International Partnerships

Through its partnerships, BMRC aims to promote interactions and collaborations with world-class research entities internationally as well as locally. These partnerships would encourage the scientific exchange of our researchers with fellow world-class scientists in the effort to promote and facilitate biomedical research in Singapore.

RIKEN, Japan

A*STAR and RIKEN, Japan’s foremost network of public research institutes, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in September 2005 to collaborate on biomedical science and biotechnology research through their various research institutes. The three potential areas identified for collaboration are cancer, infectious diseases and neuroscience.

RIKEN opened its first international liaison office at Biopolis on 24 April 2006. The first joint symposium was successfully held on 16 May 2007 in the areas of immunology and developmental biology.

National Office for Research and Technology, Hungary (NKTH)

A*STAR and NKTH have agreed to promote collaborative activities in the areas of science, engineering and biomedical research as well as to facilitate and support joint research and development projects. Collaborative activities can include organizing scientific workshops, staff and student exchange and visits, researcher training, research collaborations and co-operation in the commercialisation of intellectual property and technology transfer.

Karolinska Institute (KI) & National University of Singapore (NUS)

BMRC fosters research interactions and manpower exchange between the National University of Singapore and Karolinska Institute (KI), one of Europe's largest medical universities and Sweden's largest centre for medical training and research. The collaborative projects currently being funded include allergy, cell biology and dietary research.

University of Washington (UW) & Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

A research and development alliance between the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (BMERC) of Nanyang Technological University and the Department of Bioengineering from the University of Washington was sealed on the 13 May 2002.

Funded by BMRC, the R&D alliance focuses on "Distributed diagnosis and home healthcare systems", and "Tissue Engineering".

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

In October 2003, the BMRC sealed a partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a New York based philanthropic group. This partnership aims to provide joint funding of S$5.2 million over 3 years to support stem cell research in Singapore. For the latest information about JDRF grants, please see our grants section.

Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

BMRC will forge further ties between its research institutes and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through the SMA-2, starting in 2004. Research prgrammes that may be supported include: Bioinformatics, Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Genomics/Molecular Cell Biology.

Lugwig Institute of Cancer Research

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) to establish a branch for translational and clinical cancer research in Singapore. This Singapore LICR branch, which is in collaboration with three Singapore institutions, namely A*STAR, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine of the National University of Singapore (NUS-YLLSoM) and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS GMS), would be LICR's first branch in Asia. Find out more about LICR - the world's largest international non-profit cancer research institute.

Università degli Studi di Milano - Bicocca

A*STAR signed a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) in November 2007 with Italy's University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB) to build on the existing good ties between Singapore and Italy, and to create opportunities for exchange of scientific ideas and interactions through research collaborations and manpower training.
For a start, an attachment programme will be available where UNIMIB's graduate students may be hosted at A*STAR's research institutes for their PhD training. Find out more about UNIMIB.

Other Partnerships Relevant to BMS in Singapore

The Regional Emerging Disease (REDI) Centre was launched in May 2004 to detect monitor and respond to emerging diseases and bioterrorism threats in the Asia-Pacific region. It is a partnership between the US CDC, the NIH and Singapore's Ministry of Health.

In June 2003, the National University of Singapore (NUS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Duke University to set up a Graduate Medical School in Singapore.

The Swiss House was opened at the Genome building of Biopolis on the 6 July. It is Switzerland's first science and technology consulate in Asia and will pave the way for Swiss firms entering the region.

Local Partners

The Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) has partnerships with institutions and companies in both the private and public sectors. They have allowed BMRC to have the reach and access to resources and talents in the effort to promote biomedical research and development in Singapore.

Academic Institutes
Nanyang Technological University
National University of Singapore

Hospitals
Alexandra Hospital
Changi General Hospital
KK Women's and Children's Hospital
National University Hospital
Singapore General Hospital
Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Specialist Centers
Institute of Mental Health
National Cancer Centre
National Dental Centre
National Heart Centre
National Neuroscience Institute
National Skin Centre
Singapore National Eye Centre
The Cancer Institute
The Eye Institute
The Heart Institute