CDE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National University Hospital (NUH) as part of the official opening of the NUH Innovation Hub — a collaborative space designed to accelerate healthcare transformation through partnerships and AI-driven solutions that respond to the pressures of an ageing population, a shrinking workforce and rising healthcare costs.
Through the partnership, CDE will work with the NUH Innovation Hub to support its role as a real-world platform where engineering and medical expertise come together to develop and validate practical solutions for patient care and hospital operations.
A partnership designed for real-world impact
Under the MOU, NUH and CDE will collaborate on capability development — building pathways for hands-on learning, interdisciplinary teamwork and applied innovation. By pairing NUH’s clinical insights with CDE’s engineering expertise, the partnership is expected to:
Accelerate translation from research to deployment by enabling solutions to be tested and refined in real hospital settings.
Strengthen innovation capabilities on both sides through a two-way exchange of expertise, from frontline clinical workflows to engineering problem-solving and prototyping.
Develop future-ready talent via structured programmes and experiential learning, preparing students and staff to work across healthcare, engineering and AI-enabled environments.
The NUH Innovation Hub: a shared springboard for healthcare transformation
Officiated by Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Minister of State for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the NUH Innovation Hub is positioned to serve as a springboard for emerging smart solutions — including serving as a validation site for MedTech and AI innovations developed with startups and research partners.
With the NUH–CDE MOU, the Hub becomes an even stronger “living laboratory” for co-creation: a place where engineering-led innovation can be shaped directly by clinical realities, and where healthcare challenges can be tackled with rigorous design, systems thinking and responsible AI adoption.
“The NUH Innovation Hub is anchored on what is best for the patient,” says Professor Aymeric Lim, Chief Executive Officer, NUH. “An ageing population, growing care complexity, and a workforce stretched by demand. These are not challenges we can simply work harder to solve. We must work smarter and ask better questions about how we can do better for those under our care. The Hub brings together our people and our partners to translate the bold ideas that startups and researchers bring to our doorstep.”
Associate Professor Martin Buist (Deputy Dean, Education) said, “CDE’s strength is in translating ideas into solutions that work in the real world. Through this MOU with NUH, we are creating a strong pathway for our engineers and designers to work alongside clinicians—identifying needs, developing solutions, and validating our innovations in a live hospital environment. This partnership will not only accelerate the deployment of impactful MedTech and digital health solutions but will also develop future-ready talent with the interdisciplinary skills needed to improve patient care.”
