To meet demand for sustainable energy efficient processes for chemical and material production, Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) executed a master research agreement (MRA) with National University of Singapore (NUS) on July 7 2015. The MRA will enhance research and collaboration in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering and material science, and facilitate technical exchange between SABIC and NUS. Under the agreement, joint research efforts will focus on advanced chemical process development for energy efficiency, development of solutions for advanced sustainable materials and process equipment design. The aim of these efforts is to identify specific projects that will help develop solutions to meet the increased demand for lighter, cleaner and more efficient sustainable solutions as a result of heightened consumer awareness and the strain on natural resources brought on by rapid urbanisation.
The benefits of the MRA are two pronged: NUS’s research efforts in these areas will be strengthened by leveraging on SABIC’s support in terms of its global presence, market understanding, operational and technological expertise, while SABIC’s scientists can leverage NUS’s technical expertise and multidisciplinary capabilities as a leading research-intensive university in Asia.
The MRA marks SABIC’s first research partnership of this nature in southeast Asia and NUS joins other top-ranked institutes around the world who are collaboratively researching with SABIC including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, the Chinese Academy of Science, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft German applied research organisation.
The signing ceremony was presided over by Janardhanan Ramanujalu (vice president, SABIC, South Asia & ANZ) and Professor Barry Halliwell (senior adviser to NUS president and Tan Chin Tuan centennial professor of biochemistry, who was also deputy president for research and technology prior to his current role). It was witnessed by Sean Patrick Flanigan (director, Industry Liaison Office, NUS Enterprise) and Atieh Abu-Raqabah (general manager, corporate sustainability, SABIC).
Commenting on the signing, Ramanujalu said: “Singapore’s efforts to foster innovation and to be an incubator for world-leading innovation as well as R&D dovetail with our plans. SABIC sees the many challenges of tomorrow as opportunities to apply ingenuity and creativity within our business. Together with NUS, we aim to deliver innovation that will benefit the nation.”
SABIC was founded in 1976 by Saudi Arabian royal decree to convert oil by-products into useful chemicals, polymers and fertilizers and has since diversified into chemical intermediates, innovative plastics, industrial polymers and metals. SABIC is committed to partner with leading academic and research institutions to address key global challenges with population growth and its resultant demands on energy. This MRA with NUS is evidence of this commitment.