UM-NUS celebrate longstanding friendship with Royal Banquet, 54th Golf Tournament and Precision Health Symposium in Malaysia
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Universiti Malaya (UM) will celebrate more than six decades of collaboration with a series of commemorative events in Perak, Malaysia, later this month. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore and Chancellor of NUS, accompanied by an NUS delegation, will travel to Ipoh on 25 August 2025 for a working visit. President Tharman will be accompanied by his spouse, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam.
The NUS delegation will include Chairman of the NUS Board of Trustees Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS Chief Alumni Officer Ms Ovidia Lim-Rajaram, NUS Golf Captain Ms Angelia Tay, academics, golfers and staff.
NUS marks its 120th anniversary in 2025, a legacy that began in 1905 with the establishment of the Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, which later became Universiti Malaya. In 1962, UM’s Singapore campus was reconstituted as the University of Singapore, which later evolved into the National University of Singapore. The strong ties between the two institutions have continued alongside the warm friendship between Singapore and Malaysia.
“The longstanding friendship between NUS and UM is rooted in a shared history and a mutual commitment to collaboration and educational excellence. As both universities mark their 120-year legacy this year, we are honoured to celebrate this enduring partnership through meaningful engagements which reflect not only our deep institutional ties, but also the warm and longstanding bonds between Singapore and Malaysia,” said Professor Tan Eng Chye, President of NUS.
Meeting and Royal Welcome in Kuala Kangsar
On the evening of 25 August, President Tharman will have a meeting with the Chancellor of UM and Sultan of Perak His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah at the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar. This will be followed by a Royal Dinner hosted by HRH Sultan Nazrin Shah and the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Her Royal Highness Tuanku Zara Salim, for President Tharman, Mrs Tharman and the NUS delegation.
UM–NUS Inter-University Tunku Chancellor Golf Tournament
On 26 August, more than 100 golfers from NUS and UM will tee off at the Royal Perak Golf Club in the 54th UM–NUS Inter-University Tunku Chancellor Golf Tournament. First held in 1968 to strengthen ties between the two institutions, the tournament alternates venues between Malaysia and Singapore. This year’s competition in Ipoh will culminate in a prize presentation lunch, attended by the two Chancellors, Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman of the NUS Board of Trustees, Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, Chairman of UM’s Board of Directors, Professor Tan Eng Chye, President of NUS, and Professor Dato’ Seri Ir Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman, Vice-Chancellor of UM.
2nd UM–NUS Joint Academic Symposium: Precision Health
Also on 26 August, NUS and UM researchers will convene for the second Joint Academic Symposium held alongside the tournament, this year focusing on precision health. The symposium will feature 10 keynote addresses and technical talks by leading scholars and clinicians from both universities, alongside a special presentation on the shared history of Singapore and Malaysia. President Tharman and HRH Sultan Nazrin Shah will preside over the keynote and shared history presentations. The 2024 joint academic symposium, which was held at NUS, was on biomedical engineering.
