• SIT welcomes 3,800 SITizens from two academic clusters to its new Punggol Campus in the first phase of its move.
• The University enhances learning experiences and curriculum for Academic Year 2024, preparing students for the digital economy.
• Designed to foster community spirit and holistic student life, Punggol Campus features abundant spaces for engagement and interaction.  
• Outstanding SITizens pursuing STEM education to benefit from new full scholarships by Temasek from Academic Year 2025.

SIT Punggol Campus. (SIT Photo: Keng Photography)

The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) marked a new chapter today with a walk held at its new Punggol Campus. This event signalled the start of an exciting journey as the University welcomes the first of its students to its new campus for the Academic Year (AY) 2024 in September. Strategically located within JTC’s up-and-coming Punggol Digital District (PDD), the new campus is poised to be a dynamic hub of innovation and collaboration.

SIT marked a new chapter with a walk along the Campus Boulevard. (SIT Photo: Keng Photography)

One of the two campus plots, the ‘SIT Campus Court’, is now ready to welcome 3,800 students from two academic clusters—Business, Communication and Design; and Infocomm Technology. Located by the waterfront overlooking Coney Island, SIT Campus Court houses teaching facilities, learning spaces, laboratories, administration and communal spaces. The other plot of the campus, ‘SIT Campus Heart’, is targeted to be ready by the earlier part of 2025. 

SIT Campus Court entrance. (SIT Photo: Keng Photography)

Involving 1,500 students, staff, alumni and guests, the event featured key moments such as teams of staff and students making their way from each of the SIT@Poly campuses and Dover campus to arrive at the new campus, participants forming the letters ’S-I-T’ for a photo opportunity, handing over of mementoes, speeches and student performances. Guests at the event, including Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing and Senior Minister of State, Dr Janil Puthucheary, were subsequently given a tour of the campus facilities.

Participants gathered to form the ’S-I-T’ formation.  (SIT Photo: Keng Photography)

Professor Chua Kee Chaing, SIT President, said, "Our new Punggol Campus is a beacon of innovation and collaboration, designed to prepare our students for a dynamic digital economy. We are excited to welcome our first batch of SITizens to this vibrant community. The digitally enhanced learning spaces at Punggol Campus and advanced curriculum initiatives will enhance the SIT educational experience, equipping our students with the skills needed to thrive in the digital age.”

Tan Boon Khai, JTC Chief Executive, said, "We welcome the Singapore Institute of Technology to Punggol Digital District. As a leading university in high-tech and applied learning, SIT plays a crucial role in the holistic work-live-play-and-learn ecosystem of PDD, through the nurturing of industry partnerships, fostering entrepreneurship, facilitating knowledge exchange and skills development, and developing new talent for the district. We congratulate them on moving to their new ‘home’, a thriving hub for innovation and learning."

Campus as a Catalyst for the Digital Economy

Reflecting SIT's commitment to experiential learning, SIT’s Punggol Campus boasts innovative teaching and learning spaces. This integrated and porous design fosters a thriving ecosystem for students, academic staff and industry partners. SIT Campus Court comprises high-tech labs, interactive spaces and virtual infrastructure for digital learning. Key features include:

• 27 labs that enable hands-on Infocomm Technology learning in cybersecurity, software engineering and immersive media. The ICT server rooms feature InRow Cooling and Containment Solutions utilising the District Cooling system, and industry-standard Cisco network training equipment, allowing SIT to expose students to state-of-the-art server facilities.

• An Autonomous Vehicle lab equipped with high-tech hardware components (such as LIDAR, radar, AI camera and ultrasonic sensors), measuring equipment, high-performance computers and servers, simulation software, and machine learning development platforms to support research and laboratory teaching.
• Designated common walkways called ‘Digital Competency Corridors’ that are equipped with informative and interactive kiosks, such as a holographic AI concierge, programmable robots, etc, to allow students and visitors to explore new technologies and innovations. These corridors include physical and virtual spaces equipped with advanced technologies and resources to facilitate learning, innovation and collaboration.
• A virtual data platform (also known as a data lake) to aggregate and store data collected from various sensors and systems around the campus to support applied learning and research. Known as ‘Heterogeneous Info-Store for Teaching & Skilling (HITS)’, the system allows students and academic staff to access real-world data from the campus so that they can work on applied projects such as optimising energy usage, improving sustainability practices, or building new intelligent applications. Such a virtual data platform for students and academic staff—the first in an Autonomous University—enhances the campus as a dynamic and data-driven space where students, researchers and industry partners can work together to tackle real-world challenges.

SIT is also advancing its curricula to bolster students’ digital skills in addition to their core undergraduate studies. From September 2024, all SITizens, regardless of their fields of study, can embark on SIT's Digital Competency Roadmaps. These roadmaps offer structured learning resources in emerging and frontier technologies. For a start, students can choose to embark on six roadmaps, specifically in Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Low-Code Programming, XR (AR/VR/MR) and Blockchain. They can access learning materials designed by SIT and industry partners at their convenience through the University's learning portal. These roadmaps are designed to help learners understand and acquire essential digital skills in a scaffolded approach, preparing them to excel in the digital economy.

To further the access to higher education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Temasek will award up to 10 full Temasek scholarships to outstanding polytechnic graduates who will be pursuing STEM degrees at SIT for the academic year of 2025 and for the next two intakes. The scholarships are part of Temasek’s T-Spring gift, which commemorates its 50th anniversary. These scholarships seek to cultivate a strong talent pipeline by improving access to tertiary education, especially amongst those who may face financial challenges to do so. The scholarships’ initial focus on STEM talent seeks to bridge industry skill gaps and build a resilient and future-ready workforce in Singapore. 

Chairman of Temasek Holdings, Mr Lim Boon Heng, said “Our journey has always been about doing things today with tomorrow in mind. These scholarships aim to equip Singapore's workforce and organisations to be ready for a changing world and to create new opportunities. They offer students who may face financial constraints the chance to pursue studies in STEM fields, thereby fostering future-ready skills for a better and more inclusive world.”

Theme of the Walk: "Journey to Punggol: To A Campus We Can Call Home".  (SIT Photo: Keng Photography)

Campus for Community Building

Apart from teaching and learning spaces, SIT Campus Court also features the Kwek Leng Beng University Tower which houses the administration block, the Ho Bee Auditorium, a foodcourt, as well as sports facilities such as tennis courts, gyms, bouldering enclave, cue zone, martial arts, dance and music studios and multipurpose halls (MPH), which are designed to foster a vibrant student life. To further strengthen the SIT community, an alumni lounge cum co-working space is dedicated for SIT alumni to network and engage with one another and the rest of the SIT community. The Punggol Campus also features extensive green spaces for students, alumni and staff to unwind and socialise.

To initiate freshmen into the SIT community, SIT Campus Court hosted its first freshmen orientation, the ‘First-Year Experience’ (FYE). Freshmen engaged in various activities to foster the SIT spirit and integrate into university life, including a community service component, where SIT partnered with social service agencies Allkin and Hope Worldwide Singapore to run the "Happy Hearts Marketplace" on campus. SIT freshmen and FYE facilitators interacted with the elderly for a day of fun, care and community building, fostering a sense of social responsibility among participants.