UM launches Funding Scheme for Outstanding Start-ups

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) of the University of Macau (UM) and UMTEC Limited held a press conference on the Funding Scheme for Outstanding Start-ups today (21 June). The funding scheme is supported by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) of the Macao SAR Government and sponsored by Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited with a seed grant of MOP 1.5 million. It will provide financial support to five selected start-ups with the aim of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Macao.

Speaking at the event, Xu Jian, vice rector of UM, said that the funding scheme embodies the cooperation between government, university and the gaming industry, and demonstrates the determination of all parties to jointly promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Macao. Lo King Hang, senior vice president and head of international marketing at Melco Resorts & Entertainment and general manager of Macao Altira and Mocha Clubs, expressed hope that more potential start-up projects could be identified through the funding scheme, thus supporting the ‘1+4’ strategy for economic diversification.

In the presence of Xu and Chan Chou Weng, head of the Technology Department of DSEDT, Lo presented a cheque to Leung Lai Han, member of board of directors of UMTEC Limited. The five funded start-ups are all incubated in UM: Macau Chiherbal Health Technology Company Limited, Chasing Health Technology Co Ltd, Macau Hap On Aromatherapy Application Research Institute Co Ltd, Macau Cloud Time Technology Co Ltd, and Macau Yunchao Future Technology Co Ltd. By providing financial support to the start-ups, the funding scheme aims to help them transform their creative projects into commercial products or services, expand their business scale, and increase their technological maturity.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58513/

UM students join study mission to Las Vegas

The Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management and the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming (ISCG) of the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) at the University of Macau (UM) organised a two-week study mission to Las Vegas, US for students. The study mission aimed to enhance students’ theoretical and practical skills in gaming, integrated resort and tourism management, and enable them to gain inspiration for the development of ‘tourism + sports’ in Macao.

A total of 35 students joined the study mission, which was led by Miao Li, head of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management; Choe Ja Young, assistant professor in the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management; and Fong Ka Chio, director of ISCG. Las Vegas is well known for its leading quality in integrated tourism services. Well before 2019, the city already introduced the elements of ‘tourism + sports’ into its entertainment portfolio. Several mega sports complexes have also been built in recent years to enhance the city’s capacity to host various sporting events. In view of this, UM organised the study mission to enable students from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management to visit the relevant facilities.

During the trip, the students visited several mega sports complexes in Las Vegas to gain an in-depth understanding of their day-to-day operation in various aspects. They also visited the integrated resorts of Wynn Las Vegas and MGM Resorts International to learn about their business operations. They watched several performances there and familiarised themselves with the behind-the-scenes preparation as well as the set-up and daily maintenance of relevant facilities. In addition, the students visited the local facilities, residential areas and related organisations in order to gain more insights into the landscape of Las Vegas, a city driven by tourism and gaming.

The study mission was sponsored by the University of Macau Development Foundation, Wynn Macau, and MGM.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58510/

UM holds International Symposium of Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground

The 11th International Symposium of Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground (IS-Macau 2024) was held at the University of Macau (UM). The symposium was jointly organised by UM, Technical Committee 204 (TC204) of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), the Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau, and the Macau Association for Geotechnical Engineering. More than 150 delegates from 15 countries and regions, including the UK, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Dubai, Singapore, Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, attended the symposium to exchange views and promote cooperation on geotechnical aspects of underground construction in soft ground.

Xu Cheng-Zhong, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at UM, said in his opening remarks that the development of smart cities has received significant attention and has been promoted around the world in recent years. The development and utilisation of underground space is of great significance in increasing urban carrying capacity, optimising spatial layout, and improving operational efficiency. As one of the organisers of the symposium, UM hopes to take the lead in strengthening cooperation, technical exchanges, and talent development for scientists from different countries and regions in the relevant fields, while providing solutions for various aspects of underground construction and related fields, so as to make promote the development of smart cities.

Themed ‘Tunnelling and Underground Construction for Smart Cities’, the four-day symposium featured a Fujita Lecture, an ISSMGE Bright Spark Lecture, 5 keynote lectures, 6 plenary sessions, and 18 paper presentations. During the symposium, prominent scholars and experts from home and abroad shared their latest achievements in the geotechnical aspects of the analysis, design, construction and maintenance of deep excavations, tunnels and large underground structures, as well as the applications of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence in the smart construction and maintenance of underground infrastructure, thereby promoting the exchange and cooperation within the international academic community on the geotechnical issues of underground construction in soft ground. The symposium also included a roundtable discussion, a poster session, and the presentation of the poster award. In addition, Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground, the proceedings of the tenth edition of the symposium, was launched to stimulate further technical development and innovation.

The honorary chairs of IS-Macau 2024 are Ao Peng Kong, president of the Board of Directors of the Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau, and Giulia Viggiani, chair of ISSMGE TC204. The general chairs are Zhou Wanhuan, associate dean of FST and head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UM, and Xu Tao, associate professor in the School of Transportation at Southeast University. The opening ceremony was also attended by Lyesse Laloui, vice president of ISSMGE Europe; Adam Bezuijen, former chair of ISSMGE TC204; Wout Broere, chair of the National Structural Integrity Research Committee on Immersed Tunnels of the Netherlands and editor-in-chief of the journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology; Chen Renpeng, vice president of Hunan University; and Wu Wei, editor-in-chief of the journal Acta Geotechnica.

The first International Symposium on Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground was held in 1994 in New Delhi, India. The subsequent nine editions were held in London, UK (1996); Tokyo, Japan (1999); Toulouse, France (2002); Amsterdam, Netherlands (2005); Shanghai, China (2008); Rome, Italy (2011); Seoul, South Korea (2014); Sao Paulo, Brazil (2017); and Cambridge, UK (2022), respectively.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58505/

International Conference on Travel Literature in Chinese closes at UM

The concluding session and closing ceremony of the 8th International Conference on Travel Literature in Chinese was held at the University of Macau (UM). Themed ‘The Journey of Hong Kong Travel Literature and Greater Bay Area Literature’, the three-day conference brought together writers and scholars from various countries and regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and the US, to discuss the creation and development of Chinese travel literature. The opening ceremony, keynote address, and panel discussions were held earlier at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Wu Zhiliang, vice chairperson of the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and president of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Foundation, said in his speech that Macao and Hong Kong, both as core cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, share significant similarities and have room for complementarity and cooperation. The two cities also play a leading role in improving the quality of hospitality of other mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area.

Xu Jie, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at UM, said that travel literature serves as a bridge between culture and tourism. It not only documents travellers’ journeys and feelings, but also conveys the essence of cultural heritage and exchange, enabling readers to transcend the boundaries of time and space and appreciate the charm of different places and cultures.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58501/

UM Dragon Boat Team wins eight consecutive championships in international dragon boat races

The Dragon Boat Team of the University of Macau (UM) participated in the 2024 SJM Macao International Dragon Boat Races. The team won the championship in the ‘Macao University Student Small Dragon Boat Race – Open Category (200m)’ with a time of 49.481 seconds, the best result recorded in the recent editions of the race. This is also their eighth consecutive championship in the race. Eight teams from five higher education institutions in Macao took part in the race, including two teams from UM with a total of 28 members. The UM Dragon Boat Team also participated in the ‘Macao University Student Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race – Open Category (500m)’ and finished sixth against nine teams from higher education institutions in Singapore, Thailand, mainland China, and Macao.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58492/

UM holds Alumni Associations Meeting

The Alumni and Development Office of the University of Macau (UM) held the Alumni Associations Meeting 2024-cum-Sharing of UM Distinguished Alumnus Sou Chio Fai, with the aim of building a strong alumni community and strengthening ties among UM alumni associations. The event brought together representatives of 19 UM alumni associations formed by alumni from different places.

Speaking at the event, UM Vice Rector Rui Martins said that the support of alumni associations is vital to the university’s development. He expressed hope that the event would deepen the alumni associations’ understanding of the latest developments of UM, and provide a platform for networking and exchange between the various alumni associations, thereby building a strong alumni community. Martins also added that UM is actively coordinating the establishment of an alumni association for alumni in Mozambique, which will be the university’s first alumni association in Portuguese-speaking countries.

During the meeting, representatives of the alumni associations exchanged views on alumni activities and future plans, and provided valuable opinions on the development of alumni affairs. They also explored the feasibility of building a platform for coordinating alumni affairs to strengthen the role of alumni associations as a bridge between UM and its alumni and to promote the development of the university through joint efforts.

Sou Chio Fai, a distinguished alumnus of UM and former director of the Higher Education Bureau, was invited to speak at the sharing session. Sou has made significant contributions to the development of education in Macao over the years. During the sharing session, he shared his experiences with the participants, and provided insights into the close relationship between a university and its alumni associations, as well as the far-reaching impact that the development of both can bring. Sou also encouraged all UM alumni associations to strengthen their ties with each other, build a good communication and cooperation network, and join forces with alumni around the world to support the development of the university.

In addition, representatives of the alumni associations visited the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, where they visited the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute and some enterprises. The visits enabled the alumni to learn more about UM’s efforts in research innovation and the commercialisation of research results, as well as the latest developments in the Cooperation Zone.

Also present at the event were Paul Pang, dean of students; Grace Chau, director of the Office of Sports Affairs; Cindy Lam, director of the Alumni and Development Office.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58481/

UM holds symposium on biomedical sciences

The opening ceremony of the 10th Macau Symposium on Biomedical Sciences, organised by the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) of the University of Macau (UM), was held today (14 June) at UM. The symposium has brought together more than 200 experts, researchers and students in the field of biomedical sciences from around the world. Under the theme ‘Pushing the Limit’, the three-day event features 42 academic talks on cutting-edge research and innovative technologies in biomedical sciences.

Ge Wei, vice rector of UM, said in his speech that UM has continuously improved its teaching and research quality and actively engaged in research innovation and industry-academia collaboration, achieving remarkable results. He also added that UM’s international reputation continues to grow. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2024, UM is ranked among the top 200 in the world for the first time, and it has also made an impressive leap into the top 200 in the clinical and health subject ranking. He expressed hope that the symposium will provide a platform for researchers from around the world to engage in in-depth discussions on biomedical sciences, break through the limits in the field, and promote cutting-edge research and industry-academia collaboration.

Chuxia Deng, dean of FHS, said that the symposium features 1 keynote lecture, 4 plenary lectures, and 37 session talks, enabling domestic and foreign experts to hold in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics in biomedical sciences. These topics include diagnostic imaging and drug delivery, cancer immunology, personalised cancer treatment, tumour microenvironment and metastasis, metabolism, signalling networks and therapy, developmental induction, single-cell analysis, stem cells, epigenetics, infectious diseases, genome editing and reprogramming, and new technologies.

In the keynote lecture, Wang Xiao-Fan, world-renowned cancer biologist, foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Distinguished Professor at Duke University, discussed novel mechanisms by which tumour cells evade immune surveillance as well as clinically relevant strategies for anti-cancer immunotherapy. In addition, four professors shared their research results during the plenary session: Cantas Alev, professor at Kyoto University, talked about the reconstitution of human axial development and diseases in vitro; Manuel Valiente, head of the Brain Metastasis Group of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre, discussed strategies to challenge brain metastasis lethality; Yu Di, director of the Ian Frazer Centre for Children’s Immunotherapy Research at the University of Queensland in Australia, presented his research on the interactions between systemic metabolism and ferroptosis that shape T-cell function in immunity; Zhao Keji, director of the Systems Biology Center at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the US National Institutes of Health, explained the detection, function and regulation of chromatin loops.

The session talks cover a range of topics, including stem cells, gene and cell therapy; fungal biology, infection and application; bioimaging and biomaterials; chromatin and transcriptional regulation in disease; and cancer research. Domestic and foreign experts present the latest advances in their respective countries and regions and lead in-depth discussions. In addition, over 160 outstanding posters are showcased at the symposium. The poster review committee will assess all the posters and select some remarkable entries for the Best Poster Awards.

This is the tenth edition of the Macau Symposium on Biomedical Sciences since its inception in 2014. It aims to provide an academic platform for experts and scholars in the field of biomedical sciences from around the world, in order to strengthen research collaboration and promote biomedical innovation and development.

Guests attending the opening ceremony included Chan Tai Ip, deputy director of Kiang Wu Hospital; Tam Sio Wa, head of the Division of Tertiary Educational Cooperation and Exchange of the Education and Youth Development Bureau; Chan Tak In, head of the Division of Chemical Medicines and Devices of the Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau; Pang Fong Kuong, chief of service of Conde S. Januário Hospital; Lam Oi Ching, associate dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sports at Macao Polytechnic University; Zhu Yi Zhun, director of the School of Pharmacy at Macau University of Science and Technology; Leong Sok Man, executive officer of the Research Management & Development Department at Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau; and Chong Hong Heng, president of the Macau Association of Precision Medicine. UM representatives who also attended the event included Rui Martins, vice rector of UM; Yu Jun, dean of the Faculty of Business Administration; Xu Cheng-Zhong, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology; Tang Zikang, director of the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering; Chen Xin, director of the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences; Pang Chap Chong, dean of students; and Wang Ruibing, director of the Global Affairs Office.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58485/

UM representative visits US to promote academic exchange and research

To promote the internationalisation of higher education in Macao and to attract more outstanding international scholars and students to study and conduct research in Macao, Ge Wei, vice rector of the University of Macau (UM), joined a Macao delegation led by Ao Ieong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of the Macao SAR Government, to the US. The delegation visited several higher education institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ge also attended the ‘U.S.-China Bay to Bay Dialogue’ and held discussions with other participants to promote exchanges between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the San Francisco Bay Area.

During the trip, Ge, other Macao higher education representatives, and Macao government officials, visited Stanford University, the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, Berkeley. They discussed the development of higher education institutions, academic exchanges and talent development with representatives of these universities. The delegation also met with the Chinese scholars and Chinese students there. Ge gave them an overview of the UM Talent Programme and encouraged them to pursue further studies in Macao and contribute to scientific research.

The delegation also attended the ‘U.S.-China Bay to Bay Dialogue’. During the event, Ge participated in a discussion session themed ‘People to People Exchange for Mutual Understanding and Friendship’ and introduced Macao’s higher education, promoting exchanges between the GBA and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, the delegation paid a visit to the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, where they introduced Macao’s unique role in the GBA and its ‘1+4’ strategy for economic diversification.

This trip enabled UM to deepen its ties with leading academic institutions in the US, lay a solid foundation for future cooperation, and promote exchanges and cooperation in the fields of talent development, academic research and cultural exchange.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58477/

Global Business School EMBA Badminton Alliance All-Star Tournament held at UM

The Global Business School EMBA Badminton Alliance All-Star Tournament 2024, organised by the Global Business School EMBA Badminton Alliance and presented by the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) of the University of Macau (UM), was held at UM. The tournament attracted nearly 200 participants, including members of the Global Business School EMBA Badminton Alliance as well as UM students and faculty. It aimed to promote sports and business exchanges between business schools around the world and Macao, and to foster cooperation between enterprises and higher education institutions.

The tournament also saw the participation of Zhang Nan, Olympic badminton champion, and Ma Jin, badminton world champion and student of the Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme at UM. Ma said that the tournament provided members of the Global Business School EMBA Badminton Alliance an opportunity to visit Macao and learn about Macao’s policies and business environment. Yu Jun, dean of FBA, expressed hope that the tournament would promote the integration of international sporting events and cultural elements in Macao, and attract more cultural and sporting events to take place in the city, thereby promoting Macao’s ‘1+4’ strategy for economic diversification. This year’s tournament was held under the ‘one tournament, two places’ approach, and took place in both Hengqin and Macao for the first time.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58476/

UM develops new drug screening technology for precision medicine

A research team led by Jia Yanwei, assistant professor in the Institute of Microelectronics at the University of Macau (UM), has developed a microfluidic system for drug screening using primary tumour cells, which can offer individual cancer patients a tailored treatment plan that exhibits the best therapeutic results. The system is expected to be used by clinicians in medication guidance, thereby realising the commercialisation of research results and facilitating technological innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The research findings have been published in the internationally renowned journal Nature Communications.

In recent years, precision medicine has emerged as a hot topic in the medical field. It represents a model of individualised healthcare that tailors the treatment plan and clinical decision for each patient based on the patient’s intrinsic biological information or clinical signs and symptoms. To date, the majority of precision medicine approaches have been based on the genetic abnormalities of each patient. Some drugs are prescribed to patients with certain genetic mutations with the aim of achieving an optimal response, whereas some other patients with specific mutations are not prescribed these drugs due to predicted reduced responsiveness or a high risk of adverse effects. However, clinical data have indicated that an increasing number of genes are involved in the cancer response to a certain drug, making the therapeutic effect based on genetic precision medicine unsatisfying. An alternative approach is to perform drug screening on primary tumour cells derived from patient biopsies or tumour resection samples. This provides direct information on the drug susceptibility of the specific tumour. However, biopsy samples contain only a limited number of cells, which makes drug screening with traditional 96-well microplates challenging. While multiple biopsies could provide sufficient tumour cells, this also carries an increased risk of cancer metastasis and causes the patient to experience more pain.

The research team has therefore developed a novel clinician-friendly drug screening device that enables the immediate collection of highly active cancer cells and on-site drug screening. It is a portable digital microfluidic (DMF) device with low power consumption that integrates all the controls into a handheld box with user-friendly control panels, enabling the handling of tiny samples. A single biopsy of a small quantity of cell samples is sufficient to produce drug screening results with the DMF chip, thus avoiding the risks and discomfort associated with repeated biopsies for patients. The device has been applied to clinical liver cancer samples for targeted drug screening. The results obtained are consistent with those derived from genetic sequencing and provide a more direct reflection of the individual patient’s response to the drug.

According to the research team, the DMF technology can provide clinicians and patients with reliable medication guidance, and low cost of equipment in comparison with that of gene sequencing. The technology should enable mass production and the realisation of precision medicine for all. It also provides researchers with a platform for high-throughput drug screening and significant savings in samples and reagents, which can help explore new therapeutic strategies and develop new drugs to further improve treatment efficacy. In addition, the DMF technology has been commercialised, resulting in the establishment of a high-tech service organisation called Promedicine Technology, which specialises in the research, development, production, and retail of precision medical equipment, contributing to technological innovation in the Greater Bay Area.

The corresponding author of the paper is Prof Jia, while UM postdoctoral fellow Zhai Jiao and UM doctoral student Liu Yingying are the co-first authors. Yao Hailong, professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Yi Shuhong, chief physician at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, are the co-corresponding authors. UM professors Rui Martins and Mak Pui In, and the technical and management team of the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI also made significant contributions to the study.

The research project was supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund of the Macao SAR (File no: 0029/2021/A1 and 004/2023/SKL), UM (File no: MYRG2020-00078-IME and MYRG-GRG2023-00034-IME), Dr Stanley Ho Medical Development Foundation (File no: SHMDF-OIRFS/2024/001), Zhuhai Huafa Group (File no: HF-006-2021), the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (File no: 62034005), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (File no: 61974084). The full version of the research article is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48616-3.

To read the news on UM’s official website, please visit the following link:
https://www.um.edu.mo/news-and-press-releases/presss-release/detail/58468/