Top U.S. science, technology students to study entrepreneurship at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) April 20, 2009 – Jim West is among five of America’s best and brightest students in science, technology and engineering who will participate in a five-month program in Singapore to learn about the Asian market and create successful global businesses based on his innovative ideas.
The Kauffman-Singapore Scholars Program, created through a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will begin in May and offer a unique opportunity to study commercialization and entrepreneurship at the Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
“Through the Kauffman-Singapore Scholars Program, leading U.S. students in engineering, science and technology will obtain knowledge and skills that allow them to bridge the gap from laboratory innovation to global marketplace success,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “We are committed to providing innovators with the opportunities to commercialize their ideas and develop startup companies that have global growth potential.”
West is currently pursuing his master’s degree in biomedical product development at The University of Kansas. Of the 160 applicants from across the nation, the Kauffman-Singapore Scholars Program selected West for his extensive experience in mechanical engineering and software writing from his recent internships.
West will be joined by the following Kauffman-Singapore Scholars:
- Arash Sabet and Elise Devries of Washington University
- Daniel Fink of the University of Rochester
- Steven Skroch of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
The candidates must have earned within the past three years or are currently pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree in an engineering, technology or science-related field. Applicants’ academic interests and research experience needed to converge with business study. Most importantly, the scholars were required to have experience in bringing new innovations to the market that have resulted in starting or growing a business.
“At NTU, Kauffman-Singapore Scholars will take their innovative ideas from the laboratory through the commercialization process to start businesses with high-growth potential and appeal within the rapidly expanding Asian marketplace,” said Professor Tan Teng Kee, director of Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, NTU.
“We are really pleased to receive the Kauffman Foundation Scholars participating in our Entrepreneurship Programmes in Nanyang Technopreneurship Centre,” said Dr. Su Guaning, NTU president. “We, in turn, plan to send our scholars to Kauffman in the United States. Through such interaction, both our students and the U.S. students will appreciate the complexity and challenges of global markets in Asia and North America. This is but the first of our programmes with Kauffman. We shall be releasing more information on future collaborations in due course, as the first Kauffman campus programme in Asia.”
Following completion of NTU’s academic program, West will return to the Kauffman Foundation to continue his entrepreneurship education and share information with Foundation staff. NTU is the first Kauffman campus collaboration outside of the United States and is the premier science, technology and entrepreneurship university in Asia. NTU and its teaching and research staff rank among the world’s best science and engineering schools. Like the Kauffman Foundation, NTU’s philosophy is to nurture creative and entrepreneurial leaders through a broad education in diverse disciplines.
About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan
foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship
and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare.
Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman
Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility
of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise
awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find
alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge
and technologies. It also works to prepare students to be
innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workers in the 21st
century economy through initiatives designed to improve learning
in math, engineering, science and technology. Founded by late
entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the
Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo. and has approximately $2
billion in assets. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org
About Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a research-intensive
university ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. NTU
has four colleges comprising 12 schools in the field of
Engineering, Science, Business and Humanities. As Singapore’s
main science and technology university, NTU makes significant
contributions to the nation's renewed drive for research and
innovation. Impressed by the vibrant entrepreneurship
environment at NTU, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has
chosen NTU to be the first Kauffman campus collaboration outside
the United States. NTU has a strong and broad international
reach covering academic and research partnerships with top
institutions in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information,
visit www.ntu.edu.sg
