Supported by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) and hosted by Times Higher Education (THE) in partnership with the Macau University of Science and Technology, the Times Higher Education Asia Universities Summit was held for the first time in Macao from 22 to 24 April, during which time awards were presented at the THE Awards Asia 2025 and the THE Asia University Rankings 2025 was announced. Higher education institutions in Macao saw a steady rise in rankings among Asian universities.

Themed ‘Asia’s rise: A transformative journey in science, technology and innovation’, the Summit gathered in Macao about 650 university leaders, senior managers and policymakers from higher education institutions around the world to explore the latest trends in higher education and technological innovation in Asia, jointly fostering high-quality development in higher education. During the Summit, the THE Asia University Rankings 2025 was also announced. This year, more than 850 universities made the list, showing an increase of more than 100 institutions over last year. Among the institutions, the University of Macau’s ranking rose from last year’s 36^th to 34^th, while the Macau University of Science and Technology climbed one place, to 57^th, compared to last year, reflecting the steady improvement of Macao’s higher education in Asia in terms of competitiveness and influence.

In active response to the nationwide ‘Master Plan on Building China into a Leading Country in Education (2024-2035)’ while taking ‘integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent’ as a guiding principle, the DSEDJ has continued to enhance the comprehensive capacity of Macao’s higher education, reinforce the supporting role of education in science, technology and talent development, and support Macao’s higher education institutions in deepening global and regional academic exchanges and educational and research collaborations, with a view to driving the internationalisation of higher education in Macao. In recent years, many international higher education summits and forums have been hosted in Macao, which fully demonstrates Macao’s advantages as an international exchange platform, reflects the global community’s recognition of Macao’s achievements in higher education development, and promotes Macao’s development into an international top-tier talent hub, thereby fulfilling its role in building the motherland into a leading country in education.