Message from the Dean 院长寄语

On behalf of the School of Computing and Information Systems at the Singapore Management University (SMU), I warmly welcome you to the inaugural SMU-Fudan Doctor of Business Administration (Technology)；DBA (Tech) Programme-a landmark collaboration with Fudan University’s School of Economics, a leading institution in economics disciplines for economics education and research in China.

This programme leverages the strengths in AI, data science, Web3, cybersecurity and data governance at SMU together with Fudan University’s excellence in management and economics scholarship to equip senior executives and business leaders with a nuanced understanding of technology’s impact on business, government and society.

Through immersive modules in cutting-edge technological knowledge and applied business practice with cross cultural learning, SMU-Fudan DBA(Tech) students will gain the knowledge and applied research skills to lead change and craft responsible, forward looking tech strategies.

Anchored in the best of Singapore and China, the SMU-Fudan DBA(Tech) programme is designed to foster bold leadership, rigorous inquiry and transformative partnerships.

I look forward to your contributions and the shared achievements ahead.

In the history of human civilization, only a handful of moments can truly be described as “singularities.”

At the end of the eighteenth century, the Industrial Revolution dawned in the United Kingdom. Through technological breakthroughs, it brought an end to the Malthusian trap that had constrained humanity for thousands of years and ushered in a modern growth paradigm in which productivity was decoupled from population growth. Its consequences continue to shape the global landscape to this day.

Today, we stand at the threshold of a second civilizational singularity. The transformative impact of artificial intelligence on human society may rival-or even surpass-that of the Industrial Revolution, reshaping the global competitive order for centuries to come. If, in the age of the steam engine, China was largely a passive observer, then in this profound transformation ignited by artificial intelligence, China is emerging with unprecedented momentum as one of the most important participants-and potentially a leading force.

This epochal shift is far more than a competition of algorithms. It represents a systemic reconfiguration of economic logic, organizational structures, and governance paradigms. In such a context, what is truly scarce is no longer isolated technical expertise, but leaders who can apply economic reasoning to penetrate the fog of technology and navigate uncertainty to redefine the direction of business civilization.

The SMU-Fudan Doctor of Business Administration (Technology)；DBA (Tech) Programme is established precisely for this kind of cross-century thinking. Drawing on Singapore Management University’s global strengths in frontier technologies and digital governance, together with the deep foundations of the School of Economics at Fudan University in Chinese economic theory and policy research, the programme is dedicated to cultivating thinker-leaders who can master technological variables, decipher the mechanisms of our time, and translate rigorous research into meaningful practice.

We seek not followers of technology, but definers of the next era of growth. Let us, within the coordinates of history, transform technology into thought, research into action, and together write the economic epic of our age.