Universities must be open to receive best talent from all over the world

Universities here must always remain open to the best talent from all over the world, but at the same time, have a strong Singaporean core of academics. This was emphasised by Minister for Education Lawrence Wong at the virtual Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme (START) Award Ceremony recently. Mr Wong also gave examples of researchers and scientists across all universities who played important roles during the COVID-19 period, such as Prof Shirley Ho from NTU who is currently studying how media and assumptions of social norms affect Singaporeans' buying behaviours. START supports young Singaporeans who are interested in having an academic career at an autonomous university by providing scholarships and awards in collaboration with NTU, SMU, NUS and SUTD.