The inauguration ceremony for the Alliance of International Science Organisations in the Belt and Road Region and the second international conference on science, technology, and innovation for the Belt and Road region opened in Beijing recently. The University of Macau (UM), along with 36 universities and research institutions in the Belt and Road region, was among the first to join the alliance. The alliance aims to strengthen its members’ policies on science, technology, and innovation and to facilitate their respective development strategies, in order to initiate key collaborative projects on science and technology, as well as to nurture professionals in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship.
In his letter to congratulate the alliance’s inauguration, President Xi Jinping says that the Belt and Road initiative has been well received in the international community. Xi notes that a major goal of the alliance is to initiate collaboration in science and technology among countries in the region, in order to improve people’s livelihood, promote development, and address challenges of mutual concern. Xi hopes that the scientific communities in all countries in the region will work together and use the alliance as a platform to promote sustainable development.
UM and 36 research institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Pakistan Academy of Science, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences, Tribhuvan University, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, were among the first to join the alliance. UM Rector Yonghua Song attended the alliance’s general meeting and a meeting of its executive committee on behalf of UM. Song also met with Bai Chunli, president of the CAS. During the meeting, Song told Bai about UM’s general information, its research achievements in recent years, and his vision for the university’s future. Bai shared general information about the CAS and its strategy for internationalisation. They agreed to strengthen collaboration and establish joint labs in areas where both institutions enjoy a competitive advantage.
The theme of this year’s conference was collaboration in science and technology and sustainable development in the Belt and Road region. The event attracted over 700 participants from more than 40 countries and regions in the Belt and Road region, including heads of universities and research institutions, representatives of international organisations, and world-renowned experts in the related fields.
