[INTERVIEW] Singapore's NTU bets on global talent, agility to boost university competitiveness

NTU President Ho Teck Hua said the Singapore university is using agility and global hiring to stay competitive. He said NTU moved quickly to create a College of Computing and Data Science and is expanding AI learning across its undergraduate programs by 2030. He also said NTU is pushing research commercialization and startup creation to turn academic work into jobs and economic value.

Ho said NTU plans to embed AI-related learning in 40 percent of courses across all 52 undergraduate degree programs by 2030.

The College of Computing and Data Science was established after Ho took office in 2023, and the process took about six months.

NTU has supported a startup developing electric vehicle charging technology, which Ho said reached a valuation of roughly $300 million to $400 million within about two years.

Published Sep 8, 2026 7:00 am KST

Singapore institution moves quickly on AI while building pathways to turn research into jobs, startups

Nanyang Technological University President Ho Teck Hua poses infront of the university logo after an interview at Administration Building in Singapore, Aug. 13. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

This is the third in a series of interviews as The Korea Times speaks with leading university presidents across the globe to examine how institutions are redefining education, research and international collaboration in an era shaped by artificial intelligence, demographic shifts and geopolitical uncertainty. The series is supported by the Korea Press Foundation's Press Promotion Fund.

SINGAPORE — Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has risen rapidly among the world's leading universities despite its relatively short history, driven by its ability to respond quickly to change and aggressively compete for skilled workers.

NTU President Ho Teck Hua attributed the university's agility in part to its relatively short, 35-year history, saying its startup-like culture has enabled it to respond quickly to technological shifts, including the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

“We are like a startup — only 35 years old — we are very agile and we move fast,” Ho said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. "To be successful, we need to be agile and make things happen fast."

After taking office as president in 2023, Ho oversaw the establishment of the College of Computing and Data Science, with the process completed in about six months.

“At a typical university, particularly an older university, it can take forever,” he said, adding that comparable institutional changes can take years to materialize.

Ho said NTU’s agility stems partly from a collaborative culture that encourages the university community to embrace change together.

“You have to bring the whole community along,” he said. “It cannot be that the boss moves fast and nobody follows. When you move fast, everybody embraces the change.”

That approach is also shaping NTU’s response to AI, with Ho emphasizing its potential to enhance productivity rather than replace people.

Students walk through the Nanyang Business School building at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Aug. 13. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

NTU plans to embed AI-related learning in 40 percent of courses across all 52 undergraduate degree programs by 2030, moving beyond standalone AI classes to integrate the technology into students’ respective fields. Students will also work with AI agents on project-based assignments aimed at solving real-world problems.

Ho said the goal is to produce graduates who are both experts in their disciplines and “orchestrators of AI agents,” capable of managing AI tools alongside their own expertise.

“It’s not about replacing people. It’s about making them more productive,” he said.

Ho said preparing students for a workplace increasingly shaped by AI requires more than simply teaching them how to use the technology. The ability to work effectively with AI agents, he said, is becoming an important professional skill.

“The job market requires students or employees to deal with agents on a regular basis,” he said, stressing the need for universities to equip graduates for the shift.

An interior view of Nanyang Technological University’s Innovation Hub in Singapore, Aug. 13. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Competing aggressively for global experts

Alongside agility, attracting top global experts is another key pillar of NTU’s competitiveness. The university takes a proactive approach to recruiting leading academics and researchers from around the world.

"The only way we are as good as the people that we have," Ho said. "We are very hungry for top talent and we try very hard to get them."

Rather than waiting for candidates to apply, NTU actively seeks out promising researchers worldwide. Ho said university representatives have spent extended periods overseas meeting doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers and encouraging them to consider careers at NTU.

“Top talent has choices. They can go to many places,” Ho said. “If you are not proactive, they won’t come. We don’t just wait for applications — we solicit candidates.”

NTU has also sought to lower practical barriers for recruits, offering support that extends beyond research funding. Through its Nanyang assistant professorship scheme, promising young academics receive research funding, access to doctoral students and centralized facilities designed to help them begin their work quickly.

For highly sought-after candidates, the university is also prepared to tailor its support to individual circumstances. Ho cited cases in which NTU helped address housing commitments, children’s tuition and employment for spouses.

“We make exceptions because we really want to embrace our talent,” Ho said. “We don’t want these things to become barriers to coming here.”

The university’s efforts extend beyond recruitment to retaining employees, with young professors paired with mentors and given access to centralized research facilities and administrative support to help them establish their work quickly.

An exterior view of Nanyang Technological University’s Innovation Hub in Singapore, Aug. 13. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Turning research into real-world impact

Recruiting world-class researchers, however, is only part of the equation. NTU also places strong emphasis on building systematic pathways to translate their research into tangible economic and social impact.

“When we produce research, ultimately you want research translation — converting research into jobs and money,” Ho said.

Ho described research translation as a cycle in which investment in research generates ideas, intellectual property and publications that can ultimately be turned into new products, businesses, jobs and broader social benefits.

NTU has built several pathways to move research toward practical use, including corporate laboratories with major companies, licensing university-developed intellectual property to industry and supporting professors and doctoral graduates in turning their research into startups.

Nanyang Technological University official explains the facilities where students pitch startup ideas and network with companies at Nanyang Business School in Singapore, Aug. 13. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The university has also built a broader ecosystem to help move research from the laboratory to the marketplace, connecting researchers and startups with venture builders, venture capital firms and experienced mentors.

Beyond providing space for startups, NTU supports researchers through different stages of commercialization, including turning early-stage ideas into prototypes and bringing them before potential investors, with the aim of helping university-developed technologies grow into viable businesses.

Ho mentioned one NTU-linked company developing technology for electric vehicle charging as an example of that approach. The startup, he said, reached a valuation of roughly $300 million to $400 million within about two years.

Such commercialization, Ho said, reflects a broader role universities should play in translating research into practical solutions that create economic and social value, rather than allowing discoveries to remain within academia.

“It is no longer enough to simply produce graduates who go on to get better jobs and say we have done our job,” he said.

Ho said universities ultimately have two responsibilities: preparing graduates to thrive in a changing world and ensuring research delivers tangible benefits to society.

For NTU, that means continuing to adapt quickly while attracting the people who can drive that change.

“We move fast. We embrace talent,” he said.

南洋理工大学校长何德华表示，该校正通过灵活应变和全球招聘来保持竞争力。他指出，南大迅速成立了计算机与数据科学学院，并计划在2030年前将人工智能课程推广至所有本科课程。他还表示，南大正积极推动科研成果商业化和初创企业孵化，以将学术研究转化为就业机会和经济价值。

何教授表示，南洋理工大学计划到 2030 年，在所有 52 个本科专业课程中，将人工智能相关的学习内容融入到 40% 的课程中​​。

计算机与数据科学学院是在何鸿燊于 2023 年上任后成立的，整个过程大约用了六个月时间。

南洋理工大学支持了一家开发电动汽车充电技术的初创公司，何先生表示，该公司在短短两年内估值就达到了约 3 亿至 4 亿美元。

发布于2026年9月8日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

新加坡机构在人工智能领域快速发展，同时也在构建将研究成果转化为就业机会和初创企业的途径。

8月13日，南洋理工大学校长何德华在新加坡行政大楼接受采访后，在大学校徽前留影。照片由《韩国时报》沈铉哲拍摄。

这是《韩国时报》系列访谈的第三篇。该系列访谈旨在采访全球顶尖大学校长，探讨在人工智能、人口结构变化和地缘政治不确定性等因素影响下，各高校如何重新定义教育、科研和国际合作。本系列访谈由韩国新闻基金会新闻推广基金资助。

新加坡——尽管南洋理工大学（NTU）的历史相对较短，但它凭借快速应对变化和积极争夺技术工人的能力，迅速跻身世界一流大学之列。

南洋理工大学校长何德华将该校的敏捷性部分归功于其相对较短的35年历史，并表示其创业文化使其能够迅速应对技术变革，包括人工智能（AI）的快速崛起。

“我们就像一家创业公司——只有35年历史——我们非常灵活，行动迅速，”何先生在最近接受《韩国时报》采访时表示。“要想成功，我们需要灵活应变，快速行动。”

何先生于 2023 年就任校长后，主持成立了计算机与数据科学学院，整个过程大约用了六个月时间完成。

“在一般的大学，尤其是一所历史悠久的大学，这可能需要很长时间，”他说道，并补充说，类似的制度变革可能需要数年才能实现。

何教授表示，南洋理工大学的敏捷性部分源于一种协作文化，这种文化鼓励大学社区共同拥抱变革。

他说：“你必须让整个团队都参与进来。不能出现老板行动迅速而无人跟随的情况。当你行动迅速时，每个人都会接受改变。”

这种方法也影响着南洋理工大学对人工智能的应对，何教授强调人工智能的潜力在于提高生产力，而不是取代人。

8月13日，学生们走过位于新加坡南洋理工大学的南洋商学院大楼。（韩国时报 沈铉哲 摄）

南洋理工大学计划到2030年，在所有52个本科专业中，将人工智能相关课程融入40%的课程，不再局限于开设独立的人工智能课程，而是将这项技术整合到学生各自的专业领域中。学生还将与人工智能代理合作，完成旨在解决现实世界问题的项目作业。

何教授表示，目标是培养既是各自学科领域的专家，又是“人工智能代理的协调者”的毕业生，他们能够运用自身的专业知识来管理人工智能工具。

他说：“这不是要取代人，而是要提高他们的生产力。”

何先生表示，要让学生为人工智能日益塑造的职场做好准备，仅仅教他们如何使用这项技术是不够的。他说，与人工智能代理有效协作的能力正成为一项重要的职业技能。

“就业市场要求学生或员工定期与中介打交道，”他说道，并强调大学有必要让毕业生为这种转变做好准备。

8月13日，新加坡南洋理工大学创新中心内部景象。（韩国时报摄影师：沈铉哲）

积极争夺全球专家

除了敏捷性之外，吸引全球顶尖专家也是南洋理工大学竞争力的另一关键支柱。该大学积极主动地从世界各地招募一流的学者和研究人员。

“我们之所以能取得如此成就，完全取决于我们拥有的人才，”何先生说。“我们非常渴望顶尖人才，并且为此付出了巨大的努力。”

南洋理工大学并非被动等待候选人申请，而是积极在全球范围内寻找有潜力的研究人员。何教授表示，大学代表曾多次在海外进行长时间的交流，与博士生和博士后研究人员会面，鼓励他们考虑在南大发展职业生涯。

“顶尖人才有很多选择，他们可以去很多地方，”何先生说。“如果你不积极主动，他们就不会来。我们不只是等着别人来应聘——我们会主动寻找候选人。”

南洋理工大学也致力于降低招聘的实际门槛，提供的支持不仅限于科研经费。通过其南洋助理教授计划，有潜力的青年学者可以获得科研经费、指导博士生的机会以及集中化的教学设施，帮助他们快速开展工作。

对于备受追捧的候选人，南洋理工大学也准备根据个人情况量身定制支持方案。何教授列举了一些案例，南洋理工大学曾帮助学生解决住房问题、子女学费以及配偶就业等事宜。

“我们之所以破例，是因为我们真心想接纳我们的人才，”何先生说。“我们不希望这些事情成为他们来这里的障碍。”

该大学的努力不仅限于招聘，还包括留住员工。年轻教授会与导师结对，并获得集中式研究设施和行政支持，以帮助他们快速开展工作。

8月13日，新加坡南洋理工大学创新中心外观。韩国时报摄影师沈铉哲摄。

将研究成果转化为实际影响

然而，招募世界一流的研究人员只是成功的一部分。南洋理工大学也十分重视构建系统性的途径，将他们的研究成果转化为切实的经济和社会影响。

“当我们进行研究时，最终目标是将研究成果转化为就业机会和资金，”何说。

Ho 将研究成果转化描述为一个循环，在这个循环中，对研究的投资会产生想法、知识产权和出版物，这些最终可以转化为新产品、新企业、新工作和更广泛的社会效益。

南洋理工大学已建立多条途径将研究成果转化为实际应用，包括与大型企业合作建立企业实验室、向企业授权大学开发的知识产权，以及支持教授和博士毕业生将他们的研究成果转化为初创企业。

8月13日，南洋理工大学一位官员在新加坡南洋商学院介绍学生展示创业理念和与企业交流的设施。（韩国时报 沈铉哲摄）

该大学还构建了一个更广泛的生态系统，以帮助将研究成果从实验室推向市场，将研究人员和初创企业与风险投资机构、风险投资公司和经验丰富的导师联系起来。

除了为初创企业提供空间外，南洋理工大学还支持研究人员进行商业化的不同阶段，包括将早期想法转化为原型并将其展示给潜在投资者，旨在帮助大学开发的技术发展成为可行的企业。

何先生以一家与南洋理工大学有关联的公司为例，该公司正在开发电动汽车充电技术。他表示，这家初创公司在短短两年内估值就达到了约3亿至4亿美元。

何先生表示，这种商业化体现了大学在将研究成果转化为创造经济和社会价值的实用解决方案方面应发挥的更广泛作用，而不是让研究成果仅仅停留在学术界。

他说：“仅仅培养出能够找到更好工作的毕业生，然后说我们已经完成了我们的工作，这已经远远不够了。”

何先生表示，大学最终有两项责任：一是培养毕业生在不断变化的世界中取得成功，二是确保研究为社会带来切实的好处。

对于南洋理工大学而言，这意味着要不断快速适应变化，同时吸引能够推动变革的人才。

“我们行动迅速，我们重视人才，”他说。