Singapore Management University (SMU) and Fudan University have elevated their partnership of 17 years to a strategic level to focus on pressing societal challenges in the digital age.
Through a Memorandum of Agreement signed at the 2025 Fudan University–Singapore Management University Forum on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Governance and Sustainable Societies by SMU President Lily Kong and Fudan University Professor Jin Li, both universities have committed to deeper cooperation across research and education in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) governance, computational social science, urban sustainability and successful ageing.
Solid foundation to realise new ambitions
Since the launch of their undergraduate exchange programme in 2008, SMU and Fudan have worked together on numerous joint research projects across the disciplines of Law, Economics and Information Systems, academic programmes including a double master’s degree in law, as well as three high-level joint forums since 2014.
This rich history of collaboration has laid a solid foundation to realise new ambitions under the strategic partnership, particularly an interdisciplinary Joint Programme in Digital Technology and Society, which will integrate education, research and community engagement to advance knowledge and develop solutions at the intersection of management, social sciences and technology.
Before the signing ceremony, SMU President Lily Kong and Fudan President Jin Li reflected on the meaningful timing of the strategic partnership: Fudan’s 120th anniversary, SMU’s Silver Jubilee and 35 years of Singapore-China diplomatic ties.
For both universities, this strategic partnership goes beyond academic excellence, with the aim to develop new knowledge for real-world impact and to transform lives.
At the signing ceremony, President Jin Li stated that the strategic partnership is an important initiative by Fudan University in response to the national strategies of “Digital China” and “Sustainable Development,” as well as a demonstration of both universities’ responsibility to contribute to global governance. Leveraging complementary strengths, Fudan and SMU will jointly establish an interdisciplinary programme focused on “Digital Technology and Society,” with particular emphasis on the intersections of artificial intelligence, digital governance, and urban sustainability.
President Lily Kong noted that the elevation to a strategic partnership reflects the shared vision of both universities to develop and deliver meaningful impact to the communities they serve, and to bridge Singapore and China through transformative education and cutting-edge research.
Based in cities that are exemplars of progressive urban planning and development, SMU and Fudan have every opportunity to contribute insights that make Singapore and Shanghai more sustainable, enduring and inclusive.
She remarked, “SMU and Fudan will work together to address the pressing societal challenges of today and tomorrow, building more sustainable and inclusive urban societies, nurturing future-ready talent, and developing innovative strategies to address ageing societies — all of which are central themes of today’s forum.”
Multiple perspectives and enhanced international collaboration in higher education for the digital era
Ahead of the signing ceremony, the 2025 Fudan-SMU Forum brought together leading scholars and industry leaders from Shanghai, Singapore and beyond through in-depth discussions on the themes of artificial intelligence, digital governance and a sustainable society.
Setting the tone, SMU President Lily Kong and Fudan University Vice President Chen Zhimin delivered opening remarks that reflected on the two universities’ history of collaboration and outlined future directions for an impactful strategic partnership.
Thought leaders from SMU, Fudan, Peking University and the University of Goettingen then took turns to unpack the forum topics and exchange insights. University of Göttingen Institute of Computer Science Chair Professor and Fudan Research Centre for Social Intelligence Chief Scientist, IEEE Fellow, Professor Fu Xiaoming, examined social mobility in ancient empires and the digital age through the lens of AI for Social Sciences and Humanities. Associate Dean of SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems, Associate Professor Zhu Feida, discussed how collaborative intelligence and tokenised economies could drive a sustainable digital future. Peking University School of Transnational Law Associate Professor of Law and SMU Centre for Digital Law Research Fellow, Associate Professor Gilad Abiri, analysed the normative frameworks for AI legitimacy.
Fudan Institute on Ageing Professor and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Population Association, Professor Li Qiang, explored the opportunities and challenges of digital and intelligent solutions for elderly care in light of China’s demographic trends.
For over a decade, SMU has organised high-level forums with its most important partners to connect global academia, business, and government leaders for collaborative discourse on societal challenges. It is significant that SMU’s inaugural and second forums – as well as a virtual forum in 2021 during COVID – were co-organised with Fudan. In the wake of this fourth joint forum, SMU and Fudan will continue harnessing the valuable exchange of insights to advance joint initiatives together.
In the subsequent roundtable discussions, international academics and industry leaders engaged in dialogue on two key topics: “AI Governance: Co-evolution, Tensions and Synergies in the Public Good” and “AI Leadership and Business Value Creation.” The panels, which involved SMU School of Computing and Information Systems Professor Siau Keng Leng, examined how AI can deliver efficiency gains for public benefit while raising challenges of ethics and fairness, and explored enterprise transformation, talent development and value creation in the digital era. Speakers underscored the need for dynamic balance to ensure that technology ultimately serves the good of society, offering practical insights to inform future academia–industry collaboration between the two universities.
Connecting across borders
During her visit, Professor Kong also toured the Fudan Institute on Ageing’s (FIA) Laboratory of Aging Psychology and Behavioural Science with SMU Centre for Research on Successful Ageing Deputy Director Associate Professor Kim Seonghoon, who was visiting Fudan to deepen collaborations with the FIA. She also took the opportunity to reconnect with SMU alumni in Shanghai, some of whom were PhD graduates that were now faculty at Fudan.
Professor Lily Kong and Associate Professor Kim Seonghoon with researchers at the FIA Laboratory of Aging Psychology and Behavioural Science.
Professor Kong with SMU alumni (from left) SMU PhD (Finance) 2016 and Vla’vla Co-founder Yu Yiwei; SMU MBA 2009, OpenPie Technologies Vice-President and Shanghai Alumni Chapter President Steven Guo; SMU PhD (Operations Management) 2023 and Shanghai Tech University School of Entrepreneurship and Management Assistant Professor Jerry Zhang; SMU PhD (Finance) 2017 and Fudan International School of Finance Associate Professor Sun Lin; and SMU PhD (Economics) 2016 and Fudan International School of Finance Associate Professor Jiang Liang.
