Singapore's NUSX Just Landed in Munich. Here's Why It Matters for DeepTech Founders

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-24

So, NUS Enterprise — the entrepreneurial engine of the National University of Singapore — just announced it's planting a flag in Munich through a new partnership with UnternehmerTUM. And honestly? This one's worth paying attention to. Here's the gist: NUSX, the global arm of NUS Enterprise, is opening its second international outpost at the Munich Urban Colab — a 118,000-square-foot innovation center that UnternehmerTUM runs alongside the City of Munich. That's a big deal for DeepTech startups on both sides of the world. ### Why Munich, of all places? Munich isn't just beer halls and BMWs. It ranks among Europe's top five tech ecosystems in the Global Tech Ecosystem Index 2026, and it sits at No. 11 globally for AI. That combination of research muscle and venture capital makes it a natural landing pad for Singaporean startups trying to crack the European market. And the feeling's mutual. TUM Venture Labs — a joint effort between the Technical University of Munich and UnternehmerTUM — is exploring a presence at the NUS i³ building in Singapore. So this isn't a one-way street. It's a two-way bridge. ### Three pillars, one partnership The collaboration focuses on three things: - **Reciprocal outposts** — physical bases in both Munich and Singapore - **Investment ties** — NUS is in advanced talks with a Munich-based VC firm to join its €102 million (about $110 million) NUS VC Programme as the fifth partner - **Talent development** — NUS Overseas Colleges students getting hands-on venture-building experience in Munich Initial efforts will center on biotech, AI, and semiconductors — areas where both ecosystems are genuinely strong. TUM ranks first in Germany for data science and AI, and its School of Life Sciences houses 10 of the university's 17 most-cited researchers. > "This collaboration builds on our longstanding ties with the Technical University of Munich as NUSX deepens its global venture-building network," said Dr. Tan Sian Wee, NUS Senior Vice President (Innovation & Enterprise). "We are bringing talent, research and capital closer together." ### The bigger picture This partnership also aligns with Singapore's RIE2030 strategy, which commits €25 billion (roughly $27 billion) over five years to research and innovation. That's serious money — and it signals that Singapore isn't just talking about DeepTech. It's building the infrastructure to make it happen. The NOC Munich programme has already connected nearly 120 NUS students and more than 90 TUM students since 2017. Alumni have gone on to build ventures like Factorem. So this isn't a cold start — it's a deepening of something that's already working. For founders in the US watching European and Asian innovation corridors, this is one to bookmark. The talent and capital flows between Singapore and Munich are about to get a lot more interesting.