First Kauffman Campus outside the US is established in NTU
NTU's vibrant entrepreneurship eco-system gets an added boost with the establishment of the first Kauffman campus outside of the United States.
NTU faculty and students can look forward to campus-wide opportunities for entrepreneurship training, as the University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on 18 December 2008 to set up a campus at NTU. Central to the MOU is the development of a one-stop centre for entrepreneurship support on the NTU campus, providing a platform for student exchanges, educational programmes in entrepreneurship, as well as educational and research initiatives.
NTU was chosen as the Kauffman Campus for its exceptional entrepreneurship eco-system, which spans the entire venture creative value chain from entrepreneurship education, research and development, to management and commercialisation. One programme in place is the university's Master of Science in Technopreneurship and Innovation Programme. The one-year programme - the first of its kind outside of the United States - is modelled after the entire venture creation cycle, combining institutionalised learning with experiential learning, global immersion training and transformational experience.
Campus-wide innovation and entrepreneurship culture
Noting that entrepreneurship is one of the important factors in enhancing Singapore's global competitiveness, NTU President Dr Su Guaning said that entrepreneurship is also a key driver of economic and social development, especially in difficult times such as the current financial crisis.
"Having Asia's first Kauffman campus here in NTU enables us to leverage on Kauffman's expertise to enhance our campus-wide innovation and entrepreneurship culture. These will enhance the likelihood of economic payoffs from the nation's investments in high level research, and help produce prosperity for our people," added Dr Su.
"We are proud to join in this partnership with NTU, which provides some of the best entrepreneurship programming in the world," said Dr Carl Schramm, President and CEO of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. "Students engaged in educational programmes must think globally from day one. Working with NTU, we will develop and disseminate the global practices and lessons that are critical for the success of entrepreneurs today."
The Kauffman Foundation's Kauffman Campuses initiative aims to transform the way colleges and universities prepare students for success in the economy, by instilling the spirit and skills of entrepreneurial studies into college life. The initiative was first launched in December 2003, and has set up campuses in 14 American universities, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Georgetown University. To be appointed a Kauffman Campus, the university must pledge to make entrepreneurship education a campus-wide opportunity, enabling any faculty and student, regardless of field of study, to access entrepreneurship training.
