Supporting lifelong learning through new NTU-Cambridge research centre

Aiming to improve support for lifelong learning and cognitive agility, the University of Cambridge and the NTU have joined hands to open a new research centre focused on the area.

Cognitive flexibility refers to the capacity for responding to the fluctuating events of the modern world. It underlies adaptive coping to change, and the generation of innovative, creative thinking.

Doors to the new Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC) opened on 1 October 2020 in Singapore, which dedicate research efforts in four life stages - early years, adolescence, young adults, and middle age. These are periods when flexible behaviour is critical for coping with changing circumstances. It is also during these times that the brain undergoes neural changes such as early maturation, restructuring or resilience to decline, presenting important opportunities for intervention.

The research programme will be led by Zoe Kourtzi, Professor of Experimental Psychology in Cambridge's Department of Psychology. Involving researchers in psychology, neuroscience, linguistics and education, CLIC will explore cross-disciplinary ways to develop innovative research in the science of learning. The goal is to translate these research findings into an integrated model of learning that can be applied in the real world, improving cognitive flexibility across the life span.