UM rector attends University Presidents Roundtable between the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao

Yonghua Song, rector of the University of Macau (UM), attended the University Presidents Roundtable between the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao held in Hong Kong (12 August). During the event, he engaged in in-depth discussions with the presidents of leading mainland and Hong Kong universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Xiamen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Westlake University, The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and City University of Hong Kong. Topics discussed included interdisciplinary education and international cooperation in the context of building China into a leading country in education.

During the roundtable discussion, Song delivered a speech on how world-class universities cultivate talent through disciplinary integration. In his speech, he presented UM’s different educational approaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and explained how the university implements disciplinary integration throughout all stages of talent development. He also said that UM will capitalise on the new opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin by establishing its campus in the Cooperation Zone and expanding its teaching space and resources, thereby injecting new impetus into the development of higher education in Macao and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

A signing ceremony was held during the event, where Song and Gao Song, president of Sun Yat-sen University, signed a cooperation framework agreement. By establishing a strategic partnership, the two universities will leverage their respective strengths in teaching and research to strengthen their exchange and cooperation in applied research in science and technology and talent development, thereby contributing to the development of the Greater Bay Area.

The inauguration ceremony of the Alliance of Open Life Science also took place during the event. As a founding member of the alliance, UM will work with other members to promote academic exchanges in life sciences and technology, foster talent exchange and the integration of research resources in related fields.