Aster announces the launch of a S$1.5 million philanthropic initiative to nurture Singapore’s next generation of engineers, specifically in the fields of civil and structural engineering, chemical engineering, process engineering, and mechanical engineering. Through this initiative, Aster will award bursaries to engineering and design students from three local autonomous universities, namely Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), National University of Singapore (NUS), and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), prioritising those with academic merit and financial need. Each bond-free bursary will be established under the Aster’s banner, allowing recipients the flexibility to choose their own career paths. 

At NTU, the gift from Aster will create an endowed bursary fund that supports financially needy students from the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, reflecting Singapore’s long-term economic priorities.

At NUS, an endowed bursary fund will support students from the College of Design and Engineering, reinforcing Aster’s commitment to nurturing Singapore’s future talent in diverse technology and infrastructure fields, and equipping them to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the nation’s changing energy landscape.

At SIT, the bursary will provide sustained financial assistance to students in need, many of whom are first in their families to pursue university education. This initiative builds on SIT’s commitment to enhancing accessibility to higher education while ensuring that support keeps pace with students’ evolving needs. To ensure timely support, immediate term bursaries will be made available from Academic Year 2025/26, ahead of the endowment’s maturity.

The initiative also leverages government matching schemes, which will multiply the impact of Aster’s contributions into larger endowed funds. Participating universities will offer naming rights and opportunities for Aster to interact with student recipients, in line with the bursary’s bond-free nature. [Source: Aster]