"Internationalisation should enlarge and enrich global education opportunities and allow us to develop strategic partnerships with universities and organisations to forge research collaborations that better enable us to address issues of the day and inform the future."
- Professor Lily Kong, SMU President
Strategic Partners with Purpose
University of Toronto
SMU and UofT work together to advance interdisciplinary and impact-focused collaborations in sustainability. Joint efforts include two successful research joint grants—with another third scheduled this year—supporting research advancing green longevity societies and resilient workforces. Both universities also share a close partnership in the Reach Alliance for advancing the SDGs for marginalised communities around the world.
Chulalongkorn University
Building on a longstanding partnership, SMU and Chula’s strategic partnership focuses on leading the growth of digital transformation, sustainable living, and innovation and entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia. It has catalysed numerous research and academic joint projects, as well as multilateral impact within the ASEAN University Network, where both universities co-chair the Universities Innovation and Enterprise thematic network.
Australian National University
Harnessing shared objectives and complementary strengths, SMU and ANU are delivering impact in the digital transformation of society, establishing sustainable and liveable societies, and the growth of the Asia-Pacific. Major initiatives include the inaugural ANU-SMU joint research grant, which is supporting two collaborative projects developing legal and regulatory lenses to address policy dilemmas confronting governments and industry.
Zhejiang University
SMU and ZJU are committed to a strategic partnership anchored by impactful collaborations focused on sustainable living, digital transformation, innovation and entrepreneurship, and the growth of Asia. Ongoing initiatives include joint research in accounting, software engineering and cybersecurity, as well as joint programmes like the SMU-ZJU Doctor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance.
Fudan University
Building on 18 years of close collaboration, SMU and Fudan are tackling societal challenges as strategic partners, focusing on solutions in AI governance, computational social science, urban sustainability and successful ageing, as well as Asia’s first joint Doctor of Business Administration in Technology. These efforts will be enhanced by the launch of the SMU-Fudan Joint Seed Fund this year.
London School of Economics and Political Science
An institution-wide partnership between SMU and LSE drives efforts by the two specialist universities in the fields of urban sustainability, AI and the future of work and ageing. The first major initiatives include a joint strategic research seed fund and collaboration in innovation and entrepreneurship. SMU and LSE are also founding members of the Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies.
Enhancing Global Education and Research
Stepped up engagements in India
SMU and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) have embarked on a five-year collaboration to jointly develop and deliver professional and continuing education in FinTech to upskill workforces in India. Leveraging their expertise in financial innovation and digital transformation, both institutions plan to develop a joint course in FinTech Innovation and Strategy. IIMA’s Brij Desa Centre for Data Science and AI also worked with the SMU Centre for Digital Law on a joint research proposal on navigating a multipolar digital world order.
Advancing Education and Research Exchanges between Singapore and Vietnam
SMU and Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City have enhanced their partnership to advance student and faculty mobility, impactful joint research, and leadership development. This builds on previous collaborations in regional student mobility and joint university governance training programmes.
Working with Mitacs to Enlarge Research Pathways between Singapore and Canada
As Mitacs’s first partner in Singapore, SMU is tapping into the Canadian national research and innovation organisation’s suite of programmes to deepen research linkages with our Canadian partner universities. Through the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship programme, SMU undergraduates will work alongside leading researchers at top Canadian partner universities, including the University of Toronto, to gain globally competitive research experience.
Global Network of Partner Universities
Together with 299 university partners, SMU fosters educational excellence, research innovation, and positive impact for communities around the world.
Gateway between Asia and the World
SMU is spearheading cross-regional collaborations between the ASEAN Universities Network’s Technology Enhanced Personalised Learning (TEPL) thematic network and Peking University’s (PKU) Digital Intelligence International Development Education Alliance (DI-IDEA). Mooted by SMU President Lily Kong when she met PKU Council Chair He Guangcai in November 2025, this idea has led to both sides exploring collaborations and contributing to symposia, including DI-IDEA’s King’s-LSE-PKU Joint Conference and the 6th AUN-TEPL Symposium.
Experts from SMU, Princeton University and the Australian National University (ANU) joined 250 participants at the 5th Annual Symposium on Successful Ageing organised by SMU’s Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA). Responding to SMU Provost Alan Chan’s call for collaborative research to design environments and social systems that empower older adults, Princeton Professor of Sociology James Raymo, ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health Associate Director Nicolas Cherbuin and SMU ROSA director Paulin Straughan shared insights on advancing solutions for super-aged societies worldwide.
SMU welcomed some 150 academic leaders, industry experts and student researchers to the Reach Alliance’s first Asia conference, co-organised with the University of Toronto and involving other Alliance partners UCL, the University of Melbourne, the University of Cape Town, Oxford University, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Ashesi University and Howard University. Marking Reach’s 10th anniversary, the conference launched 17 interdisciplinary research workstreams, a cross-university project and seeded ideas for a global research repository to help tackle challenges for the world’s hardest to reach populations.
