UM releases Five-Year Development Plan
MACAU, October 9 - This year marks the 45th anniversary of the University of Macau (UM). The university held a press conference today (9 October) to release the University of Macau Five-Year Development Plan (Academic Years 2026/27-2030/31). The Five-Year Development Plan outlines UM’s development goals, development strategy, key measures, and support mechanisms for the next five years, serving as the action plan and overarching blueprint for the university’s high-quality development.
The press conference was chaired by UM Rector Yonghua Song. He said that UM will align its development with the national 15th Five-Year Plan and the Macao SAR’s Third Five-Year Plan. The university will implement the ‘R.E.A.C.H.’ overall development strategy, which stands for resource-integrated, excellence-focused, ambition-led, collaboration-centric, and high-impact. Through the development of the cross-border ‘one university, two campuses’ model, the university will enter a more mature and refined stage. Positioning itself as an institution firmly rooted in Macao, co-developing the Greater Bay Area, serving the nation, and pursuing global engagement, UM will steadily progress towards becoming a first-class university in China with world excellence.
In talent cultivation, UM is dedicated to building a balanced and integrated talent development system. The university will continue to optimise its disciplinary profile by focusing on the development of its five faculties in science, engineering, and medical fields, and develop a student composition to reflect its role as a comprehensive research university. Meanwhile, UM will expand its residential college system into a comprehensive education network comprising 20 colleges across two campuses, while enhancing the quality of postgraduate education. By the 2030/2031 academic year, the student population is projected to exceed 22,000.
In research and innovation, UM will take its three state key laboratories as the core of its research strategy to promote collaboration between the state key laboratories and research institutes, thereby strengthening basic research and generating more original and innovative research outcomes. The university will also develop major research platforms in key areas, including artificial intelligence and brain sciences, biomedical sciences and clinical translation, intelligent medical engineering, and energy and carbon neutrality. In addition, UM will develop an integrated innovation system that connects basic research, applied R&D, and the commercialisation of research outcomes.
To foster the development of the Macao-Hengqin industry-academia-research innovation ecosystem, UM will leverage the University of Macau Advanced Research Institute in Hengqin as its core transformation hub to build a transformation system. The university will further strengthen the Institute of Collaborative Innovation to establish a cross-border integrated industry-academia-research management mechanism and enhance innovation and entrepreneurship talent development. Additionally, UM will build an open, collaborative, and international innovation system by collaborating with leading universities and enterprises at home and abroad, as well as innovation networks in Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries.
In external exchange and collaboration, UM will prioritise partnerships with institutions in Portuguese-, Spanish- and English-speaking countries, countries along the ‘Belt and Road’, and neighbouring countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The university will also strengthen collaboration with leading universities in the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong SAR, including members of the C9 League+. UM will focus on four dimensions of internationalisation, namely international faculty members, internationalised programmes, international students, and international exchange, to deepen substantial collaborative projects. Moreover, the university will work towards ensuring that international programmes are offered across all faculties, institutes, and residential colleges. In particular, priority will be given to developing international dual degree programmes in the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Information Science and Computing, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Design on the Cooperation Zone campus.
Furthermore, in community service, UM will centre its efforts on five pillars: think tank, education, heritage, law, and research. The aim is to translate its academic strengths into tangible public value and respond to the diverse demands of the community.
Song noted that UM will continue to strengthen its talent base by recruiting top-tier scholars, building advanced interdisciplinary teams, and nurturing promising young talent. The university will also continue to implement the UM Talent Programme in support of Macao’s development into an international hub for high-calibre talent. Over the next five years, UM will prioritise the development of its Cooperation Zone campus. The campus is expected to commence partial operations in 2028 and be fully completed in 2029. Under the integrated cross-border ‘one university, two campuses’ management mechanism, the university will implement integrated and unified management across its main campus and Cooperation Zone campus, ensuring consistency in governance systems, operational models, student education, and the awarding of academic qualifications.
Song emphasised that over the next five years, UM will further advance the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, while playing a more proactive role in contributing to national development, deeper Macao-Hengqin integration, and Macao’s economic diversification.
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