SUSS and Alibaba Cloud to Spur Entrepreneurship With New Accredited Certification Programme

The Singapore
University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm
of Alibaba Group, announced today the launch of an entrepreneurship
certification programme to help local tertiary students scale up their start‐ups. This is the first partnership between
Alibaba Cloud and a local tertiary institution to jointly offer a university‐accredited programme.

The programme
comprises three compulsory components: participation in the two‐day Alibaba Cloud Certified Professional
(“ACP”) certification course, participation in pitching sessions to
investors organised by Alibaba Cloud and SUSS, and successful securing of
funding. To complete the programme, participants must successfully meet all
three requirements.

Participants also have the option to read, for free and without having
to take examinations, any of the over 500 SUSS modular courses that they deem
relevant for their businesses during the period of participation. However, no
credits will be awarded. For the duration of the programme, participants will
have free access to Alibaba Cloud services. They will also enjoy mentorship by
Alibaba executives as well as C‐level industry experts who have extensive
experiences relating to entrepreneurship.

Upon successful completion, participants who are SUSS students will be
awarded a Minor in Entrepreneurship worth 40 credit units. Non‐SUSS participants will graduate with a
certificate and have their credit units recognised should they enroll in an
SUSS degree programme subsequently. Participants who are unable to secure
funding at the end of the maximum duration[1] will
obtain a certificate of participation with no credit units. As long as
participants have not exceeded the maximum duration of the programme, they may
keep trying to seek funding.

“SUSS has a
suite of modular courses that can help participants to pick up functional
knowledge and skills that they need in running and growing their businesses.
However, to be a successful entrepreneur requires more than theoretical
knowledge. Awarding credit units to successful programme participants is the
university’s way of recognising that effective learning can take place outside
the classroom,” said Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, President, Singapore University
of Social Sciences.

“We are
very excited to work with SUSS, which shares our vision of developing the next
generation of outstanding entrepreneurs. This programme is another example of
our commitment to provide the exciting drivers of change to start‐ups with Alibaba Cloud’s advanced technology
as well as Alibaba Group’s global resources,” said Joey Tan, Head of Global
Strategic Initiatives, Alibaba Cloud.

The entrepreneurship programme is Alibaba
Cloud’s latest initiative to enable start‐ups and foster talent development in the
ASEAN region. In July, 15 start‐ups from across the ASEAN region competed in
the final of the ASEAN division of the Create@Alibaba Cloud Start‐up Contest, which is dedicated to empowering
start‐ups
with best‐in‐class cloud technology as well as access to a
global cloud network.

For
this entrepreneurship programme, there will be two intakes a year and up to 20
teams comprising a maximum of three members will be recruited each time.
Preference will be given to existing start‐ ups
which are scalable, show potential for growth beyond Singapore, or meet
pressing societal needs. To underscore their commitment to encouraging and
recognising entrepreneurship, SUSS and Alibaba Cloud will not charge a course
fee for this programme.

Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) is one of
Singapore’s six national universities and its mission is to provide lifelong
education that equips learners to serve society. Home to more than 14,000
students, SUSS provides an applied education that targets both fresh school
leavers and adult learners, with a focus on the social sciences. It adopts a
flexible and practice‐focused
learning approach and offers more than 60 degree programmes in various
disciplines. Eligible students taking SUSS’s undergraduate programmes enjoy
government subsidies and access to government bursaries, tuition fee loans and
study loans. For more information on Singapore University of Social Sciences,
please visit www.suss.edu.sg.

Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com), the cloud computing arm
of Alibaba Group, is China’s largest provider of public cloud services in 2016
by revenue, according to IDC. Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of
cloud computing services to businesses worldwide, including merchants doing
business on Alibaba Group marketplaces, start‐ups, corporations and government
organizations. Alibaba Cloud is the official Cloud Services Partner of the
International Olympic Committee.

[1] Participants
can either take this programme as a Continuing Education and Training (CET)
certificate programme,  or a Minor as part of their SUSS degree programme.
The maximum duration for completing this programme as a CET certificate is 2.5
years. The maximum candidature period for taking this as a Minor will conform
to the requirements of the Major SUSS degree programme that the student is
taking.