Singapore--The Singapore MRT has announced its plans to donate S$1.5 million (equivalent to U.S. $900,000) to support a professorship at the Nanyang Technological University.
The Singapore government will match each S$1 donated by the system with an additional S$3, raising the fund total to S$6 million.
This project is believed to be the first time a public transport provider is sponsoring a professorship at the Singapore university, a practice that also is not common elsewhere.
The new chair, to be called the SMRT Professorship in Transportation Studies, will enable NTU to bring in international leaders in the transport field to lecture and conduct public seminars, and to act as a consultant to the Singapore public transportation system. It will also mean closer research collaboration between SMRT and NTU in areas such as train design, maintenance, communication and control systems, and ridership forecasting.
Dr. Cham Tao Soon, NTU president, said Singapore is recognized as one of the world's leading transport hubs. He noted that the professorship will permit an infusion of fresh expertise and new ideas that will help to "advance the knowledge of the local professionals in transportation technologies."
Goh Kim Leong, SMRT chairman, added that the link with NTU would provide "a unique opportunity to pursue groundbreaking research and development." MRT staff will be able to take part in executive courses and public lectures organized by NTU to promote their career development.
The Singapore MRT is among the few metrorail systems that operate in the black. The 83-kilometer network carries about 700,000 passengers daily.
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