The National University of Singapore (NUS) will open its first overseas research institute in Suzhou, China, on Wednesday.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat will attend the opening ceremony of the NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute, or NUSRI, which was officially established three years ago.

Sited at the Suzhou Industrial Park, NUSRI will enable China to tap on Singapore's research expertise in areas such as biomedical science and environment technology.

The 21,000 sqm facility will also serve as a base for technology start-ups from NUS to grow in China. In addition, it will provide training programmes for Chinese officials in fields such as IP management and entrepreneurship. Students from NUS and its partner universities in China are eligible for internships or research stints there.