IBM and NUS to offer Watson Cognitive Systems Education in Southeast Asia

Source: IBM. From left, Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean, NUS Business School, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, President, National University of Singapore, Janet Ang, Managing Director, IBM Singapore, Kellar Nevill, General Manager, IBM ASEAN, and Professor David Rosenblum, Dean, NUS School of Computing posing for a photo after signing the groundbreaking agreement between IBM Watson Group and the National University of Singapore.

IBM and the National University ofSingapore (NUS) have signed an agreement to offer the first Watson based cognitive computing education in Southeast Asia. The agreement between IBM and NUS cements Watson’s roots in the academic community and deepens the existing partnership between both institutions in business analytics and other domains in science and technology. 

The development will extend cognitive systems activities at the NUS School of Computing and NUS Business School through a real world learning experience based on Watson. Through this partnership, students will be able to develop business innovations and gain a competitive advantage, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with experts on the development of new solutions fuelled by Watson. 

“We are entering into the era of cognitive computing which has the potential to be a game-changer across diverse industries,” said Janet Ang, Managing Director, IBM Singapore. “Through the collaboration with NUS and other Watson initiatives in Singapore, we hope to be able to continually play an integral role in Singapore’s development towards becoming one of the world’s smarter cities.”

Watson can interact in natural language, process large amounts of disparate data and learn from each interaction. According to technology research firm Gartner, smart machines will be the most disruptive change ever brought about by information technology, making people more effective and empowering them to "do the impossible."*

"As a leader in education and research in cognitive computing research, NUS aims to groom industry-ready students who can harness this combination of science and technology to create innovative products and services," said NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan. “It is crucial for our students to be able to work with the most cutting-edge systems and technologies, and hence we are truly excited about this partnership with IBM which will enable this through a multidisciplinary and systematic approach. 

"Our School of Computing and Business School are already immersed in a close collaboration with IBM in business analytics. This new initiative takes our strategic alliance with IBM to a new level. Our students and faculty members will benefit greatly by gaining access to the latest generation of capabilities from IBM offered by Watson technologies.”

Working with NUS, IBM Watson Group will provide a range of resources, including:

• IBM developers and researchers, to advise on new content and implementations
• Guest lectures to be conducted by senior IBM executives and thought leaders
• IBM Watson technical mentors to provide guidance as students work with Watson and build prototypes of cognitive business applications, and
• Access to IBM Watson through the Watson Developer Cloud

Selected undergraduate and post-graduate students from the NUS School of Computing, NUS Business School and the NUS Business Analytics Center will be enrolled in early 2015 for the Watson-based cognitive systems experience in Asia. Students will learn about Watson and the technologies deployed in it to develop cognitive systems applications. They will be grouped into project teams to develop prototype applications and a business plan for their Watson industry of choice such as, banking, retail or telecommunications. 

IBM had charted milestones for the adoption of Watson and cognitive computing cloud capabilities around the world on October 7. 

"Watson is bringing forward a new era of computing, enabling organisations around the globe to launch new businesses, redefine markets and transform industries," said Mike Rhodin, Senior Vice President, IBM Watson Group at the time. "Watson is fueling a new market and ecosystem of clients, partners, developers, venture capitalists, universities and students. The next great innovations will come from people who are able to make connections that others don't see and Watson is making possible."  

Since forming the IBM Watson Group in January of this year, clients implementations have included: 

ANZ Global Wealth (Australia) -- In the next few weeks, ANZ will be unveiling the new Watson Engagement Advisor Tool in its Sydney 'Grow' centre and will also launch it more broadly to more than 400 financial planners. By opening up the Watson tool to the external environment, ANZ will be able to observe the types of questions coming from both customers and financial advisors in order to continue enhancing Watson's capabilities and insights. 

ANZ's goal for Watson is to enable its financial advice team to deliver an improved advice process – making it shorter and more efficient for the customer to receive a statement of financial advice, from weeks to just one session. The initial work of Watson is in the area of insurance and protection, and it will soon be expanded to cover the full wealth strategy including superannuation and investments.

Bumrungrad International Hospital (Thailand) -- Bumrungrad plans to use Watson to improve the quality of cancer care at its medical center in Bangkok and case evaluation at referral offices in 16 countries on four continents. In a five-year commitment, Bumrungrad will use IBM Watson for Oncology, developed with Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), one of the world's leading cancer centres. The innovative system will help Bumrungrad doctors plan the most effective treatments for cancer patients based on each patient's profile, medical evidence, published research, and the extensive clinical expertise of MSK. Watson will analyse this information and present a summary of findings relevant to each patient case, including treatment options based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. 

Headquartered in Bangkok, Bumrungrad is the largest private hospital in Southeast Asia and one of the world's most popular medical destinations. Nearly half of its 1.1 million patients annually are from 190 countries.

Deakin University (Australia) -- In a world first, Deakin University will tap the power of Watson to develop an online student engagement advisor.  The student advisor application will deliver 24/7 instant online access via the web and mobile devices for the university's 50,000 students. Ultimately, the advisor will also assist future students and staff working with students.

Over the coming months, Watson will consume thousands of pages of Deakin's unstructured data contained in documents, presentations, brochures and online to ensure users receive consistent, high quality responses to queries. Over time, students who ask Watson a question can expect tailored information, personalised advice and information based on their individual profiles.

As clients adopt Watson globally, the need to have skills focused on cognitive computing to meet local client and partner needs is critical. IBM has opened the first five Watson Client Experience Centers, co-located with IBM Research and Design teams, to provide the support and skills needed to fully adopt the Watson cognitive platform. Two of the centres are in Asia Pacific, in Melbourne and Singapore.

*The Disruptive Era of Smart Machines Is Upon Us, #G00257743, September 30, 2013, Tom Austin, Gartner.