To help the funding recipients better understand the funding schemes granted by the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) (referred to as the FDCT) for the year 2024, the FDCT held a “Briefing on Project Funding Schemes” on 19 March. The meeting was chaired by President Che Weng Keong from the Administrative Committee of the FDCT. Approximately 300 representatives of the science and technology sector participated in the briefing. They are members respectively from local universities, scientific and technological associations, as well as technology enterprises in Macao.

Building a progressive funding system and continuously improving optimization

In order to provide precise support for scientific research and innovation, as well as encourage technology companies to invest in R&D for the purpose of enhancing competitiveness, the FDCT has optimized its research funding programs since February 2023. Taking the funding recipients into consideration, the general research funding projects have been adjusted to the “Funding Scheme for Enterprise Innovation and R&D” which is led by enterprises, and the “Funding Scheme for Scientific Research and Innovation” primarily targeting universities. This aims to construct a progressive system for enterprise R&D and university research funding.

Listening to opinions from all sectors and enhancing communication and interaction

During the meeting, the FDCT representatives provided detailed explanations of the funding schemes, assisting applicants in gaining a clearer understanding of the schemes’ objectives, application requirements, and the funding measures focusing “Connecting Macao and Hengqin”. Through Q&A sessions and interactive exchanges with the participants from various sectors, the goal is to increase industry awareness of the FDCT’s funding programs and collect feedback, so that the FDCT can continue to improve the management on project outcomes, thus propelling Macao’s technology industry to new heights.

The briefing also invited representatives from the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) to attend, who introduced and explained the anti-corruption measures related to the project funding, so as to enhance the integrity awareness among funded institutions. Furthermore, in order to promote cooperation between Macao and Hengqin, as well as strengthen the understanding of the participants to the key R&D platforms in Hengqin, they were provided with an introduction to the Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Hengqin Laboratory) and the Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology (Hengqin).

The funding schemes launched this year will soon begin accepting applications. All applicants must complete the application process through the FDCT’s online funding application system. For more details about the funding schemes, please visit the FDCT’s website (http://www.fdct.gov.mo), by contact 28788777 or email saf@fdct.gov.mo for inquiries.

19 March, 2024