University Council (UC) for the 2025/2026 academic year at the Ho Yin Conference Hall today (2 July). The meeting was presided over by Sam Hou Fai, chief executive of the Macao SAR, chancellor of UM, and chair of UA. Sam expressed hope that UM will take a leading role in advancing the high-quality development of the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town, formulate a sound five-year development plan, establish itself as a hub for the integration of education, technology, and talent, and further expand its global network and partnerships. He added that the Macao SAR government will continue to fully support local higher education institutions in elevating their educational standards and pursuing high-quality development. The meeting was also attended by O Lam, secretary for social affairs and culture; Lam Kam Seng Peter, chair of UC; and Yonghua Song, rector of UM.
Sam said that UM is presented with significant opportunities as the development of the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town has been designated a national priority in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Furthermore, the Macao SAR government’s upcoming Third Five-Year Plan places strong emphasis on the integrated development of education, technology, and talent.
Sam set out four advice and suggestions for the university. The first is to advance the development of the university town with high standards. He said that UM should enhance its cross-border educational initiatives, covering campus development, curriculum planning, laboratory facilities, and industry-academia collaboration. The university should also ensure the proper use of government funding and maintain compliance with relevant regulations, with the goal of becoming a model for cross-border education under the ‘one country, two systems’ policy. The second is to formulate and implement a new five-year development plan and strengthen synergies between the university’s two campuses in academic development, talent cultivation, and research. The third is to capitalise on the university’s role as a key platform for integrating education, research, and talent by enhancing its academic structure, advancing research in key areas, and attracting and nurturing high-calibre talent. The fourth is to further expand the university’s global network, particularly by promoting exchanges with Portuguese-, Spanish-, and English-speaking countries, as well as neighbouring regions in Asia, thereby supporting Macao’s role in the country’s high-level opening up.
Lam outlined the key initiatives undertaken by the Seventh University Council during its term (2023-2026). He noted that over the past three years, UC has actively supported the development of UM’s campus in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and the university’s efforts to enhance its academic structure. It has also improved the university’s governance through strengthened supervision and auditing mechanisms. Lam added that the Cooperation Zone campus is a key platform for UM to support national development strategies and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. UC will continue to support the university by strengthening its strategic planning and institutional framework, while creating favourable conditions to establish Macao as an international hub for high-calibre talent.
Song provided an update on UM’s ‘one university, two campuses’ initiative, outlining the university’s current progress and future plans in education, research, and talent development. He noted that UM is advancing the development of the Cooperation Zone campus to high standards, and has established a management committee and operational bodies to ensure the integrated management of the two campuses. Notably, the main campus will focus on humanities, social sciences, and basic science, while the Cooperation Zone campus will concentrate on medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and technology-related disciplines. Song added that UM will continue to strengthen major national and regional research platforms, and promote the commercialisation of research outcomes arising from industry-academia collaboration. By integrating resources across both campuses, attracting and nurturing talent, and expanding international partnerships, the university aims to evolve into a comprehensive research-oriented university of international standing that is ‘first-class in China and excellent globally’.
Members of the University Assembly and the University Council, as well as representatives from relevant UM departments, also engaged in in-depth discussions on recruiting international faculty and attracting international students, the commercialisation of research results, and how to embrace artificial intelligence in education.
