Singapore National Research Foundation awards S$1.5m in scholarships for clean energy

National Research Foundation awards S$1.5m in scholarships to 3 students
Channel NewsAsia 19 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: For the first time, three students have been awarded scholarships to pursue their PhD studies in clean energy overseas.

In total, they received S$1.5 million from the National Research Foundation (NRF). Each will receive S$500,000.

They are Darryl Wang, a Nanyang Technological University graduate, Joel Li and Zheng Cheng, both from the National University of Singapore.

Two of the recipients will pursue their PhD in the University of New South Wales, Australia, while the third will head to the University of California, Berkeley, US.

The three, aged between 22 and 26, were selected from some 40 applicants.

They will spend about four years overseas to pursue their studies and when they return, they will serve a four-year bond in the clean energy industry.

The monetary award is part of the S$25 million programme for clean energy scholarships. The programme was launched last year by the Clean Energy Programme Office.

"In the long term, I hope to promote the solar industry in Singapore, to encourage people to adopt solar panels in their homes and roof tops so that one day we'll see a cleaner, greener Singapore...and to encourage students from secondary schools, JCs and universities to embark on research projects in SERIS, the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, to spark off their interest in this area and hopefully the solar industry in Singapore will grow," said 24-year-old Joel Li, who will pursue his PhD in solar energy at the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Joining him is 26-year-old Darryl Wang.

Darryl said: "It opens up a new chapter in my life. I'll be able to spend four years overseas and it'll be a new experience. Moreover, I'll be learning from some of the top professors in the world in the solar energy field. So it really means a lot to me. Without this scholarship, I wouldn't have the financial means to pursue my career path in solar energy research at the University of New South Wales."

Zheng Cheng, 22, will head to the University of California, Berkeley in the US.

The Chinese national, who received a prior scholarship for his graduate studies in Singapore, plans to make Singapore his permanent home.

He said: "I come to Singapore under MOE scholarship. With the scholarship, there are a lot of opportunities to develop myself and that's how you see me right now with first-class honours degree. I think in that sense, I'm indebted to Singapore, because you support me and without your support, I may not be what I am right now. Now, there's another scholarship supporting my further studies in the US, so I'm further indebted to this country."

Dr Tony Tan, chairman of National Research Foundation, said: "To be able to compete in the global market, Singapore has to differentiate itself by training an elite pool of talent who are well-versed in technology and innovation. This is one of the reasons why we decided to have the NRF Clean Energy PhD Scholarships programme. We know that for a robust clean energy ecosystem to be in place, manpower development is vital."

Over the next five years, the National Research Foundation hopes to sponsor more than 100 students to take up post-graduate degrees in the clean energy sector. This industry is a key growth engine for Singapore. It is expected to contribute over one billion Singapore dollars to the country's GDP and create 7,000 jobs by 2015. - CNA/ir

Three bright sparks in Singapore’s solar future
Neo Chai Chin, Today Online 20 Jun 08;

CHINA-BORN engineering graduate Zheng Cheng sees a bright future for Singapore’s solar energy industry, and for this reason, he sees his future in this country.

The 22-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident, who recently graduated with First Class Honours from the National University ofSingapore, will receive citizenship before heading to the University of California, Berkeley, next August to do his PhD in solarenergy research.

“I feel solar energy is the most promising area of clean energy, and I’m determined to go into it,” said Mr Zheng, one of three recipients of the inaugural National Research Foundation (Clean Energy) PhD scholarships handed out yesterday by foundation chairman Dr Tony Tan.

Mr Zheng, a Chengdu native, plans to do research on batteries and other components in the solar cell system, to make them more “compatible for large-scale use”.

Also receiving the awards worth $500,000 each, were Mr Darryl Wang Kee Soon and Mr Joel Li Bingrui. Both will be starting their PhDs at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney next month.

Mr Wang, 26, worked at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) after graduating from the Nanyang Technological University in 2006.

He decided to venture into solar research after the Clean Energy Programme Office (Cepo) was set up last year, and after Norway’s Renewable Energy Corp pledged to build the world’s largest integrated solar manufacturing plant in Singapore.

Mr Wang plans to focus onsecond-generation solar cell research, and has dreams of having his own start-up offering breakthrough technology in solar cell design when he returns.

The scholars will serve four-year bonds doing research in the clean energy companies or research institutes here after their studies.

Mr Li, 24, was inspired to do something about global warming after he did a year-long exchange at Canada’s University of British Columbia in 2006.

He took one module on renewable energy and felt motivated to learn more — being immersed in an environment where consumers sorted out their trash and where public-private sector tie-ups such as the Vancouver Fuel Cell Vehicle Programme took place, did not hurt either.

At the UNSW — an institution renowned for its solar cell research — Mr Li hopes to help developcommercially-viable solar celltechnology.

“My dream is to see solar panels on every roof top in 20 years’ time,” he said.

The three recipients were picked from a pool of 36 applicants, all of whom were interested in pursuing solar-related research, said the Economic Development Board, which heads the CEPO, launched last April to spearhead cleanenergy solutions.

A $25 million programme for clean energy scholarships was launched by Cepo last year. It hopes to award over 100 NRF (Clean Energy) PhD scholarships over the next five years, said Dr Tan at the ceremony.

Trio win study awards to do solar research
Each receives a $500k scholarship to study ways to tap sun's energy
Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 20 Jun 08;

THE Government has handed out three postgraduate scholarships worth $500,000 each in an effort to cultivate the next generation of experts in clean energy.

The awards, the first of their kind, will go to a trio of recent engineering graduates heading abroad to study ways of converting the sun's rays into power.

The scholarships come as Singapore aims to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Officials also want the country to become a regional centre for clean energy research.

The Government hopes to develop a renewable energy industry that will generate $1.7 billion of added value and create 7,000 new jobs by 2015.

The industry is likely to have a hard time filling positions. National Research Foundation chairman Tony Tan said that the sector was growing by 30 to 50 per cent annually.

He presented the scholarships to the recipients yesterday.

'To be able to compete in the global market, Singapore has to differentiate itself by training an elite pool of talent well versed in technology and innovation,' he said.

In all, $25 million has been set aside for 100 scholarships at the PhD and master's levels over five years to meet the country's need for leading researchers.

The three scholarship winners are among Singapore's brightest hopes in the field of clean energy, said Mr Kenneth Tan, a spokesman for the Clean Energy Programme Office (Cepo).

All the recipients were picked by Cepo.

The three of them had won top honours in their engineering classes and are expected to return by 2012 armed with doctorates in the field of solar cell research, he said.

Mr Zheng Cheng, from Chengdu, China, is the youngest scholarship winner at 22 and a mechanical engineering honours graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He leaves next year for the University of California in Berkeley.

'The best career I could possibly have is to one day be able to help formulate Singapore's policies related to clean energy issues,' said Mr Zheng, the only non-Singaporean among the winners.

The two other winners were Mr Darryl Wang, 26, and Mr Joel Li, 24, electrical and electronic engineering graduates from Nanyang Technological University and NUS respectively. They will head to the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and study with world-renowned names in solar cell research.

Mr Wang and Mr Li are keen to pioneer ways of making solar cells as efficient as possible and turning them into Singapore's preferred source of power.

Mr Li said: 'Eventually, I'd like to set up my own company to research more efficient solar cells, which can one day be manufactured and exported globally.'

The winners of scholarships to foreign universities must serve a four-year bond in research and development in Singapore's clean energy industry. If they do not do this, they will have to return the total value of the scholarship, with interest.

The clean-energy sector develops renewable sources of power. Such sources of energy include turbines driven by solar rays, wind or water.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SUMATHI V SELVARETNAM