UM vice rector attends Sino-US University Presidents’ Dialogue and visits US universities

Xu Jian, vice rector of the University of Macau (UM), led a delegation to the US for exchanges. During the visit, Xu attended the Sino-US University Presidents’ Dialogue and visited renowned universities in the US to promote academic collaboration between Chinese and US institutions.

Xu attended the ‘Sino-US University Presidents’ Dialogue 2024’ in Chicago. The event, jointly organised by Peking University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Chicago, brought together presidents and representatives from 14 Chinese universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and UM, along with 12 US universities, including the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Yale University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Delegates discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by the integration of artificial intelligence and higher education. They also shared insights on how to promote academic collaboration between Chinese and US universities in the new international landscape. The event facilitated exchanges between universities from the US, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, laying a foundation for further cooperation.

The UM delegation also visited three universities in Illinois and engaged in discussions on industry-academia collaboration as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. During their visit to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), the delegation had an in-depth exchange with Suseelan Pookote, senior director of the Office of Technology Management, on promoting university intellectual property management, technology transfer, start-up incubation, and seed fund operations. They also visited the UIC Technology Innovation Lab to learn about its current operations as a start-up incubator.

At Northwestern University, the UM delegation met with Lisa Dhar, associate vice president of the Innovation and New Ventures Office, and Sonia Kim, executive director of the Querrey InQbation Lab. They also visited the Querrey InQbation Lab, the university’s incubator, to learn about its operations and incubation programmes. Both parties discussed ways to encourage and support entrepreneurship among university students and faculty, and how to build an ecosystem to support high-tech development.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the UM delegation had in-depth discussions with Nathan Hoffmann, director of the Office of Technology Management, on establishing a system for the commercialisation of research results. They also had extensive exchanges with Pedro Fernandes da Costa, Ulyssia Dennis, and Stephanie Larson, associate directors of the Office of Corporate Relations, on how universities can establish cooperation with enterprises and the business community on all fronts, and how to establish mechanisms and practices that garner support from different sectors of society. The delegation also met with Gerald O. Wilson, director of entrepreneurship at the UIUC Research Park and EnterpriseWorks, to gain insights into fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and operating technology incubators. The two parties also shared their experiences in establishing links with industry experts and building venture capital networks.

During their visits to the three universities, the delegation shared UM’s efforts in building an ecosystem for industry-academia collaboration and the university’s practices in innovation and entrepreneurship. They also introduced UM’s demonstration base for industry-academia collaboration in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and the latest developments in establishing an international technology and innovation centre in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These visits have deepened UM’s partnerships with top US universities in knowledge transfer and entrepreneur incubation. The university will continue to cultivate talent with a global perspective, actively promote the commercialisation of research results, and provide more opportunities for innovation and development for its students and faculty.

The UM delegation also included Chen Guokai, professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and director of the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute; and Elaine Leung Lai Han, professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and head of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.