SINGAPORE – More than 2,000 polytechnic students are expected to benefit from a $4.8 million gift from Ngee Ann Kongsi to gain overseas experience in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The donation will be channelled into the Global Entrepreneurship Award (GEA), which supports polytechnic students taking part in overseas learning programmes.

The grant will be split equally among Nanyang, Republic, Singapore and Temasek polytechnics. They will each receive $1.2 million from June 2026 to May 2030.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic is not included, as it receives separate funding from Ngee Ann Kongsi for its student development programmes.

Republic Polytechnic principal and chief executive Jeanne Liew, speaking at a ceremony for the signing of the memorandum of understanding and the cheque presentation on Aug 22 at Ngee Ann City, said: “This timely generosity ensures that global opportunities remain accessible even to students from less privileged backgrounds who might otherwise be excluded.”

Combined with an earlier tranche in 2022, Ngee Ann Kongsi’s funding for the GEA, which was set up in 2022 by the philanthropic organisation, totals $9 million.

The GEA has benefited more than 1,500 polytechnic students.  

GEA recipient Nallathambi Kavya, 19, said: “As students, we want to go on these overseas trips, but many of us cannot afford sums like $1,000 to travel abroad.” 

She was in her first year at Republic Polytechnic pursuing a diploma in engineering design with business when she received the award in 2023 and went on a six-day trip to Bangkok.

Ms Kavya, who is now studying business analytics at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said the award covered 90 per cent of the expenses.

She added that the experience has shaped her entrepreneurship journey.

“I am a start-up owner now, and my first exposure to entrepreneurship and innovation was through the trip to Bangkok.”

Republic Polytechnic students Nallathambi Kavya and Matthew Kwek Geng Hao have benefited from the Global Entrepreneurship Award, which supports polytechnic students taking part in overseas learning programmes.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

While in Bangkok, she and other participants visited different industries and companies, from well-established industry leaders such as BMW to new start-ups. 

She said it taught her intangible lessons that cannot be learnt in a classroom, such as “the value of giving back to society”.

“As innovators and engineers, our products should be centred around the society, so that we can give back to them while also turning it into a business,” she added.

Ms Kavya was inspired to launch her own start-up, Grip, which sells delivery boxes that minimise food spillage for delivery riders.

Another GEA recipient, Mr Fittra Syaifullah Fairul Nizam, a third-year Temasek Polytechnic student of product experience and design, went on a week-long study trip to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in September 2023.

The 19-year-old said he enjoyed meeting other young people who were interested in entrepreneurship.

“Even though we are all from different countries, we are in it together, to learn and find out what the whole start-up space is like.” 

Mr Fittra Syaifullah Fairul Nizam, a third-year Temasek Poly student of product experience and design, went on a week-long study trip to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in September 2023.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Through interactions with his fellow travellers, Mr Fittra gained greater insight into the challenges of launching a start-up, particularly beyond Singapore, like the difficulty in creating product prototypes.

The trip inspired him to start Overhaul, an artificial intelligence (AI) product development lab that teaches students and start-ups how to use AI to build software and hardware products. 

Ngee Ann Kongsi president Chia Chor Meng said his organisation has always focused on helping Singaporeans from all walks of life advance their education.

Commenting on the GEA, he said: “We are proud to deepen our support for this meaningful award that has opened doors for many students to embark on overseas entrepreneurship internships and learning experiences.”

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