18 February 2008

Partnering a global leader in aerospace

PARTNERS: Dr Jean Botti (left) and Prof Barry Halliwell (right) at the MOU signing ceremony.

GLOBAL leader in aerospace, defence and related services, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) has chosen NUS to be a partner in Research and Development. Prof Barry Halliwell, NUS Deputy President for Research and Technology said at the MOU signing ceremony (18 Feb) that the collaboration with EADS is an example of NUS endeavours to work with industry partners to help bring scientific breakthroughs to market. The agreement is a milestone for collaboration, he added.

"The agreement is expected to facilitate the setting up of joint research collaborations between the University and EADS, and this would have a positive impact on the future of the aerospace industry in Singapore and the world," said Prof Halliwell.

Dr Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer, EADS, said that 70 per cent of EADS' research is done outside Europe, and Singapore is an ideal partner in research. One of the joint research collaborations is the newly launched "Flow Control Project" jointly established by NUS and Airbus, one of EADS' global companies. Focusing on the fundamental study of flow control technologies for reducing drag around streamlined bodies, the project is headed by Prof Chew Yong Tian, a fluid mechanics expert with the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH: Delegates from EADS tour Fluid Mechanics Lab at Faculty of Engineering, NUS.

The agreement also saw the launch of the NUS-EADS Internship Programme which will sponsor selected undergraduates from the University to intern with one of EADS research centres in Europe. The Programme will add a new dimension to NUS' Aeronautical Engineering Specialisation programme. Established in 1989 the Progamme has produced graduates with strong mechanical engineering foundation to meet aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul needs of aircraft industries.

Referring to the EADS' collaboration with NUS and also Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Dr Ulrich Schnaut, Chief Operating Officer, EADS Singapore Research and Technology Centre, said that it is critical for EADS' first research centre outside Europe to forge partnerships with top universities in Asia. "They both (NUS and NTU) possess excellent capabilities that could be leveraged for the diverse needs of our business units and the signing of the agreements today would help speed up our internal processes for starting projects," said Dr Schnaut.