group Ventures Pte Ltd, Bombardier Aerospace Services Singapore Pte Ltd, and Scoot Pte Ltd and Tiger Airways Singapore Pte Ltd.

The School of Design & Environment and CPG Facilities Management signed an MOU in August to strengthen collaboration in areas such as Back-to-Industry attachment for NP staff, Smart Nation facilities management projects, student internships as well as joint training and research programmes, to name a few.

NP joined forces with Tsao Foundation, a pioneer in community-based primary healthcare that promotes and enables successful ageing, to deliver a new Specialist Diploma in Community Gerontology Nursing in 2017.

In February, NP partnered with GovTech, along with seven other institutes of higher learning, to develop deep technical capabilities in students to help build a smart nation. Through the partnership, students will get exposure through internships, attachments, final-year projects, and tech-related competitions in which they will work on technological solutions for problems faced by public agencies.

Since its inception in 2014, the NP RoboCoach has been making waves. In August this year, five newly built RoboCoaches were sent to five senior activity centres managed by three voluntary welfare organisations, thanks to support from Infocomm Media Development Authority and Ministry of Social and Family Development. The NP RoboCoach was also exhibited at several large-scale events, such as Engineering Discovery 2016 jointly organised by the five polytechnics, Singapore International Robo Expo 2016 and MOE’s ExCEL Fest.

NP’s School of Engineering showcased five healthcare-related technological innovations at the official opening of the first government-run nursing home, Pearl’s Hill Care Home. The innovations were piloted to test more efficient ways to deliver care and boost productivity. They included a fall prevention system that uses force sensitive sensors to detect motion, automatically alerting caregivers to go to the aid of elderly trying to get out of their beds; and a tracking system utilising Bluetooth Low-Energy transponder tags that allows caregivers to track any resident moving out of his designated activity area such as the boundary of the nursing home.

NP’s Environmental & Water Technology Centre of Innovation (EWTCOI) worked with industry partners to commercialise two of its successful pilot projects: a new electrospinning system, NF-Star™, for continuous production of flat sheet nanofibers, and an anti-solar, fireproof paint, now called X Cool, which keeps buildings cooler.

NP inked agreements with several SMEs to commercialise the innovations developed by staff and students:

• 

  Partnership with Hoo Huat Marine Pte Ltd to commercialise Marine & Offshore Technology Centre of Innovation’s automated machine for servicing old, used and rusted scaffold couplers, that can reduce servicing time by 50%;

• Licence to Microsteel Precision Pte Ltd to commercialise a modular wheelchair storage system developed by Mechanical Engineering Division; and

• License to GBS (Singapore) Pte Ltd to use, develop, manufacture and sell a toilet fall prevention sensing device created by Mechanical Engineering Division; we also licensed to them our background Intellectual Property on the Complete-Rest-in-Bed technology, developed by Electrical Engineering Division, that can detect elderly trying to get out of bed on their own and accordingly alert caregivers.

School of Design & Environment signed several Research Collaboration Agreements with the following organisations:

• 

  Nee Soon Town Council, to design a motorised tricycle to enhance cleaners’ productivity, safety and image;

• Home of Homes, to design Scandinavian-style furniture for the China market; and

• AEI Corporation, to develop a compact and portable e-scooter suitable for a fast-paced urban lifestyle.