A delegation from the University of Macau (UM), led by Rector Yonghua Song and Vice Rector Rui Martins, recently visited Lisbon, Portugal. During the visit, UM signed agreements with the University of Lisbon, the Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems, the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre, and the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon to deepen cooperation in areas such as research, teaching, and talent training in order to promote higher education development between Macao and Lisbon.

Rector Song visited the University of Lisbon (ULisboa) together with Macao SAR government officials led by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo Arrais do Rosário. Both parties held a courtesy meeting to discuss ways of fostering closer collaboration between Macao and Portugal in higher education and scientific research. Witnessed by Chief Executive Ho, Rector Song and Luís Ferreira, rector of ULisboa, signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement to elevate the relationship between the two universities to a strategic partnership. According to the agreement, UM will offer scholarships to doctoral students jointly trained by the two universities and support post-doctoral researchers as well as visiting scholars to conduct collaborative research in areas such as microelectronics, pharmacology, robotics, marine science, biomedical sciences, and materials science, in order to promote talent training and academic exchange. In addition, UM and ULisboa will hold joint meetings annually to enhance their cooperation and facilitate the development of university alliances such as the Academic Library Alliance between Macao Special Administrative Region and Portuguese-speaking Countries and the University Alliance for Portuguese Language Education in China. During the visit, Rector Song accompanied Chief Executive Ho to meet with more than 130 Macao students studying in Portugal, including over 30 representatives of exchange students from UM, to learn more about their life and their studies in Portugal.

After the signing of the agreement, Lee Ming Yuen, deputy director of UM’s Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, and Miguel Garcia, CEO of the Portuguese biotechnology company TechnoPhage, introduced the Macao SAR government delegation to the PD-001 Molecule, a dietary supplement developed by UM and produced and marketed by TechnoPhage. The supplement contains the bioactive ingredient PD-001, which was discovered by Prof Lee’s research team from Alpinia oxyphylla, a Chinese medicinal plant, and has been proven to be able to prevent and slow down the development of Parkinson’s disease. The industry-academia collaboration between UM and TechnoPhage began in 2014 and the two parties plan to launch the PD-001 Molecule as a novel food on the market in Europe in 2024.

Members of the Macao SAR government delegation also included Hoi Lai Fong, chief-of-office of the Chief Executive’s Office; Chan Lou, director of the Government Information Bureau; Lao Kuan Lai da Luz, director of the Government Headquarters Affairs Bureau; Kong Chi Meng, director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau; Lúcia Abrantes dos Santos, acting director of the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon; and Loi Chi San, deputy director of the Government Headquarters Affairs Bureau. Representatives of ULisboa also included João Peixoto, vice rector; and Carlos Alberto Brito Pina, president of the General Council.

On the same day, the UM delegation visited the Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems (LARSyS) and signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the Laoshan Laboratory and LARSyS virtually and in person. The three parties will jointly establish a centre for ocean research for China and Portuguese-speaking countries, promote the development of the China-Portuguese Speaking Countries Ocean Research Alliance, and initiate academic and research collaborations in ocean research.

In Portugal, members of the UM delegation also visited the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre (CCCM) in Lisbon and met with its director Carmen Mendes. Both parties signed a cooperation agreement on the establishment of the Portuguese-Asian Digital Archive Network (PADAN). This digital archive will collect documents, publications, historical materials, and data information about the mutual exchanges between Europe and Asia from the 16th to the 20th century, providing a platform for scholars around the world to search for and collect data, thereby promoting Portuguese-Asian relations and historical research, as well as the sharing of international academic resources. UM and CCCM will continue to jointly publish academic books and promote cooperation in multiple scientific and cultural fields.

Furthermore, the UM representatives visited the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon and met with its president Elmano Margato and vice president for academic affairs Maria Escudeiro. The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding to promote scientific and educational cooperation and exchanges in various fields. The UM delegation also visited the institute's School of Communication and Media Studies, School of Education, and School of Music.

As an international comprehensive public university in the Macao SAR, UM has been committed to expanding and deepening its cooperation with Portuguese universities and research institutions to promote collaborative innovation and talent development in higher education and fully leverage its role as a bridge for higher education cooperation and exchange between China and Portugal. This visit to Portugal has resulted in the implementation of multiple collaborations with higher education institutions and organisations, further consolidating and promoting exchanges and cooperation in higher education and technology between China and Portugal in order to create high-quality development opportunities.

Members of the UM delegation also included Wang Ruibing, director of the Global Affairs Office; Xu Jie, acting director of the Centre for Regional Oceans; and Carlos Silvestre, professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology.