The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was established on 1 July 1991. It is one of the two universities in Singapore.
NTU has its origin in the former Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) which was set up in 1981 with the primary function of providing facilities for tertiary education and research in various branches of engineering and technology.
It admitted its first batch of 582 engineering students in July 1982.
To meet the manpower needs of the nation, courses other than Engineering were offered over the years - in 1987, Accountancy; 1989, Business and Computer Technology; 1991, Materials Engineering, Arts with Diploma in Education, and Science with Diploma in Education.
On 1 July 1991, NTI was reconstituted and renamed the Nanyang Technological University empowered to award its own degrees.
NTU degrees are recognised by the relevant professional institutions both locally and internationally.
NTU aims at becoming a university with general academic excellence and niches of international eminence.
Its mission is to train leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs for Singapore and to advance research and development in both the academicand professional disciplines.
NSTB's mission is to develop Singapore into a centre of excellence in selected fields of science and technology so as to enhance our national competitiveness in the industrial and services sectors.
To achieve its mission, the National Science and Technology Board (NSTB) plans and implements programmes to support the growth of R&D in Singapore. Providing funding for R&D, establishing R&D centres, developing R&D manpower and upgrading the overall science and technology infrastructure, are part of NSTB's roles. It is through this focused and coordinated approach that the NSTB seeks to lay the groundwork to transform Singapore into a centre of excellence for industrial research and innovation.
Over the last 25 years, Singapore has been transformed from a busy trading outpost into a modern industrial nation. It now has
the second highest standard of living in Asia --- second only to Japan.