Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Imperial College have signed the official agreement to jointly establish Singapore’s third medical school, an initiative previously announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in August.
The Imperial College London-Nanyang Technological University Medical School (ICNMS) will open in 2013, providing more opportunities for Singaporeans to study medicine locally. With a joint degree awarded by both institutions, the programme will be based on Imperial’s medical curriculum and standard of teaching. The medical degree is the first that Imperial will develop, deliver and award overseas.
Su Guaning, President of NTU, said, “This is a landmark agreement in Imperial and NTU’s histories. Starting up a new school is never easy, much less a medical school. That we can achieve this agreement within just two years shows the commitment both NTU and Imperial College have towards this project, and we have set our sights on making ICNMS a global healthcare role model.”
Present at the official signing ceremony at NTU were John Kerr, Chairman of the Court and Council of Imperial College London; Keith O’Nions, Rector of Imperial; Mary Ritter, Pro Rector (International); Edward Astle, Pro Rector (Enterprise), Stephen Smith, Principal of Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine and the Founding Dean of the new medical school; Martyn Partridge, Imperial’s Chair in Respiratory Medicine and Senior Vice-Dean of the new medical school, and Jenny Higham, Director of Education in Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine.
O’Nions said, “Imperial is delighted to be strengthening its links with Singapore and cementing our medical school partnership with NTU. Working hand in hand, we will help to meet Singapore’s future healthcare needs by creating the Imperial College-Nanyang Technological University Medical School, which will train doctors equipped for tomorrow’s challenges. We hope that the new medical school will be a source of great pride for all involved in its development, especially Imperial’s community of nearly 2,000 alumni based in Singapore.”
The new medical school will start out with a Pro-Tem Governing Board headed by Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of The Agency for Science, Technology and Research, to guide the establishment of the school, prior to the appointment of the Governing Board.
Stephen Smith, Founding Dean of the new medical school, said, “Imperial’s partnership with NTU, and with hospitals and other healthcare providers across Singapore, represents an exciting opportunity to innovate in the training of doctors. We aim to use modern methods, such as e-learning approaches, to ensure our students receive the highest quality of medical education with a scientific basis, and an appreciation of the value that new technology can add in supporting healthcare practice.”
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