About ACT (Advanced Certificate in Technopreneurship)
This programme, which is brought to you by the Singapore Management University (SMU) in partnership with the Singapore-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), aims to develop a pool of entrepreneurial leaders and market savvy professionals who want to take up a leadership role in commercializing high potential deep technology projects.
Uniquely designed, integrating coursework with real-world deep technology projects; participants will acquire skills required to develop and implement a viable and sustainable business plan for commercialisation of these projects and succeed in a start-up environment.
Why ACT?
Singapore has been at the forefront of investing in Research and Innovation globally. Investment in the space has grown from $16 billion from the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2015 plan (RIE2015) to $19 billion for RIE2020. These investments are testaments to the strong research base built by the Universities, Research Institutions, various International Research and Development Collaborations as well as linkages between research institutions and industry. Many of these investments have resulted in technologies with market potential which can be spun out to create successful start-ups.
ACT now and be part of a growing pool of domain and industry professionals who are uniquely equipped to create start-ups from deep technology projects incubated at the research labs.
The ACT Advantage
Interact and learn from experienced faculty who have deep domain and commercialisation experience
Learn and work on real projects and co-create strategies for launching deep technology companies
Connect and network with technologists, industry experts and investors
Build your team, co-found and create your own deep technology start-up
Designed with you in mind
1. Curriculum
- Dynamic, interactive, practitioner-led curriculum focused on facilitating skills development and supporting career transitions
Module 1: Adaptive Innovation Framework
Use SMART's Adaptive Innovation Framework to navigate technologies from the lab to the market
Module 2: Assessing & Evaluating Market Opportunity & Risk
Pick the right market opportunity for your technology
Module 3: Executing for Success
Learn/Understand the What, When, Where & How of building a tech start-up
Practicum 1
Module 4: Leadership - Creating a culture for high performance team
Providing your team with the raison d'etre and getting them to excel
Module 5: Brand Storytelling
Selling your vision in a compelling and memorable fashion
Module 6: Pitching & Fund Raising
Raising funds to fuel your start-up
Practicum 2
2. Schedule
- Well-paced schedule to cater to busy professionals.
- Designed to help you manage your busy schedule, the programme covers 6 modules and 2 practicums spread over 6 months
- Classes are conducted once a month in the evenings between 7 pm - 10.15 pm on a Thursday and a Friday; and one Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm.
- 50 hours of meetings with technology team – with freedom to schedule around mutually agreed time slots
Networking Session : potential candidates and researchers
Christopher and Krishna
1-Jun / 7pm to 10.15pm
Classroom/SR: SMART CREATE L10
Adaptive Innovation Frameworks & Realising Technology Start-Ups
Dr Howard Califano & Krishna Kumar
7-Jun / 7pm to 10.15pm
8-Jun / 7pm to 10.15pm
9-Jun / 9am to 6pm
Assessing & Evaluating Potential Market Opportunities
Dr Frank Siegfried and Mr Koh Chaik Meng
5-Jul / 7pm to 10.15pm
6-Jul / 7pm to 10.15pm
7-Jul / 9am to 6pm
Practicum 1: Opportunity Validation
Krishna Kumar and Christopher Tan
28-Jul / 9am to 6pm
Lab to Market : Executing for Success
Dr Michel Birnbaum
2-Aug / 7pm to 10.15pm
3-Aug / 7pm to 10.15pm
4-Aug / 9am to 6pm
Leadership & Culture – Building High Performance Teams
Dr Philip Charles Zerrillo
6-Sep / 7pm to 10.15pm
7-Sep / 7pm to 10.15pm
8-Sep / 9am to 6pm
Effectively Communicating a Compelling Brand Story
Tentative AP Mark Chong and Mr Ashok Mirande
4-Oct / 7pm to 10.15pm
5-Oct / 7pm to 10.15pm
6-Oct / 9am to 6pm
Pitching and Fundraising
Mr Koh Chaik Meng
1-Nov / 7pm to 10.15pm
2-Nov / 7pm to 10.15pm
3-Nov / 9am to 6pm
Practicuum 2: Business Pitch and Plan
Krishna Kumar and Christopher Tan
24-Nov / 9am to 6pm
Graduation
12-Jan-19
SMU Patron's day
3. Generous Funding
Obtain generous support under Skillsfuture Singapore. With 90% funding support for Singapore Citizens 40 years and above; and 70% support for Singapore Citizens < 40 years old and Singaporean Permanent Residents.
4. SMU’s city campus
Classes will be conducted at SMU’s 4.5 hectares of state-of-the-art city campus, strategically located within the heart of Singapore’s thriving cosmopolitan cityscape.
About SMU
A premier university in Asia, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU’s mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and produce broad-based, creative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy.
SMU Academy is the professional training arm of Singapore Management University. With its pillars of Financial Services, Human Capital, Leadership & Management and Technology & Intelligent Systems, it leverages SMU's reputation and linkages to prepare our workforce with the competencies, capabilities and career resilience required for today’s rapidly changing world.
About SMART
SMART is MIT’s first research centre outside of Cambridge, MA and its largest international research endeavour. The SMART Innovations Centre identifies and nurtures a broad range of technologies (biotechnology, biomedical devices, IT, new materials, clean technology, nano technology, energy innovations, amongst others), by creating a fertile environment for faculty and student entrepreneurs to grow. The SMART Innovation grants have resulted in the creation of over 30 deep tech companies out of Singapore.