Imperial, NTNU and Cambridge to partner $200M Nanyang energy research institute

Six of Europe’s top universities signed partnership agreements with the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang University, Singapore, to do joint research in clean energy, as the $200 million institute was officially opened last week.

The six universities are Cambridge, Imperial College London, the Technical University Munich, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Austrian Institute of Technology and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Alongside these academic collaborations, the Institute has also forged partnerships with European companies including Robert Bosch, Vestas, Rolls-Royce, and Det Norske Veritas.

Nanyang Technological University formed the Institute last year to spearhead research in this area. The brief is to advance research that improves the efficiency of current energy systems while working on alternative energy sources.

The seven-member international advisory board is chaired by Michael Grätzel, winner of the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize in Finland. Gratzel works on fuel cells and batteries, and also developed dye-sensitised solar cells or “Gratzel cells” which provide a more affordable way of harnessing solar energy.

The Energy Research Institute is funded by the Singapore Economic Development Board, the National Research Foundation, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and other agencies and industry. It currently has more than 60 researchers.

Under the collaborations, the Institute and the six partner universities will jointly conduct research and development in clean technology and environmental sustainability and develop skills for the clean energy industry. In particular, the research will focus on Energy Materials, Smart Grids, Solar Energy, Sustainable Buildings, Wind Energy, and Electric vehicles.

Commenting on the significance of these partnerships for Singapore, Beh Swan Gin, Economic Development Board Managing Director, said, “The establishment of the Institute will boost our efforts to develop the cleantech cluster as a key growth area for Singapore. It will harness existing strengths in electronics, mechanical engineering and materials, to develop new energy-related R&D capabilities. Through partnerships with companies and academic institutions, the Institute will serve as an important multiplier for clean energy research, innovation and commercialisation in Singapore.”

Singapore has identified cleantech as a strategic growth area for its economy. The government has committed nearly S$700m (€411 million) to build a clean technology ecosystem over five years as part of the nation’s plan to become a global research and development hub. By 2015, the cleantech industry is expected to contribute S$3.4 billion (€2 billion) to Singapore’s gross domestic product with up to 18,000 jobs.