UM’s five new faculties and two new research institutes commence operations today

MACAU, August 1 - As a comprehensive research-oriented public university of international standing in Macao, the University of Macau (UM) continues to optimise its academic structure and strengthen its capacities in technology and innovation. Five science and technology faculties and two research institutes commenced operations today (1 August), namely the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Information Science and Computing, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Design, the Institute of Smart City Technologies, and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Brain Sciences. The strategic restructuring of academic disciplines and research platforms signifies UM’s continuous expansion in technology and innovation. The aim is to enhance the cultivation of high-calibre talent in science and technology, support the educational integration of Macao and Hengqin, promote Macao’s economic diversification, and establish UM as an internationally recognised university of excellence.

Yonghua Song, rector of UM, said that the restructuring is designed to align with the national strategy of building the country into a science and technology powerhouse, to facilitate the integrated development of education, technology, and talent in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and to meet the needs of Macao’s economic diversification. The restructuring also embodies the Macao SAR government’s ‘Education for Macao, Talent for Macao’ policy. Following two years of systematic research, expert consultation, internal approval processes, and endorsement by the University Council, UM has integrated its high-quality teaching and research resources to restructure its faculties and research institutes, thereby strengthening its capacity in science and technology education and cutting-edge research.

The five new faculties will transform UM’s academic structure for science and technology disciplines, creating a framework that spans basic sciences, engineering technology, information intelligence, modern medicine, and creative design, and driving the integration of medicine, engineering, information science, and intelligent technologies. Meanwhile, by leveraging Macao’s advantages under the ‘one country, two systems’ policy and UM’s international education model, the university will continue to strengthen its collaboration with world-leading institutions in the aforementioned fields, through joint talent cultivation, academic exchange, and research collaboration. The university will also step up its efforts to diversify its student body and faculty, promote international programmes, and foster international exchanges, with a view to building a demonstration zone for international education and innovation and technology, as well as an international hub for high-calibre talent.

The two new research institutes will support major national strategies, such as ‘Digital China’, the development of liveable and resilient smart cities, and the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), while advancing UM’s cutting-edge research and accelerating technology transfer. The Institute of Smart City Technologies will build on national-level research platforms to focus on smart city development, innovative urban governance, and green and low-carbon development, thereby contributing to the development of smart city systems in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Brain Sciences will leverage UM’s research strengths and bring together leading scholars from around the world. It will dedicate itself to interdisciplinary fields including artificial general intelligence (AGI), brain and cognitive sciences, robotics, and data science, promoting the deep integration of AI with healthcare, social governance, and engineering technologies.

Following the establishment of the five new faculties, UM now has a total of ten faculties. The university is also progressing with the establishment of two additional research institutes, one focusing on life sciences and the other on clinical and translational medicine. Once these two institutes are operational, UM will host a total of 11 research institutes. In line with the establishment of the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town and the extension of operations into the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, UM is adopting a unified management approach for its two campuses under the ‘one university, two campuses’ model. Notably, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Information Science and Computing, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Design will be located at the Cooperation Zone campus; while the Faculty of Science will remain at the main campus to strengthen basic research. The two campuses will share academic and research resources, leverage their complementary strengths, and achieve coordinated development. The research institutes will also capitalise on the advantages of the Cooperation Zone campus to foster the integrated development of basic research, technology development, practical applications, and industrial incubation. Through deepening industry-academia integration, establishing international research exchange platforms, and hosting high-end academic events, UM will accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes in both Macao and Hengqin and solve technical bottlenecks faced by industries in the region, thereby supporting Macao in better integrating into and serving national development. Looking ahead, the number of students studying science and technology at UM is projected to reach 14,500, which will significantly enhance the university’s capacity for nurturing talent in these fields. This will meet regional industrial demand and comprehensively upgrade the university’s educational standards, research capabilities, and talent development model.

The websites for the new faculties and research institutes were also launched today. For more information, please visit:  https://www.um.edu.mo/.