Since its establishment, UM has been committed to making contributions to Macao society. Even after its relocation to Hengqin in 2014, the university has remained steadfast in this core mission. Over the past decade, UM has made significant advancements in its academic and research capabilities, enabling the university to effectively disseminate legal knowledge, promote culture, support basic education, enhance public services, expand continuing education, and align research with the needs of society. These efforts have played a vital role in the sustained development of Macao.

Promoting the Constitution and the Basic Law

In 2018, UM’s Faculty of Law established the Centre for Constitutional Law and Basic Law Studies with the aim of supporting the effective implementation of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy in Macao. Since its establishment, the centre has played an important role in producing teaching materials, providing assistance to government departments and schools in promoting the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, as well as facilitating relevant research endeavours. Since 2019, the centre has also served as an official partner of Peking University’s Center for Studies of Constitutional and Administrative Law, a key research centre in the field of humanities and social sciences under the Ministry of Education.

Enhancing cultural promotion

UM is committed to preserving and promoting cultural heritage. In 2017, the university established the Centre for Chinese History and Culture within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to strengthen the study and dissemination of Chinese culture. The centre has undertaken numerous initiatives, including the publication of a chronicle of Macao literature, a journal dedicated to Chinese culture research, and a newspaper targeting teenagers in Macao. In addition, it has launched the Chinese Culture Promotion Ambassador training programme and established a base for the promotion of Chinese history and culture in collaboration with 12 local schools. The faculty also houses the Chinese-Portuguese Bilingual Teaching and Training Centre and the Confucius Institute, which aim to enhance cultural and language education, translation training, and cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, while also promoting traditional Chinese culture in these nations.

Prof Zhu Shoutong, director of the Centre for Chinese History and Culture, says, ‘Through partnerships with various sectors, we organise themed lectures and cultural heritage field trips. These initiatives are designed to create a relaxed environment for primary and secondary school students to learn about Chinese history and culture, and stimulate their interest in Chinese civilisation.’ Prof Zhu also mentions the launch of a degree programme in Chinese history and culture tailored for local teachers. The programme aims to improve their skills in interpreting and communicating China’s historical and cultural heritage.

Supporting primary and secondary education

UM utilises its rich academic resources to bolster local primary and secondary education in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The university organises a wide range of activities to foster students’ moral values, cultural literacy, and scientific thinking, while providing specialised training and certificate courses for teachers.

In 2018, UM established the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary Education in Humanities & Social Sciences, and the Macao Base for Primary & Secondary STEM Education, the latter of which has been recognised as a national science education base for 2021-2025 by the China Association for Science and Technology. Moreover, in 2019, UM signed a cooperation agreement with Ciência Viva, Portugal’s national agency for the promotion of science, technology, and culture, to jointly develop a STEM platform to foster the next generation of technology and innovative talent.

Nurturing governance talent

In 2020, UM inaugurated the Public Administration Training Centre with the aim of assisting the Macao SAR Government in cultivating a talent pool. The inauguration day also saw the opening ceremony of the first leadership training course for civil servants. Macao SAR Chief Executive Mr Ho Iat Seng joined the civil servants in the first class and shared his expectations for them.

The Public Administration Training Centre is dedicated to providing high-quality and systematic training for civil servants of the SAR Government. According to Prof Shui Bing, head of the centre, the state-of-the-art teaching facilities on the Hengqin campus have enabled UM to provide high-quality training for local civil servants, thereby making significant contributions to the reform of Macao’s public administration. He says, ‘Our civil servant leadership training course, which has been running for five years, is the first off-the-job training programme for civil servants in Macao. The course is designed to address specific problems and foster action-oriented approaches. As a result, it has cultivated a cadre of talented individuals who possess innovative and service-oriented mindsets.’ He adds that the centre plans to further enhance its training courses to produce more government officials who can meet the expectations of citizens.

Offering professional continuing education

Providing continuing education to the public has been an integral part of UM’s educational mission since its establishment. Over the past decade, the university’s Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) has offered a wide range of high-quality training courses and programmes. These include advanced professional diploma programmes; customised business management training courses; training courses for civil servants, medical professionals and teachers; cross-border professional training initiatives; as well as professional study tours.

Prof Matthew Liu, director of CCE, says that following the 2014 campus relocation, the centre has expanded its offerings and introduced a wider range of professional and diverse training courses. ‘Our work is guided by five pillars: professionalism, diversity, customisation, internationalisation, and integration into national development. We not only offer professional courses for the general public but also provide customised in-house training for companies and institutions,’ he says. ‘In addition, in line with the development of the country and the Greater Bay Area, we have also launched more thematic cross-border training and study tours for mainland and overseas institutions in recent years. According to Prof Liu, in response to Macao’s ‘1+4’ strategy for economic diversification, CCE has introduced new courses in related fields and a number of professional diploma programmes accredited by international bodies in recent years.

Utilising research results for the betterment of society

Since its campus relocation, UM has made significant progress in research, yielding numerous outcomes that contribute to the development of Macao. The university has served as a high-level think tank that provides expert recommendations, advice, and technical services across social, economic, and technological sectors. For instance, UM, through its commercial subsidiary UMTec Limited, undertakes various projects to promote and commercialise the university’s research results, and to enhance R&D collaboration with industry. Moreover, UM’s UMCERT Engineering Research and Testing Limited (UMCERT) participated in 46 public construction projects between 2022 and 2023, where it provided services such as quality assurance, review of architectural drawings, and monitoring of building structures.

Mr Mason Lo, director of the Centre for Engineering Research and Testing (CERT) and executive director of UMCERT, highlights the significant enhancements in testing instruments and facilities since the UM campus relocation. He says, ‘UMCERT provides a wide range of services, including testing of engineering and construction materials, quality control and assurance of public construction projects, review of architectural drawings, site geotechnical investigation and analysis, and safety monitoring and assessment of building structures.’ Mr Lo further mentions that UMCERT is currently responsible for the quality control of many major public construction projects in Macao, including public housing, bridge infrastructure, public office buildings, and training facilities for athletes.

Leveraging the research findings from its State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, UM has established the Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine and the Macao Centre for Testing of Chinese Medicine. By providing services to the government and local manufacturers, these centres play a vital role in supporting the growth of Macao’s big health industry. Additionally, the permanent secretariat of the Western Pacific Regional Forum for the Harmonization of Herbal Medicines was established at UM in 2023. This initiative enhances Macao’s influence in the international development of Chinese medicine.

In addition, UM assists the government in the compilation of Macao Gazetteer, which encompass knowledge about Macao’s geography, politics, economy, culture, military, and folklore. This extensive work includes an overview volume and several specialised volumes. Among them, the volume on geography is scheduled for publication in 2024.

UM members contributing to the community

UM members actively participate in various community service activities. After a severe typhoon hit Macao in 2017, UM students took the initiative to form volunteer teams to contribute to Macao’s recovery efforts. Similarly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, both staff and students dedicated their efforts to disease prevention and control measures. In addition to their contributions in Macao, students from various residential colleges and the UM Volunteer Programme participate in volunteer teaching and other initiatives in mainland China, Southeast Asia, and even Africa. In the 2022/2023 academic year, the university launched the UM Sports Volunteer Programme and recruited around 1,000 UM members to volunteer for sports events to be held in Macao during the National Games of China in 2025.

Committed to serving society

Over the past decade, UM has not only fostered academic innovation but also encouraged its faculty and students to engage with society. By sharing the fruitful outcomes of its achievements from the Hengqin campus, the university has made significant contributions to the wider community.

 

Chinese & English Text / Davis Ip, Senior UM Reporter Silvia Zhou

Photo / Editorial Board

Source: UMagazine Issue 29

All articles in the special issue dedicated to the 10th anniversary of UM’s relocation to Hengqin Island: