Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) was established on 1 April 1992 to meet the need for more technologists and professionals to support Singapore’s technological, economic and social development. Today, NYP has seven schools and 1200 staff offering a wide range of courses in engineering, information technology, design, business management, health sciences, chemical & life sciences and interactive & digital media to around 15,000 students.

The history of the NYP can be traced back to its predecessor institutions of the late 1970s and early 1980s - the Japan-Singapore Institute (JSI), German-Singapore Institute (GSI) and French-Singapore Institute(FSI) set up by the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore. The set-up of these joint training institutes with foreign governments was a critical factor for EDB’s successful response to the economic challenges then. These institutes provided skilled manpower required by the newly established industries.

It is acknowledged that “the greatest innovation that EDB has made in Singapore’s industrialisation efforts must be its manpower and training schemes”. These EDB training institutes were subsequently transferred to Nanyang Polytechnic in 1993.