IoPPN held a 2-day workshop with the National University of Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) supported by King’s College London Global Engagement, NUS and A*Star, with the aim of discussing synergies in research and opportunities for staff mobility and training.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is one of the world’s top universities and a King’s College London key partner since 2016. The two institutions already have several agreements, particularly relating to student exchange and joint programmes at PhD level. Despite challenges caused by the pandemic, the partnership has continued to run successfully.
A*Star is a top agency that drives research that advances scientific discovery and technological innovation. It is also one of KCL’s key partners, and the two Institutions have a very successful joint PhD program, with students sharing their time between London and Singapore.
NUS and A*Star are already considered strategic partners for King’s, and the possibility of strengthening existing links and planning for future activities with these leading international institutions represents a unique opportunity for our University. While this workshop was focused on areas of mental health and neuroscience, particularly relevant to the IoPPN, we envisage that, given common interests in other areas of health and humanities, this could well be of interest to other faculties at King’s
Professor Paola Dazzan, Vice Dean for International Affairs at Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Over the two days, presenters from each partner discussed areas of common research interests, covering maternal and young people mental health, neuroimaging and biomarkers, built around both existing collaborations (established partly though the joint NUS-KCL and KCL-A*Star joint PhDs) as well as new opportunities.
The workshop concluded with a series of round-table discussions, with presentations of further actions in terms of data analysis, shared methodologies, funding applications and staff mobility.
This workshop was generously supported by King’s College London Global Engagement.
The Singapore delegation was led by Prof Michael Meaney, Programme Director of Translational Neuroscience at the A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP), joined by Profs Ai Peng Tan, Michelle Kee and Evelyn Law.
The King’s group was led by Professor Paola Dazzan, Vice Dean for International Affairs, and Professor Carmine Pariante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.
