Assistant Director, I&E Fellowship Programme at Nanyang Technological University in NTU Main Campus

Job description

NTU Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) advances cohesive and collaborative relationships across various innovation drivers within the NTU community. It seeks to accelerate the University’s efforts in translating scientific discoveries, innovation and creative work into technological and social entrepreneurship activities that benefit industry and society. The Assistant Director (I&E Fellowship Programme) plays a key role in developing the next generation of deep-tech entrepreneurs by leading NTU’s I&E Fellowship Programme. The role is responsible for identifying, developing and supporting high-potential researchers, equipping them to become technology entrepreneurs and founders of deep-tech ventures. Through programme management, researcher development, venture building, commercialisation and ecosystem engagement, the role contributes to NTU's strategic objective of strengthening research translation and entrepreneurship by enabling researchers to transform innovative research outcomes into scalable startups and successful entrepreneurial career pathways. The job holder will work closely with researchers, faculty members, NTUitive, national programmes (such as the National Graduate Research Innovation Programme, NGRIP and Activate Global Fellows - Singapore), investors, industry partners, entrepreneurs and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders to build a high-quality pipeline of research-based ventures and support participants from technology validation through venture creation, fundraising and market development. Responsibilities : Programme Management Lead the design, implementation and continuous development of the programme. Develop annual plans, milestones, participant journeys, budgets and operating processes. Coordinate programme activities across NTU academic and innovation units and establish mechanisms to monitor participant progress and programme performance. Recruitment and Development of Entrepreneurial Researchers Lead identification, selection and onboarding of high-potential postgraduate researchers from NTU, Singapore and abroad. Work with faculty, schools and research centres, as well as other universities to identify candidates. Design and coordinate individual development plans covering entrepreneurship, commercialisation, leadership, business development and venture creation. Venture Building and Commercialisation Work closely with the Intellectual Property (IP) Management, Technology Development, Venture Building as well as I&E Ecosystem Development teams at NTU I&E / NTUitive to support researchers in assessing commercial potential, identifying customer needs, developing business models and validating market opportunities. Facilitate transition from research to venture, including team formation, IP and licensing discussions, technology validation, customer engagement and go-to-market planning. Investor, Industry and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Engagement Build and maintain relationships with venture capital funds, corporate partners, entrepreneurs, family offices, accelerators, government agencies and other ecosystem partners. Organise mentoring, investor and industry engagement and match participants with relevant external stakeholders. Fundraising and Venture Readiness Prepare participants for external fundraising and venture development. Coordinate investor-readiness activities, pitch development, financial and business-model preparation, due diligence preparation and investor engagement. Support founders in understanding financing options and investor expectations. Programme Performance, Impact and Continuous Improvement Establish and monitor KPIs covering participant progression, venture creation, IP commercialisation, investment, industry engagement and career outcomes. Prepare reports and recommendations for NTU management and stakeholders. Benchmark against leading university entrepreneurship and researcher-development programmes and implement improvements. Integration with NGRIP Coordinate th