Since its independence in 1965, Singapore has adopted a developmental state orientation and has placed a strong emphasis on education to meet its socio-economic development needs. In line with its aspirations to be a regional education hub, the Singapore higher education system hosts a number of prestigious institutions and international partnerships. In recent years, research and development spending has been ramped up, specialist research centres have been established and universities have become more research intensive. In this paper, we seek an explanation for these distinctive features of the Singapore model of higher education and examine how features of globalisation such as ranking, quality assurance and international collaboration are expressed in the Singapore context. Further, we ask what lessons, if any, can be drawn from Singapore's experience and what challenges Singapore faces in meeting its evolving vision for higher education.