Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) And 141-Year-Old Analytical Instrument Giant Shimadzu, Joins Hands To Form NYP-Shimadzu Food Safety & Innovation Centre
Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, a leader in providing analytical solutions, scientific equipment, testing machines, balances and medical equipment, has signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), to conduct cutting edge research on Food Safety at the NYP-Shimadzu Food Safety & Innovation Centre. The new agreement – which will see the two organisations take their two-decade-old relationship to the next level of collaboration – is further subject to extension.
According to the MoU, both Parties shall jointly organise and conduct mutually agreed workshops or seminars and shall jointly perform mutually agreed research and development projects in the area of food safety. Furthermore, NYP shall be Shimadzu's reference lab and training centre for food safety.
The NYP-Shimadzu Food Safety & Innovation Centre will focus on the use of Mass Spectrometry in Food Safety and may include but not be limited to detection of dyes, veterinary drug, veterinary disease, toxins, preservatives, pesticides, heavy metals and flavours. Other areas of research may include fragrance, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, natural products and skincare. The Centre will undertake Research & Development projects and provide training linked to food safety for industry, government agencies and students, both locally and regionally.
Dr Joel Lee, Director of the School of Chemical & Life Sciences, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), said: "Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key analytical technologies on which many emerging study approaches are based. We use it to observe changes in proteins (proteomics), genes (genomics), metabolites (metabolomics), and lipids (lipidomics) in response to diseases, exposure to pollution and other studies. MS technology is also used in drug testing as well as the detection and identification of explosives to fight crime and terrorism. NYP has been working with Shimadzu, leveraging on their disruptive MS technology for rapid identification of food pathogens as well as in development of Traditional Chinese Medicine-based products. We are honoured to once again partner Shimadzu, a stellar industry leader. We look forward to enhancing this partnership, by developing new applications and solutions for the industry. At the same time, we hope to expose our students to state-of-the-art MS technology as they work with our faculty members on such projects."
Mr Prem Anand, Senior General Manager, Analytical Instruments Division, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd (left) signing the historic MoU with Dr Joel Lee, Director, School of Chemical & Life Sciences, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) (right).
Mr Kiminobu Imura, the Managing Director of the 26-year-old Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, said: "In Shimadzu we follow the philosophy of "Contributing to the Society through Science and Technology". Signing of this MoU with Nanyang Polytechnic reiterates our commitment to that philosophy. Given the prevalence of the adulteration in food in today's world it becomes imperative that every organization contributes towards enhancing the awareness and safety in the Food Industry. This Centre is our way to contribute."
Mr Prem Anand, Senior General Manager, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, which operates across 18 countries in APAC, highlighted: "Surging contamination rates in the world of precious resources and food sources are creating the need for increased adoption of food safety technologies and services. An increasingly safety-conscious society, dramatic changes in the national food policies of countries along with modern technology innovations are constantly fueling the growth of the food safety market in the region. Although the global market for food safety technology and services is being dominated by private labs and government bodies, academic organisations like Nanyang Polytechnic are emerging as the new super heroes. Shimadzu is here to support them in making this world a better place by supporting them through Excellence in Science with the help of our NYP-Shimadzu Food Safety & Innovation Centre."
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
Established in 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) is a premier tertiary institution that offers quality education in Engineering, Information Technology, Design, Interactive & Digital Media, Chemical & Life Sciences, Business Management and Health Sciences. It offers 47 full-time diploma courses and a suite of post-diploma and customised courses for continuing education.
The Polytechnic's industry-relevant and real world-based training equips students to become employment-ready upon graduation. It aims to nurture students into innovative and enterprising individuals, capable of succeeding in any path they choose to take, be it a career or in further studies.
Nanyang Polytechnic is also the proud recipient of the prestigious Singapore Quality Award, the Innovation Excellence Award and the People Excellence Award. This makes NYP the first education institution in Singapore to receive these three top organisational and business excellence awards.
About Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd
Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) is a subsidiary and the Asian headquarter of Shimadzu Corporation, which was founded in 1875 in Kyoto, Japan. The subsidiary was established in 1989 in Singapore as a distribution centre providing analytical solutions, scientific equipment, testing machines, balances and medical equipment to a wide range of laboratories. A fast paced growth of business in the region has seen the opening of 3 subsidiaries in India, Malaysia and the Philippines with application specialists, technical and sales engineers spreading across 18 countries throughout the region including, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Brunei. Additionally, the company operates via a wide and carefully selected network of local distributors in every country in the region.
The company's instruments are relied upon by researchers all across Asia from large multinational organisations to local academic research universities and a long list of local, state and central laboratories. Through adoption of scientific inventions and cutting-edge technologies, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) provides its corporate clients with the highest quality in product standards and delivers excellent customer support services in accordance with its motto - 'Excellence in Science'.
(From L-R): Mr Prem Anand, Senior General Manager, Analytical Instruments Division, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd; Dr Shin Fujita, General Manager, Innovation Centre, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd; Dr Zhan Zhao Qi, General Manager, Application Development & Support Centre, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd; Ms Takako Tokura, Senior Manager (Spectro), Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd; Ms Sihui Tan, Sales Manager, Shimadzu Singapore Pte Ltd; Mr Kiminobu Imura, Managing Director, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd; Dr Joel Lee, Director, School of Chemical & Life Sciences, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP); Dr Gan Heng Hui, Assistant Manager, Food Science & Nutrition Projects, School of Chemical & Life Sciences, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP); Ms Catherine Seah, Lecturer, Food Science & Nutrition Group, School of Chemical & Life Sciences, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) Ms Zinx Zheng, Sales Engineer, Shimadzu Singapore Pte Ltd; Dr Xing Jie, Manager, Application Development & Support Centre, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd; Ms Sandhya Nargund (Sandy), Senior Manager (Chromato & MS), Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Wong Cuiyan
Assistant Manager (Public Relations & Editoral)
Communications & Outreach Department
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
Phone: (+65) 6550 0246
E-mail: Wong_Cuiyan@nyp.edu.sg
Mr Saptarshi Chaudhuri (Bob)
Marketing & Communications
Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd
Mobile: (+65) 9273 6168
Email: saptarshi@shimadzu.com.sg