Now that they have returned from an information-gathering trip to Singapore, a group of administrators and faculty are more concretely analyzing a possible partnership in biomedical engineering with Nanyang Technological University and Singapore General Hospital. By January, they hope to finalize a proposal for the program, which would address education, research and industrial development.
During the trip, the delegation from Duke met with officials from NTU, SGH, various national institutes and Singapore's Economic Development Board to discuss the potential partnership, said Marianne Risley, assistant to the director of the Center for Emerging Cardiovascular Technologies and a point person for the interdisciplinary initiative.
"One of the distinguishing characteristics of biomedical engineering at Duke is the close interaction with the Medical Center.... Singapore General Hospital is creating that kind of relationship with NTU...," Risley said. "In Singapore, that kind of culture does not necessarily exist on its own."
Bruce Kuniholm, vice provost for international affairs and development, added that because of the magnitude of the Singapore initiative, there is still much work to be done-including a cost analysis-before Duke will be ready to finalize anything.
"We cannot invest in this kind of relationship in every single partnership because we don't have the resources. We need to be very careful about how we think about them...," he said. "We're in the process of doing our homework [for the Singapore project]."
Professor of Biomedical Engineering Olaf Von Ramm, director of the CECT, will coordinate Duke's efforts to draft the proposal, which members of the delegation hope will pass through administrative hoops by June. Von Ramm could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Academically, the partnership could allow for the creation of a study abroad program for engineers, as well as the invigoration of Duke's master's program and the creation of a Ph.D. program at NTU.
Also, Risley said, different cultures necessarily provide different research opportunities.
For example, while breast and prostate cancers are prevalent in the United States, mouth and sinus cancers are the most common types in Singapore, providing new research opportunities for Duke faculty and students.
Kuniholm pointed out that this project would fall in line with the country's recent efforts to connect with American universities.
While in Singapore, Kuniholm, Von Ramm and medical school dean Dr. Ed Holmes met with the chair of the country's EDB, an arm of government that controls much of Singapore's economy.
"Their interest is in supporting activities that will help the government in developing Singapore as a knowledge-based [economy]," Kuniholm said, noting that EDB Executive Chair Philip Yeo seemed enthusiastic about the potential partnership.
As of now, the industry aspect of the partnership is more vague than the education and research components, Risley said.
Once they are established, these connections with corporations could provide resources for research and spawn programs such as undergraduate internships abroad, she added.
Kuniholm, who is chair of the University's international affairs committee, said this initiative in Singapore is part of a larger focus on expanding Duke's programs abroad.
Earlier this year, for example, the Fuqua School of Business announced the opening of a campus in Frankfurt, Germany.
"We're in the process of thinking through what international initiatives we want to consolidate... and future initiatives we'd like to undertake....," he said. "We have yet to reach a conclusion, but there seems to be a consensus that these [strategic] partnerships make sense."
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