STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore

Programme Overview

Tertiary education authorities face mounting pressure to modernize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to match industrial growth.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This four-day professional programme in Singapore delivers practical approaches to STEM faculty development and research governance for public universities. Participants review modern administrative models, institutional performance frameworks, and regulatory systems required to upgrade academic quality. Through detailed examinations of regional best practices, the course equips academic executives with tools to manage institutional transitions, foster scholarly productivity, and align degree programmes with international engineering and science standards.

The curriculum addresses structural challenges in public university management, focusing on curriculum modernization, quality assurance, and laboratory safety protocols. Attendees evaluate international accreditation benchmarks, faculty appraisal mechanisms, and performance-based research funding structures. The sessions explore how tertiary institutions build accountable research ecosystems, manage external competitive grants, and supervise postgraduate dissertations effectively. By analysing structured frameworks for university-industry collaboration, participants discover operational mechanisms to commercialise academic discoveries, establish technology transfer offices, and negotiate collaborative research agreements with industrial partners.

Delivered through interactive technical briefings, institutional case analyses, and governance exercises, this programme builds core competencies for senior tertiary administrators. Delegates investigate institutional policies that govern faculty development tracks, continuous professional development, and scholarly integrity systems. Participants conclude the course with adaptable roadmaps tailored to their home institutions, facilitating the modernization of laboratory infrastructure and the enhancement of faculty capabilities. The course provides actionable approaches directly aligned with the requirements of major international development partner investments in the higher education sub-sector.

Higher education authorities in Southeast Asia are executing extensive institutional modernization agendas supported by international development financing, including the Higher Education Improvement Project and the Second Higher Education Improvement Project.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Realising the targets of these sector-wide interventions requires university executives to upgrade STEM degree curricula, establish robust research integrity protocols, and enforce stringent laboratory quality management. Developing these administrative capabilities now ensures that state universities can effectively absorb development funding, secure international accreditation, and establish self-sustaining research partnerships with modern industries.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Singapore, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Analysis of modern tertiary governance models: balancing institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and state accountability
• Curriculum accreditation standards for STEM programmes: mapping against the Washington Accord and AUN-QA criteria
• Designing faculty qualification standards, professorial promotion tracks, and continuous professional development policies
• Performance management systems: establishing Key Performance Indicators for academic staff teaching and scholarship
• Institutional strategic planning exercises for transitioning higher education institutions towards research-informed teaching
• Establishing university research management offices: mandate, structure, financial administration, and service delivery
• Competitive research grant oversight: proposal appraisal systems, peer-review management, and post-award monitoring
• Scholarly integrity governance: institutional review boards, human and environmental research ethics, and anti-plagiarism mechanisms
• Fraud risk assessment and fraud risk registers
• Design and testing of internal controls
• The Three Lines model and the role of oversight
• Audit planning, evidence and documentation

It is designed for university rectors, vice-rectors, and presidents of public tertiary institutions, deans of faculties of science, engineering, and technology, directors of academic affairs and curriculum development units and others who want practical, current skills in fraud, audit and internal control.

The Growing Importance of STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore

Public bodies and donor-financed projects are expected to show that funds are used for their intended purpose. Auditors, oversight bodies and financiers increasingly look beyond the financial statements to the controls, records and behaviours behind them.

Fraud and control weaknesses rarely come from one failure. They grow where roles are unclear, records are incomplete and warning signs are not followed up. Teams that understand how fraud happens, and how controls stop it, protect both their institution and the people it serves.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Identify and rate fraud and control risks in their own processes
• Design controls that are proportionate and testable
• Gather and document reliable audit evidence
• Recognise red flags early and escalate them correctly
• Turn findings into practical, agreed actions

Strong fraud, audit and internal control systems help organisations:

• Reduce losses and ineligible expenditure
• Pass external audits with fewer findings
• Strengthen trust with financiers and citizens
• Respond to allegations in a fair and documented way

This STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training?

This programme is designed for:

• University rectors, vice-rectors, and presidents of public tertiary institutions
• Deans of faculties of science, engineering, and technology
• Directors of academic affairs and curriculum development units
• Heads of university research directorates and technology transfer offices
• Ministry of Education project directors and technical project coordinators
• Monitoring and evaluation specialists supporting tertiary education projects
• Managers of STEM laboratories and university research facilities
• Quality assurance directors from national higher education institutions
• Senior academic committee members responsible for faculty development
• Internal auditors and audit managers
• Finance managers and accountants
• Compliance and risk officers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training, participants will be able to:

• Design institutional governance frameworks that support STEM curriculum accreditation under regional and international quality assurance benchmarks
• Establish rigorous academic research governance policies covering research integrity, ethics oversight, and intellectual property management
• Structure competitive research grant administration workflows from proposal evaluation to financial acquittal and audit compliance
• Implement comprehensive laboratory quality and safety management systems compliant with ISO/IEC 17025 and international safety standards
• Develop faculty continuous professional development frameworks and performance-based appraisal mechanisms for academic personnel
• Formulate operational models for university-industry collaborative research, contract testing, and technology commercialisation
• Draft institutional modernization roadmaps aligned with multilateral development bank project targets and procurement indicators
• Explain how and why fraud happens, using recognised fraud risk models
• Carry out a fraud and control risk assessment for a real process
• Map controls to risks using the Three Lines model

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training Methodology

The training employs an adult-learning approach focused on administrative practice, comparative case reviews, and institutional diagnostic tools.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Daily modules combine technical briefings by higher education governance practitioners with guided institutional policy design exercises. Participants engage in peer reviews of academic procedures, analyze operational frameworks from leading regional tertiary institutions, and complete structured templates to adapt research governance and quality assurance models to the regulatory environments of their home institutions.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training, participants will be able to:

• Competence in aligning university science and engineering programmes with international quality assurance and accreditation benchmarks
• Ability to establish a university research management office equipped with sound grant compliance and peer-review systems
• Capability to institute academic integrity, conflict of interest, and research ethics oversight policies within public institutions
• Practical skill in designing laboratory quality manuals and safety management policies compliant with international testing norms
• Expertise in drafting institutional intellectual property and commercialisation regulations for university-industry engagements
• Preparedness to manage institutional strengthening indicators under international development partner financing agreements
• Assess fraud and control risks in their own processes
• Design and test proportionate controls

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Fraud and corruption risk management
• Internal control frameworks
• Audit and oversight arrangements
• Follow-up of audit findings
• Integrity and reporting channels

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Risk registers and control maps
• Audit planning and testing
• Evidence and documentation
• Reporting to management and boards
• Prevention of ineligible expenditure

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply fraud, audit and internal control within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in fraud, audit and internal control increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on fraud, audit and internal control. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to fraud, audit and internal control that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Singapore brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how fraud, audit and internal control is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Singapore

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Singapore by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Readiness Assessment
• STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore Training Manual
• Fraud Risk Register Template
• Control Mapping Matrix
• Audit Evidence Checklist
• Findings and Follow-up Tracker
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Fraud Risk Self-Assessment Guide
• Control Testing Checklist
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions identify and rate fraud and control risks in their own processes?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Academic Governance, Leadership, and International Accreditation Frameworks), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions design controls that are proportionate and testable?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Academic Research Governance, Grant Administration, and Research Integrity), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions gather and document reliable audit evidence?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Laboratory Quality Management, Infrastructure Governance, and Biosafety), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions recognise red flags early and escalate them correctly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (University-Industry Collaboration, Technology Transfer, and Strategic Action Planning), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions turn findings into practical, agreed actions?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Academic Governance, Leadership, and International Accreditation Frameworks), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the STEM Faculty Development and Academic Research Governance in Singapore programme take place?

It runs from 8 Feb 2027 to 11 Feb 2027, in Singapore. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for university rectors, vice-rectors, and presidents of public tertiary institutions, deans of faculties of science, engineering, and technology, directors of academic affairs and curriculum development units, heads of university research directorates and technology transfer offices, and others who want practical skills in fraud, audit and internal control.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in fraud, audit and internal control?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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