JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
Singapore, 18 May 2023
UFG, NUS and SIP sign MOU to champion Impact Leadership for start-ups and innovators
Singapore, 18 May 2023 ¾ Unicorns For Good (UFG), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Social Innovation Park (SIP), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to champion Impact Leadership for start-ups and innovators, harnessing the power of technology for greater good.
The post-Covid world ushers in a new era of rapid technology adoption, the Internet of Things, and an escalation of ‘AI in everything’. As a result, the world experiences social and economic changes at the speed of light, bringing about disruptions and uncertainties at both the personal and global level. Amidst technological advancement, we live in the era of geo-political tensions, widening income inequality, urban depressions, and climate change.
This tripartite MOU marks the beginning of a significant partnership that aims to harness the transformative power of technology for the betterment of society and the world. Through the partnership, UFG, NUS, and SIP will collaborate in the areas of Tech For Good and Mindful Leadership, working with stakeholders to mobilise technologies, global networks, and financial resources to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and catalyse the transition towards a regenerative economy or society, creating Net Positive Impact to people, planet, and prosperity.
Witnessed by Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Education and Manpower, the MOU was signed by Ms Penny Low, Founder and President of UFG and SIP, and former Member of Parliament; Professor Chen Tsuhan, Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise) of NUS; and Mr Khong Kwok Wai, Director of SIP. Senior leaders from the signing parties, Associate Professor Benjamin Tee, Associate Vice President (Enterprise), Office of the Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise), Mr Brian Koh, Director of Ecosystem - Business Development, NUS Enterprise, Mr Ricky Kok, Founder and CEO of Chang Cheng Group, Mr Pang Lim, Founder and CEO of Koufu, and Mr Lim Chin Boon, Founder and CEO of Clean Solutions, were also invited to observe the ceremony.
As a mark of the collaboration, UFG, NUS and SIP co-organised an inaugural forum on “Mindful Leadership in an Age of Disruptive AI”, where esteemed thought leaders from the Private, Public, and People sectors explored the role and need for mindful leadership in navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by disruptive AI technologies, and in harnessing the power of AI to create positive transformations for society and the world.
The members of the panel included:
- Ms Penny Low, Founder and Chair of UFG and SIP; and former Member of Parliament
- Professor Chen Tsuhan, Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise) of NUS; and Chief Scientist of AI Singapore
- Professor Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost (Educational Innovation) of NUS; and Senior Director (AI Governance) of AI Singapore
- Mr Frederick Chavalit Tsao, Chairman of IMC Pan Asia Alliance Group; and Founder of Octave
- Dr Songyee Yoon, Managing Partner of Chamaeleon Venture Capital
The panellists shared their views about the role and need for mindful leadership in navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by disruptive AI technologies, and how business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs can be stewards for the responsible application of AI and other technologies to create positive transformations for society and the world.
Ms Penny Low, Founder and Chair of UFG and SIP, and former Member of Parliament of Singapore, elaborated, "As more and more artificial intelligence enters our lives, more and more mindfulness quotient needs to be awakened, especially in leaders. Technology should be applied to make a regenerative humani-verse (humanity+universe) and not a degenerative world. The leading university, NUS, the Social Innovation Park and Unicorns for Good will join hands to leverage NUS' excellent academia capital, SIP's rich social innovation experience, and UFG's deep global network, to forge meaningful collaborations, in pursuit of an enterprising and mindful humani-verse. We invite all to reach out to us and join our Unicorns for Good Global Pledge to join this world-class global community and become a net plus to lives."
Professor Chen Tsuhan, Deputy President (Innovation and Enterprise) of NUS, said, “Through this partnership, we strive to bridge the gap between academia, industry, and society, creating a seamless transition from theory to practice, from lab to market. By co-creating new opportunities in the areas of experimentation, community-building, research, training, and mentorship with UFG and SIP, it opens avenues for entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer, and partnerships. It also empowers innovators to use technology as an enabler for positive social impact, making a difference in society with their innovations.”
To pave the way for Tech For Good, NUS also showcased these five start-ups that are championing Impact Leadership to create positive transformations for people and the planet: Aurora Food, EzCompostr, Go! Mama, I’m Friendly Co and Moonbeam.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Elisabetta Jiang
Co-Founder
Unicorns For Good
DID: +65 9005 5966
Email: elisajiang@socialinnovationpark.org
Joanne Ong
Manager, Marketing & Communications
NUS Enterprise
National University of Singapore
DID: +65 9247 3946
Email: joanne.ong@nus.edu.sg
About Unicorns For Good (UFG)
Unicorns For Good (UFG) is a global platform that aims to educate, empower and enhance a generation of impact leaders to scale the application of technology to create impact unicorns that generate exponential positive returns to People, Planet and Profit.
It has amassed a network of over 100 leading global institutions from the lab to market value chain, including leading universities, research institutes, tech-for-good companies, incubators & accelerators, MNCs, government agencies, investment funds, family offices and media, creating a global impact ecosystem. Through this network, UFG is forming a global world-class global community of tech-for-good leaders, technologists, policy makers & funders united to turn large global challenges into innovation and growth opportunities, accelerate deep-tech translation into scalable solutions to solve UN SDGs and create a more sustainable and regenerative world.
About National University of Singapore (NUS)
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 16 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established our NUS Overseas Colleges programme in more than 15 cities around the world.
Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.
For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.
About Social Innovation Park (SIP)
Social Innovation Park (SIP) is an internationally acclaimed platform that has pioneered the social innovation movement around the world. Through innovative initiatives, SIP has educated over 8 million people and cultivated more than 12,000 changemakers, along with more than 200 institutional partners globally. It has also awarded numerous outstanding global leaders in social innovation at their flagship Global Social Innovators Forum, including S.R. Nathan, the 6th President of Singapore; Rob Walton, ex-Walmart Chairman; Jet Li, famous actor and philanthropist, amongst many others. As mentioned, SIP is now incubating a Tech-for-Good Global Alliance, which aims to educate, empower and enhance a world-class global community of tech-for-good leaders, technologists, policy makers & funders, to accelerate the application of technology to solve UN SDG challenges, while expanding the impact technology's market value, scaling technology to create returns on People, Planet and Profit, and to create a new innovation paradigm for people to do good and do well. Our vision is to co-build a more sustainable, inclusive and mindful world, and I believe we all can play a role to contribute.