Surrey signs MoU with A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) in Singapore for joint research in AI, 6G and satellite communications

The MoU was signed during a ceremony hosted by Dr. Sun Sumei, I²R Executive Director, on the occasion of the Vice-Chancellor’s delegation visit to Singapore on 18 October 2024. Prof. G Q Max Lu, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, was joined by Surrey colleagues Prof. Adam Amara, Head of School of Mathematics and Physics and Director of Space Strategy, and Tom Windle, Director of International Partnerships.      

Building on existing links with the 5G/6G Innovation Centre and the Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence (PAI), the MoU will enable collaborative research, PhD training, and funding development across key areas of shared expertise and excellence and will further strengthen our engagement with the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s leading public sector R&D organisation. The Surrey-I²R partnership will especially focus on two fields of research – AI and Communications – and will enable joint activities to build interdisciplinary networks and leverage the innovation potential at both institutions.     

In communications, Surrey and I²R will work together on developing 6G terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTN), a rapidly developing technology promising seamless connectivity and global coverage across urban, rural and remote regions by linking earth- and satellite-based communication networks. Joint research between Surrey and I²R will seek to overcome the technical challenges of these networks, from systems integration to the implementation of efficient communication protocols. 

Engaging the Surrey Space Centre, the collaboration in satellite communications will also bring together our capabilities in small satellites and remote sensing technologies, including for application in environmental monitoring, maritime safety and airspace navigation.   

In Artificial Intelligence, the partnership will engage academic colleagues across the Surrey AI Institute and the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP) for research in diverse AI and GenAI fields, including with relevance for sustainability, healthcare, space and robotics, as well as digital media. Addressing sustainability challenges, the collaboration will not only advance environmental applications for monitoring climate change, air pollution and extreme weather events but it will also bring together our capabilities to advance the sustainability of AI itself, with a shared a commitment to develop a responsible and resource-efficient AI ecosystem.  

The MoU will also open up new opportunities for joint research training and PhD mobility, including under the A*STAR Research Attachment Programme (ARAP). As a recent ARAP awardee, Surrey student Anna Vines will be spending two years at I²R in Singapore as part of her PhD programme in Computer Vision and Machine Learning, with her research project on robotic perception being co-supervised by Dr Xiatian Zhu and Yunpeng Li at Surrey and by Dr Xun Xu at I²R.  

About the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R)  

The A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R) is Singapore’s leading innovation engine in digital technologies and connectivity, driving secure, intelligent, and trustworthy digital transformation. Focused on advancing AI, communications, and cybersecurity, I²R is committed to creating digital innovations that contribute to a resilient and thriving Singapore. With a team of over 400 researchers, including many in the world’s top 2% of scientists, I²R is at the forefront of both foundational and applied research. Its work spans areas such as large language models, 6G networks, and advanced cybersecurity technologies.