Universities are the major force and platform that drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialisation of scientific research results in Macao. In the past decade, the University of Macau (UM) has been dedicated to promoting the development of innovative technology and has achieved some high-quality scientific and technological research results. Thanks to the university’s knowledge transfer policy, the development path of research results has become more diverse. Through its institute for industry-academia collaboration, UM hopes to strengthen collaboration with industry and research institutes, as well as to promote the commercialisation of scientific research results, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The source and main actor of innovation provide the foundation and guarantee for the commercialisation of research results. To this end, UM has completed the following tasks: it restructured its Research Services and Knowledge Transfer Office to enhance research services and awareness about the importance of the protection of intellectual property rights; it formulated the Regulation of Management of Intellectual Property for University of Macau and the Rules of Management of Intellectual Property for University of Macau, which are designed to effectively extend and provide protection for high-quality research results; it restructured UMTec Limited (UMTec), which is specifically responsible for the management and industrialisation of UM’s intellectual property and for creating an efficient flow of innovation elements in the process of innovation source support, research results protection, incubation/cultivation, and knowledge evaluation. In recent years, the number and quality of patent applications from UM have grown rapidly. Using patented technology licensed by UM, some tech products have moved from the research and development (R&D) stage to the trial sales stage, while some are in the R&D stage and test and evaluation stage.

As an important measure to promote industry-academia collaboration in Macao, UM has established the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) under the Institute of Collaborative Innovation. Since its establishment, the CIE has been actively promoting interactions between UM and various other parties in Macao and mainland China, including government departments, schools, companies, incubators, venture capital institutions, as well as entrepreneurial mentors. The CIE also helps teachers and students to implement their creative ideas and provides a platform to support industry-academia collaboration for innovation and entrepreneurship, so as to establish a mechanism that facilitates the training of a new type of professionals.

UM has established two platforms for industry-academia collaboration: one is its first base for industry-academia collaboration in the Greater Bay Area established via the Zhuhai UM Science and Technology Research Institute, and the other is the Hengqin branch of the university’s three state key laboratories, namely the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI (AMS-VLSI), the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, and the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City. In order to overcome the bottlenecks in the commercialisation of technological results, UM uses the Zhuhai UM Science and Technology Research Institute as an innovation carrier to access the human and industrial resources in the Pearl River Delta and to connect to the Angel Investment Foundation, which has established a system for the commercialisation and cultivation of outstanding results in basic research and applied research at UM in order to facilitate industrialisation.

After years of development, UM has achieved many high-quality research results. In recent years, it has formulated a ‘3+3+3+3’ strategic research blueprint, which aims to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and break the barriers between different disciplines, especially those between humanities and social sciences and modern technology. Some of the results from applied research have shown great promise for industrial application. For example, a technology that enables storage of stem cells at room temperature, developed by Prof Xu Renhe in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), and a new type of protein and molecular detection products and services designed for clinical and research markets, developed by Prof Poon Chuen Wai in the FHS, have won numerous awards and attracted the interest of investors at international and regional entrepreneurial competitions.

UM is communicating with different government departments and companies to promote the commercialisation of some of its research results. They include Virus Hunter, a rapid test kit developed by the AMS-VLSI Lab for quick clinical diagnosis, as well as intermediate raw materials such as water-absorbing swelling agents developed by the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering. The materials will first be produced in the form of power for civilian use through the Zhuhai UM Science and Technology Research Institute and can be used in diapers or as farmland water retention agent. At the moment, the university plans to launch the product onto the market by working with Zhuhai Gaolan Port Industrial Park, the largest industrial park in western Guangdong. 

Technology changes our lives and shapes society’s future development. UM has made a series of plans to promote collaboration between industry, universities, and research institutes while also trying to develop a mechanism that facilitates the training of a new type of professionals, in order to promote the commercialisation of research results and make a greater contribution to Macao and China in terms of knowledge and technological innovation.

Source: Communications Office

Media Contact Information:                Communications Office, University of Macau

Albee Lei  Tel：(853) 88228004Kelvin U  Tel：(853) 88224322Email：prs.media@um.edu.moUM Website：www.um.edu.mo