The University of Macau (UM) recently held an inauguration ceremony in the Research Building (N21) for the Institute of Collaboration Innovation (ICI) and the centres under it. UM Rector Yonghua Song officiated at the ceremony. The ICI aims to nurture innovative professionals and promote interdisciplinary research in Macao, the Greater Bay Area, as well as universities in China and abroad, in order to create an environment that is conductive to the development of innovative ideas, innovative skills, entrepreneurship, as well as collaboration between industry, universities, and research institutes.

In response to the Outline of the Strategies for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, UM has formulated a new development plan for the ICI. The institute currently consists of four centres, namely the Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the Centre for Data Science, and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In the future, these centres will work together to provide technical support to interdisciplinary research, academic programmes, and entrepreneurship at UM.

The Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences aims to serve as a research platform to provide support for teaching and research in brain sciences. Its main research areas include addiction and decision-making, brain and cognitive linguistics, child development, cognitive degradation and brain diseases, and brain imaging and brainnetome. The Centre for Artificial Intelligence focuses on research in artificial intelligence algorithm, visual and pattern recognition, natural language processing, human-machine communication, and other related areas. The Centre for Data Science aims to provide a new collaboration platform to promote interdisciplinary research. It has launched a master’s degree programme in data sciences in collaboration with six faculties at UM. The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship aims to help UM faculty and students to put their creative ideas into action and to provide support during the early stages of their entrepreneurial endeavours.

The following guests attended the inauguration ceremony: Xu Chengzhong, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and interim director of the ICI; Jia Weijia, deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of the Internet of Thigns for Smart City at UM; and interim directors of the four centres under the ICI.