NUI Galway and Cialfo, a Singapore-headquartered ed-tech provider, have signed an agreement that will help promote the university to prospective students in Asia and worldwide.
The agreement will allow NUI Galway to find and connect more efficiently with high school students and counsellors who have expressed an interest in studying in Ireland via Cialfo’s early career exploration and college application platform, which has a network of 310,000 learners from more than 105 countries.
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin witnessed the ceremonial signing of the agreement during visit to Singapore last week. The formalities took place after a VIP business networking lunch hosted by Enterprise Ireland at the Shangri-La Hotel Orchard as part of the Taoiseach’s trip to Singapore.
The partnership will last 13 months, during which NUI Galway will be featured on Cialfo’s platform and promoted internationally via online and in-person events to students across South East Asia, China, India, and beyond.
Cialfo is an award-winning digital transformation leader in higher education and international student mobility. Currently, more than 310,000 students, families, and school counsellors and admissions officers at some 1,000 universities rely on Cialfo to meet, manage the career exploration and college application process, and make educated decisions about the future.
The number of new international students from outside the European Economic Area pursuing higher education in Ireland jumped by 45 per cent between 2013 and 2017, according to a study from the European Migration Network. However, the impact of the pandemic has been far-reaching in all areas of education in Ireland, with the cost to the university sector projected to be €328 million. The agreement between Cialfo and NUI Galway will aim to help the university to bounce back as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
“With universities everywhere still feeling and grappling with the effects of the global pandemic, we are delighted to be partnering with an institution like NUI Galway to help strengthen their international recruitment efforts through both our technology and understanding of students worldwide," said Rohan Pasari, CEO and co-founder of Cialfo. "It is exciting that the Irish Taoiseach was here to mark this occasion, which reinforces both the significance of this deal and the importance of education in fostering cross-cultural understanding and innovation in Ireland and Singapore.”
Professor Becky Whay, vice president international at NUI Galway, added: “Our aim is to develop outstanding collaborations and connections across the globe that will enhance opportunities and experiences for all of our students and staff. This new joint partnership with Cialfo comes at an exciting time for NUI Galway as we pursue our future vision to be a truly global university. With the support of Cialfo, we look forward to continuing to grow and diversify our student population and forming deeper and stronger connections in South East Asia and China.”
