Singapore Management University (SMU) has been recognised with the Outstanding Industry–Academia Collaboration Award (Higher Education), highlighting the University’s long-standing commitment to experiential learning and meaningful engagement with industry and community partners.
The accolade was announced earlier this month at EDUtech Asia 2025, a landmark regional gathering celebrating its 10th year as one of Asia’s leading education innovation platforms. The award honours higher education institutions that have forged innovative, scalable and forward-looking partnerships with industry to develop groundbreaking programmes or research partnerships, and SMU-X has once again been acknowledged as a model for transforming learning with real-world impact.
SMU-X, one of SMU’s signature pedagogical innovations, has, over the years, established itself as a trusted platform for co-creation, problem-solving, and applied learning. Designed to bring together students, faculty and collaborators from the public, private and non-profit sectors, SMU-X enables teams to address real challenges faced by organisations, and develop insights, solutions and recommendations that carry real-world relevance and deliver tangible impact.
Since its introduction in 2015, SMU-X has distinguished itself through its immersive, project-based model. This approach not only equips students with hands-on experience but also deepens their perspectives on societal needs, industry dynamics, and interdisciplinary problem-solving.
In thanking its partners, Associate Professor Yuanto Kusnadi, Academic Director (SMU-X), said, “The success of SMU-X is the result of sustained commitment across the wider SMU community and our collaborators: faculty members who design meaningful, real-world project experiences; organisations who open their doors to student-led innovation; and students who bring fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to their work. Our collective efforts ensure that SMU-X remains a dynamic space where ideas are applied, knowledge is deepened, and value is created alongside stakeholders.”
Kevin Koh, Head, SMU-X, added, “We thank all colleagues and partners who have contributed to shaping SMU-X into what it is today. This award not only acknowledges past achievements but also encourages us to continue co-creating societal impact through education, partnership and purposeful innovation.”
From a pilot of 58 students in two courses in 2015, SMU-X has grown to 46,418 enrolments in 182 courses a decade later. SMU-X has facilitated over 7,100 projects with more than 1,200 partners. In the Academic Year 2024-2025, 90 SMU-X modules are being offered, with about 5,000 students partnering with organisations across all sectors, in Singapore and overseas.
Earlier this year, SMU-X also won the Teaching & Learning Strategy of the Year award at the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2025.
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