Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Saturday, 28 August 2021. This MOU marks the start of a close working partnership between CYS and SUTD to co-create opportunities for all youths in tech in Singapore.
This unique, first-of-its-kind collaboration between a local Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) and a non-profit youth organisation aims to bring the people and academic sectors together to develop and nurture Singapore’s future tech talents. The MOU will be signed by the CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy, Mr Alwis Lim, and the SUTD Provost, Professor Phoon Kok Kwang. The signing will be witnessed by CYS’ President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Chua, and SUTD’s President, Professor Chong Tow Chong. The ceremony will be graced by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health.
The MOU will facilitate the creation of attachment programmes for youths of any age group1 and background in Singapore to be attached to university faculty to work on selected research projects. This special arrangement will significantly augment the opportunities available to youths passionate about technology in Singapore. The free-of-charge attachment programme will allow interested and passionate youths to exercise their digital creativity, to create solutions and realise ideas, under the supervision of SUTD faculty.
The MOU will also enable automatic enrolment of all current and future SUTD Computer Science and Design students as members of CYS’ Cyber Youth Collective when the official2 membership system launches next year.
This partnership with SUTD signifies CYS’ aim to build relationships with all local IHLs. As organisations deeply rooted in technology and the development of future tech talents, the fundamental objectives of both CYS and SUTD are aligned.
Mr Alwis Lim, CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy said: “We believe that this first-of-its-kind community-academia partnership will expose our members to industry experiences in Singapore’s tech landscape while leveraging on SUTD’s unique learning pedagogy and their rich pool of expert resources. With the different opportunities cultivated from this partnership, we are confident that our youths are able to seize them and support their personal growth in their skill and career development. This MOU marks an important first step that will open the door for CYS to establish more partnerships with other IHLs, which in turn opens more opportunities for our youth.”
Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, SUTD Provost, added: “SUTD is proud to be the first Singapore university to partner with CYS to nurture the next generation of information technology professionals and cyber defenders. Leveraging SUTD’s interdisciplinary education and expertise in advanced technology and research in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, critical infrastructure protection and more, we aim to stimulate the interest of young talents to explore the use of technology and design to create human-centric solutions.”
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health, who will be the guest of honour for the signing ceremony has this to say, “As Singapore progresses into a smart nation, we will require more tech talents who will help us build a resilient and vibrant digital economy, and a world-class city that gives our citizens the best home possible. The MOU between SUTD and CYS today is a clear demonstration of how our Institute of Higher Learning and community can collaborate to deepen the skills of our youths in the area of technology. Indeed, our youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. I am looking forward to more of such partnerships, where our youths can receive good support to deepen their skills and knowledge and realise their aspirations in the digital economy.”
The MOU signing was also attended and witnessed by close partners of both CYS and SUTD. They include the student club leaders from all five polytechnics in Singapore, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Ensign InfoSecurity and the Ministry of Defence / Singapore Armed Forces C4 Command.
This partnership between CYS and SUTD will further amplify shared efforts to champion new ideas and opportunities in the technology scene with the common aim to develop the next generation of tech talents.
Please refer to the attached factsheets for more information on the terms of collaboration between CYS and SUTD and other additional information.
1 Participants will be screened to ensure that they have a minimal level of technical knowledge.
2 The Cyber Youth Collective is the brand name for CYS’ membership pool.
