LKYSPP deepens collaboration with Swedish universities in public policy and executive education

The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) signed two Memoranda of Understanding in Stockholm on 20 October 2026 with the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) — both leading universities in the Nordic region. 

Marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Sweden, the collaborations come at a strategically significant moment amid a changing global order. The agreements were signed by Dean of LKYSPP Professor Joseph Liow and the respective Presidents of the two institutions, during the President of the Republic of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s State Visit to Sweden. 

Speaking at SSE during the State Visit, President Tharman highlighted the importance of countries such as Singapore and Sweden serving as bridge-builders, bringing regions together and advancing international cooperation amid growing geopolitical divisions. 
 

Prof Liow added: “The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy has long believed that public policy education is enriched when it draws on a diversity of governance traditions and experiences. Singapore and Sweden are different in many respects, but both are open economies that have had to navigate a world shaped by larger powers, while maintaining our own agency and a strong commitment to international cooperation.”

Shared ambitions, complementary strengths

While NUS has maintained active student exchange programmes with SSE and KTH, the two agreements bring together LKYSPP’s expertise in public policy and governance across Asia with the distinct strengths of each Swedish institution.

The collaboration with SSE leverages a shared commitment to rigorous, applied scholarship in economics, finance and business. To address shared policy challenges, the two schools will explore closer cooperation across areas of mutual interest, including a recurring forum convening academic experts, public officials, industry leaders and civil society representatives from ASEAN and the Nordics.

On the other hand, the agreement with KTH reflects the growing need to equip officials with an understanding of how technology, innovation and industrial strategy intersect with public policy. The two institutions are developing a one-week overseas study visit to Stockholm as part of LKYSPP’s Senior Management Programme and exploring capability development programmes for public sector leaders.

A strategic collaboration

The new agreements build on years of bilateral engagements on both the state and institutional levels across trade, investment, transport, health, education and aviation, broadening them to include public policy and executive education.

Prof Liow noted: “There is much we can learn from each other, and we look forward to building lasting academic partnerships with SSE and KTH that benefit our students, our faculty and the broader public policy community.”

The value of academic partnership extends well beyond the campus. For Singapore, access to international expertise in frontier fields such as quantum technology, clean energy and healthcare can help inform policy development and strengthen innovation ecosystems. In clean energy, for example, the partnership could support efforts to realise the ASEAN power grid, bringing the potential benefits to Southeast Asia.

“That’s where I see the particular strategic angle of this partnership,” said LKYSPP Vice Dean (Executive Education) and Associate Professor in Practice Francesco Mancini.

“Not just economic ties on a year-to-year basis, but also something more of a long-term objective, especially in frontier technologies.”