The first, Namco Bandai Studios Singapore, will be Namco Bandai’s “leading development center” in Asia and will develop game content for the Asia Pacific region.
Being part of the rapidly-growing Asian region and of geopolitical importance, Singapore has recently defined digital content creation as the country’s strategically important industry and has been inviting relevant companies as well as educational organizations under the leadership of the Economic Development Board. Many of Namco Bandai Studios’ important partner companies which collaborate in developing content are based in the South East Asian region and it has become increasingly important as a content development center as well as the growing market.
Namco Bandai Studios Singapore Pte is positioned as the leading development center for Namco Bandai Studios in Asia, it further reinforces relationships with development partners in the region and develops content for customers in Asia Pacific. The new company will be based in Media Polis in the One North district.
This new research facility will study and develop key areas relating to future transportation, which includes advanced battery materials for electric vehicles, human-machine interfaces and mobility patterns and concepts. A key focus will see how research outcomes can benefit the Asian market based on the needs of the region.
Under the ambit of advanced battery materials and human-machine interfaces, the BMW Group-NTU collaboration aims to find solutions to key transport requirements in the most sustainable way possible, especially in the area of electric vehicles, where battery safety, efficiency and being environmentally-friendly is of utmost importance.
The study of mobility patterns and concepts will be focused on consumer behaviour in new mobility offerings for mega-cities, namely for multi-modal transportation and car sharing. One such area is the development of advanced routing algorithms so as to make the daily commute more comfortable.
Located at NTU’s Research Techno Plaza, the new joint lab will start off with five scientists and six PhD student researchers. It will be led by Dr Mirjam Storim, Coordinator of University Cooperations of BMW Group and Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, Director of the Energy Research Institute at NTU ERI@N.
More than 70 per cent of world’s population is expected to flock to global megacities by 2050, this scenario emphasises the importance of mobility research.
Projects by the joint lab will leverage the BMW Group’s expertise in automotive and mobility, as well as NTU’s research strengths, particularly that of ERI@N which carries out cutting-edge research in solar cells and other renewables, electric vehicles, energy and power systems and battery technology in collaboration with the industry.
Research Techno Plaza, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive
The Co, a new coworking and office workspace concept has just opened. Located in the heart of the central business district, The Co, a product of Arcc Holdings, is a stylishly designed ecosystem of affordable workspaces created to support the business community and start-ups in Singapore.
The Co’s central philosophy is to provide a space that brings much more to you; it is a place for collaboration, bringing like-minded professionals together to become part of a community. On top of leasing coworking desks and fully-equipped office suites, The Co regularly hosts networking events, workshops, and conferences that allow you to expand your networks. The Co also gives back to the community by opening up its spaces for non-profit events at no cost.
It was created to bring together people who share the same philosophy of collaboration and flexibility in an affordable space. They realise business needs are changing. Their workspaces should similarly evolve with the newer ways people work.
Embracing an open concept, you are free to change your workspace environment according to the type of task you are doing. The Co also offers you fully furnished workspaces equipped with state-of-the-art technology and business support on top of full access to three floors of breakout spaces.
With the high set up costs in Singapore for entrepreneurs, having a flexible range of workspace options, from coworking desks to fully furnished offices complete with business support, helps start-ups save significant time and money. Entrepreneurs who attempt to run their business venture from home or at a cafe may temporarily save on rental but can look less professional and feel less productive than those with a proper structure and community in place.
The Co appeals to start-ups as coworking spaces and flexible office suite arrangements give you access to more opportunities to grow your business. You will also benefit from added visibility amongst local and international investors.
The Co makes the process of getting a space simple and flexible with no hidden costs. You have the flexibility to rent a coworking desk by the day, 10 days a month, or monthly. Fees include WiFi, free flow coffee, pantry, shower facilities, lounge area, brainstorm room and free use of three floors of breakout spaces.
For members who need a private workspace, prices are fully inclusive of a fully furnished suite, internet and telephone services, utilities, security, front desk services, 24-hours access to the building and even cleaning and maintenance. The Co also offers a comprehensive range of business services on demand. From personalised receptionist service to a mailing address, The Co has it all included in a flat fee giving start-ups and entrepreneurs the full package at a steal.
The space has won several prestigious awards for its sleek interior including Gold at the Singapore Design Awards, IAI Best Enterprise Space Design, and Perspective Awards Excellence in Commercial Spaces.
Two new rail lines will be built and three existing lines extended to improve the coverage of the island's rail network.
The rail network will be doubled by 2030, from the current 178 km to about 360 km, placing 8 out of 10 households within a ten-minute walk of a train station. The improvements will support Singapore's long-term development and ensure the network will have more than the capacity needed to meet the expected increase in public transport ridership in the next two decades.
The Cross Island Line (CRL) will be a major MRT line running across "the span of Singapore".
Amgen, the world's largest bio-technology company, plans to build a manufacturing plant in Singapore.
The word Amgen is a portmanteau of the company's original name, Applied Molecular Genetics, which became the official name of the company in 1983.
The company strives to serve by transforming the promise of science and biotechnology into therapies that have the power to restore health or even save lives.
Their success depends on superior scientific innovation, integrity and continuous improvement in all aspects of their business through the application of the scientific method. They see the scientific method as a multi-step process that includes designing the right experiment, collecting and analyzing data and rational decision making.
The California-based firm will invest around S$245 million in the project, which will focus initially on the production of antibody-based drugs.
Construction, in the Tuas Bio-Medical Park area of Singapore, will begin in the next few months.
ITE College Central has welcomed some 10,400 students at ITE’s third and final Regional Campus under the “One ITE System, Three Colleges” Model of Education and Governance.
The new ITE College Central campus, co-located with ITE Headquarters, occupies a land area of 10.6 hectares, and is home to the College’s four schools; School of Business and Services, School of Design and Media, School of Electronics and Info-Comm Technology and School of Engineering.
A College of Creativity and Innovation, ITE College Central’s five existing satellite campuses located at Balestier, Bishan, MacPherson, Tampines and Yishun, have ceased operations and relocated to the new premises at 2 Ang Mo Kio Drive.
The new premises features a wide variety of learning and recreational facilities, including a sports & recreation hub, Centre for Music & the Arts, as well as publicly-accessible amenities such as food establishments and commercial outlets.
Two new Learning Hubs, eight new Residential Halls, a new Graduate Hall and two additions to the academic buildings in NTU are in the pipeline at NTU’s Yunnan Garden campus in the next three years.
The Master Plan will see the university’s biggest physical transformation since 1991. Based on these plans, all LKCMedicine undergraduates are guaranteed on-campus accommodation. By 2015, the residential halls will provide an additional 5,000 residential places.
The new residential halls are designed as an idyllic blend of eco-friendly residences, amidst lush greenery and tranquil waters, adding to the holistic educational experience for students. Ideas by students such as sports plazas, basketball courts and barbeque pits have been incorporated to enhance students’ residential living experience. The new halls will also include movable partitions for flexible configurations and easy access to power and Internet connection from outdoor areas such as gazebos.
The Master Plan also unveils a soon-to-be iconic building, the Learning Hub, conceived by renowned English designers Heatherwick Studio. The seven-storey centre will house 55 new-generation classrooms of the future, designed to support new pedagogies by promoting more interactive small group teaching and active learning. Envisaged as a 24-hour centre, it comes with a cafeteria, library and even a roof top garden for students to use in the evenings for various formal or informal activities such as group discussions and club activities.
Also in the pipeline is a new Academic Building near NTU’s School of Material Science and Engineering, and the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. About 2.5 times the size of a football field, the building will enhance both schools’ laboratory facilities and provide more room for multi-disciplinary collaboration by teams of students, faculty, visiting professors and researchers.
A new facility that will revolutionise the training and operations of newsrooms will open at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Jointly set up by NTU and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), Newsplex Asia at NTU will be an inter-disciplinary news laboratory to train journalists and news professionals to work with technologies of the future.
Newsplex Asia is the third of its kind in the world and the first in Asia. The $0.5 million centre, which spans over 160 square metres of space and features advanced facilities in a highly-connected learning environment, will let students and media professionals learn and develop, in a realistic and vibrant setting, integrated digital media and journalism skills.
Newsplex will draw on the expertise of faculty not just from the Wee Kim Wee School, but also other schools and disciplines in NTU, from communication, the humanities, design, engineering, science and medicine. The Newsplex will boost the government and industry’s aim to grow the quality and quantity of well-trained media professionals in Singapore. As media professionals from Singapore and surrounding countries will train in this facility that’s strategically located in the heart of Asia, it will have many positive spill-over effects for the rest of the region.
The 60-seat Newsplex Asia’s high-tech facilities include brand new Mac Pro workstations for print, online, tablet, radio and TV production, ten overhead screens for teaching and monitoring news channels, and a multi-purpose mini-studio for digital audio and video broadcasts and quick photography. All these are aimed at providing content on multiple channels to meet the needs of consumers who increasingly demand multimedia news and information in quickly accessible forms that match their increasingly fast-paced lifestyles.
Newsplex Asia will host professional training and workshops for the media industry in Singapore and around the Asia Pacific, focusing on media convergent journalism and the development and implementation of integrated newsroom strategies during NTU’s vacation breaks. The centre brings the various media platforms together in one convenient, collaborative space. Through carefully-considered planning and physical layout, it will allow journalists, editors, designers and developers to create and communicate in the most efficient ways possible in order to deliver content speedily and seamlessly.
Among Newsplex Asia’s first industry partners is Apple, which has made the Wee Kim Wee School its first tertiary-level education partner in Singapore with Apple Learning Environment status. Working with five faculty members at the School, Apple is supporting their journalism, mobile technology and publication design classes by lending 20 iPads, and providing advice and training on how to use the iPad as a news gathering and content creation tool.