| |
The inaugural National Research Foundation (Clean Energy) PhD Scholarships were given out by Dr Tony Tan, Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), at an award ceremony held at the Swissotel this afternoon.
Three outstanding students, selected from the first cohort of 36 applicants, will be doing solar energy research. Two of them will be heading to the University of New South Wales, Australia, and one will be going to the University of California, Berkeley. Both universities are global leaders in solar energy research. Each overseas scholarship is worth approximately S$500,000 each, and covers tuition fees, monthly stipends and annual return airfares.
This is part of the S$25 million programme for Clean Energy Scholarships launched by the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) last year. Managed by CEPO and funded by the NRF, the programme is meant to develop research leaders in the Clean Energy industry. CEPO is headed by the EDB, which has a team that dedicates its efforts to nurturing the Clean Energy eco-system in Singapore.
“With the Clean Energy Scholarships, we hope to groom future research leaders to power our Clean Energy industry forward. Singapore is on track to develop a robust Clean Energy ecosystem and in time to come, there will be exciting job opportunities that the scholars can look forward to upon graduation in Clean Energy companies or research organisations. More importantly, they will help Singapore in its global push to achieve sustainable development,” said Dr Tony Tan.
All of the scholars graduated from the local universities with first-class honours and have strong passion in clean energy research.
“Success builds on success. The more research talent we have, the faster we will grow and the more new talent we will attract. This PhD scholarship programme is critical for building up research leaders for Singapore in Clean Energy,” said Mr Lim Siong Guan, Chairman of EDB and Chairman of Clean Energy Exco.
This is the first cohort to be awarded the NRF (Clean Energy) Scholarships. Over the next five years, the scholarships aim to sponsor more than 100 students to take up post-graduate degrees relevant to the sector as part of the broader strategy to develop manpower for the Clean Energy industry.
Last year, the government announced that Clean Energy will be a key growth area for Singapore, and committed S$350 million to growing the industry. This includes the S$170 million allocated by NRF to build up R&D and manpower capabilities in the Clean Energy industry. CEPO targets the Clean Energy industry to contribute S$1.7 billion to the GDP and create 7,000 jobs by 2015.
The full text of Dr Tan’s speech can be found in Annex A while the profiles of the three scholarship award recipients can be found in Annex B.
NRF (CLEAN ENERGY) PHD SCHOLARSHIPS
The NRF (Clean Energy) PhD Scholarships aim to train the next generation of research and professional leaders in the Clean Energy industry. The overseas PhD scholarships will be available to Singaporeans only, while the local PhD scholarships are open to Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and foreigners. Besides having the opportunity to work in selected R&D areas in line with our Clean Energy technology roadmap, scholars will also work with professors who are renowned experts in these fields. Upon graduation, the scholars will have to work in R&D in the Clean Energy industry for four years in Singapore.
ABOUT CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAMME OFFICE
The Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) is Singapore’s key inter-agency workgroup responsible for planning and executing strategies to develop Singapore into a Global Clean Energy Hub where clean energy products and solutions are developed here for the global market.
Set up in April 2007, CEPO leverages upon the strengths of various government agencies - the Economic Development Board (EDB), Building & Construction Authority (BCA), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), Energy Market Authority (EMA), National Environment Agency (NEA), International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) for a comprehensive approach to develop the clean energy industry.
Through the various agencies, CEPO grows and nurtures local and foreign Clean Energy companies through comprehensive cluster development, targeted internationalisation efforts, fostering of world-class research and technology development, and long-term manpower planning.
For media queries, please contact:
Ms Tjan Hui Shi
DID: 65-6832-6216
Mobile: 65-9007-2162
Email: hui_shi_tjan@edb.gov.sg
|
|  |
|
