The Dyson-SUTD Innovation Studios, representing a S$1m commitment, are the largest ever donation to a Singapore education institution by the James Dyson Foundation – Dyson’s global charitable foundation. It forms part of the James Dyson Foundation’s S$3m charitable donation to support Singapore’s engineering education, and are the Foundation’s first ever spaces in Singapore engineered to inspire community interest in design engineering education.
Led by Dyson engineers, the studios will play host to activities such as the James Dyson Foundation Prototyping Workshop that provides secondary school students exposure to Design Thinking. In addition, the modular spaces will facilitate STEM educational activities for students in general education – such as the 3D printing challenge and the STEM workshop for scholars in the MOE Engineering and Tech Programme. Guest lectures, innovation forums and workshops related to Engineering Design Innovation, Intelligent Robotics, Smart Manufacturing and 3D Printing, and Machine Learning may also be held there.
Meanwhile, students from SUTD’s Engineering Product Development (EPD) and Information Systems Technology & Design (ISTD) pillars will have the opportunity to consult with Dyson engineer mentors in the studios, as they work in teams to develop and contribute solutions to the world’s most pressing problems in a multidisciplinary engineering environment.
The Dyson-SUTD Innovation Studios are expected to benefit over 13,000 students across tertiary and secondary school levels over the next five years.
Earlier this year, the James Dyson Foundation announced an investment of S$3m into supporting engineering and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in Singapore over the next five years. The investment is expected to benefit over 100,000 students aged 6 to 25 – from primary through to tertiary levels, and aims to nurture interest in engineering, and bolster national efforts in STEM learning among students in Singapore.
The investment supports a range of educational activities by the James Dyson Foundation, and collaborations with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Science Centre Singapore (SCS), and institutions such as the Singapore University of Technology & Design (SUTD) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
In May, the James Dyson Foundation officiated its collaboration with SUTD through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was also witnessed by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education, Singapore. The MoU is a demonstration of the Foundation’s and SUTD’s commitment to furthering mutual causes, and recognises the Singapore government's strong support for the partnership in promoting STEM education and nurturing future generations of engineers in Singapore.
About the James Dyson Foundation
Founded in 2002, the James Dyson Foundation supports design, technology and engineering educational work in the UK and internationally in America, Japan, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia. To date, the James Dyson Foundation has donated over S$235m to charitable causes globally. Each year, it also gives S$240,000 in prize money through the James Dyson Award, an international design competition for university students and recent graduates.
At the school level, the James Dyson Foundation offers robotics workshops, led by Dyson engineers, and provides free educational resources. These include its most recent launch, Engineering Solutions: Air Pollution: introducing young people to air pollution and engineering’s role in finding solutions.
The Foundation also supports medical research and the local community in Singapore where Dyson’s headquarters is based. In Singapore, the James Dyson Foundation supports the National Healthcare Group Fund’s “Save Limbs, Save Lives” campaign to support research in the prevention of diabetes complications.
About the Singapore University of Technology and Design
The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is one of the first universities in the world to incorporate the art and science of design and technology into a truly holistic interdisciplinary education and research experience that culminates in real-world design innovations. SUTD seeks to advance knowledge and nurture technically-grounded leaders and innovators to serve societal needs. SUTD also topped a list of emerging engineering schools in the world in a study commissioned by MIT.
A research-intensive university, SUTD is distinguished by its unique East and West academic programmes that incorporate design thinking, human-centred innovation and entrepreneurship, coupled with local and international industry collaborations. SUTD’s key focus areas are Healthcare, Cities, Aviation and Sustainability, with Artificial Intelligence/Data Science and Digital Manufacturing capabilities across all of them. Multiple post-graduate opportunities are available. Skill-based professional education and training courses are also available at SUTD Academy.
