The University of Macau (UM) held the Joint Meeting of the University Assembly (UA) and University Council (UC) for the 2024/2025 academic year in the Ho Yin Conference Hall yesterday (4 August). Sam Hou Fai, chief executive of the Macao SAR, chancellor of UM and chair of UA, presided over the meeting. He said that higher education in Macao is experiencing an unprecedented period of development, and the SAR government will support the integrated development of education, technology, and talent in order to develop new quality productive forces for the city. He also expressed hope that UM will continue to promote talent attraction and development, foster the integration of industry and academia, and expand its international cooperation network, so as to support Macao’s development as an international hub for high-calibre talent.

Chancellor Sam set out five expectations for UM. The first is to seize the opportunities presented by the integration of Macao and Hengqin. He noted that UM, as the first higher education institution in Macao to establish a campus in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, should play a leading role in the development of the Macao-Hengqin international education (university) town. The university should clearly define the bodies responsible for the construction project, teaching and research facilities, and industry-academia collaboration. It should also ensure the rational use of public funds, and oversee the entire construction project to guarantee strict compliance with regulations. The second is to promote talent attraction and development. He expressed hope that UM will meet the needs of national development and Macao’s economic diversification, enhance its academic offerings to meet industry needs, and optimise its talent development model. The university should also make good use of its international platform, focus on key industries in the integrated development of Macao and Hengqin, and recruit high-level researchers and teams from around the world.

The third is to foster the in-depth integration of industry and academia. Sam expressed hope that UM will explore more innovative cooperation models with the business sector, enhance the commercialisation of research outcomes, and contribute to the development of new quality productive forces in Macao and Hengqin. The fourth is to enhance the university’s level of internationalisation. UM should strengthen regional cooperation and serve as a bridge between regions, and enhance its cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries, English-speaking countries, and countries and regions in Asia. The university should also develop more pragmatic, flexible, and sustainable exchange programmes, and attract more international students. The fifth is to support national development strategies and the policy directions of the Macao SAR. Sam expressed hope that UM will closely align with the strategy of building China into a leading country in education through the high-level opening up of education, support Macao in promoting economic diversification, and develop the city as an international hub for high-calibre talent. He also encouraged the university to be forward-looking and proactive.

UC Chair Lam Kam Seng Peter gave an overview of UC’s work over the past year, including supporting UM in establishing a campus in the Cooperation Zone, improving the university’s internal planning and governance, and contributing to the development of an international hub for high-calibre talent. He said that the establishment of the Macao-Hengqin international education (university) town is an important initiative for the Macao SAR to integrate into national development and serve the Greater Bay Area. He added that UM will conscientiously implement all tasks, adhere to the fundamental goal of fostering virtue through education, enhance the quality and effectiveness of talent development, and promote the intensive development of the university.

UM Rector Yonghua Song provided an overview of the university’s progress in moderately expanding its student body, enhancing its academic programmes and curriculum, and strengthening its domestic and international cooperation networks. He said that UM will seize the opportunities to improve the mechanism for conducting teaching activities in the Cooperation Zone, ensure full supervision of the construction project of the new campus, and formulate development plans for various faculties and disciplines in accordance with the university’s Five-Year Development Plan. In addition, Song gave a brief overview of the operation of the teaching facilities in the Cooperation Zone during the transition period, and the development plan for the new campus.

During the meeting, attendees engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including transport infrastructure for the UM campus in the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the integrated development of industry and higher education, the application of industry-academia collaboration outcomes, and measures to attract talent, including international students, to pursue development in Macao. The joint meeting was also attended by O Lam, secretary for social affairs and culture, members of UA and UC, and representatives from relevant departments of UM.