Accompanied by Rector Yonghua Song and Vice Rector Rui Martins of the University of Macau (UM), Rector of the University of Lisbon (ULisboa) Luís Ferreira called on Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Ho Iat Seng. During the meeting, the two parties exchanged views on deepening cooperation in areas such as scientific research, education, and talent cultivation, as well as promoting the development of higher education in Macao and Portugal. Ferreira also visited UM to further implement various collaborations.

The chief executive of the Macao SAR thanked Ferreira for his warm reception during his visit to ULisboa in April this year. He remarked that Macao has a solid foundation and advantages for the sustainable development of Portuguese language education, academic and research, and talent cultivation for tourism. In recent years, higher education institutions in Macao and Portugal have implemented a number of collaborations, which take their partnership in the areas of higher education and technology to the next level. It is hoped that UM and ULisboa will jointly accelerate the projects under the cooperation agreement in the field of medical sciences signed by the two universities. At the same time, Macao will continue to play its role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to promote academic and research collaborations between higher education institutions in mainland China, Macao, and Portugal, and facilitate quality exchanges between higher education institutions in mainland China and Portugal.

Ferreira said that this visit to Macao enabled him to learn about the rapid development of Macao’s higher education institutions in various fields in recent years, including the establishment of several state key laboratories and the achievement of a number of groundbreaking research results. ULisboa is the oldest and largest public higher education institution in Portugal. It has one of the best research capabilities in the world in the field of medical sciences, with state-of-the-art laboratories and world-class research results. He also expressed hope that ULisboa and UM will foster further collaborations in medical sciences, with the aim of contributing to Macao in scientific research, academic development, and talent cultivation, and improving the well-being of people in Macao.

During his time in Macao, Ferreira also paid a visit to UM, where he visited the University Gallery, the library, a residential college, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, and the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City. He spoke highly of the university’s development of research and education in recent years. He also expressed hope that UM and ULisboa will continue to strengthen their cooperation and exchanges, so as to cultivate top talent for China and Portugal and open a new chapter in higher education cooperation between the two countries.

According to UM Rector Yonghua Song, after the signing of the strategic cooperation framework agreement in April this year, the two universities have implemented a series of collaborations in various academic fields. These include the establishment of a joint research centre, the organisation of annual joint meetings, and the development of joint PhD programmes. He hopes that through this visit, the two universities will further promote their collaborations and explore more opportunities for cooperation.

UM representatives who received Ferreira during his visit to the university included Tong Io Cheng, dean of the Faculty of Law; Chen Xin, director of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences; Xu Renhe, associate dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences; Cheung Kwok Cheung, interim college master of Moon Chun Memorial College; Mak Pui In, director of the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI; Wu Jianzhong, university librarian; Xu Jie, interim director of the Centre for Regional Oceans; Zhou Wanhuan and Gong Zhiguo, professors in the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City; and Cherry Mok, acting director of the Global Affairs Office.

Source: Global Affairs Office
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