Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is going all out to make its 200ha campus eco-friendly, with a new $20 million plan it launched on Wednesday.

With the EcoCampus initiative, the university hopes to reduce by 35 per cent its energy and water usage, carbon footprint and waste output. It is giving itself till 2020 to achieve this.

The plan, in partnership with JTC Corporation and supported by the Economic Development Board, is to turn NTU's campus into a mega test-bed for research projects in green technologies.

So far 12 key projects have been identified and these will be undertaken by 11 partner companies like manufacturer 3M Company, German engineering firm Siemens and local technology company Wifinity.

These projects range from clean transportation and water conservation to waste management and renewable energy. They will be complemented by research and development at JTC's CleanTech Park, a 50ha eco-business facility next to NTU.

NTU provost Freddy Boey said the research projects will not only help the university to reduce costs, but that it would also enhance the experience for all students, faculty and staff of NTU, which is Singapore's largest university campus with 33,500 students.

"We have high hopes that our collaboration will eventually lead to the commercialisation and improvement of energy-efficient solutions that will not only benefit Singapore but also the region and beyond," he said.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office S. Iswaran, who was guest of honour at the event, said that programmes led and supported by government agencies have helped to establish Singapore as a model for green growth.

NTU's EcoCampus is one example, he added, which "will create exciting green-collar jobs... raise our international standing, and inspire Singaporeans to adopt sustainable practices".