UM hosts international big data conference, fostering academic exchange

The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City, and the Institute of Collaborative Innovation (ICI) at the University of Macau (UM) hosted the 13th IEEE International Conference on Big Data. The event brought together more than 1,000 participants from 50 countries and regions, including scholars, researchers, industry representatives, and students, to discuss the latest developments in big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and intelligent driving.

This year’s conference focused on core themes such as foundational theories of big data, high-performance computing, data governance, and interdisciplinary integration. The programme included 45 special sessions and 50 workshops showcasing cutting-edge academic research and industrial practice. The conference received nearly 800 paper submissions, with more than 140 high-quality papers accepted.

The 5th Macao Symposium on Cloud Computing and Intelligent Driving (CCID 2025) and the 3rd Macau Symposium on Data Science (MSDS 2025) were also held concurrently. Together, the two symposiums brought over 200 experts, scholars, and industry representatives from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Portugal, Switzerland, and the US. CCID 2025 focused on frontier topics including autonomous driving algorithms, intelligent transportation systems, and the low-altitude economy, with the goal of accelerating the practical implementation of technological innovations in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. MSDS 2025 highlighted practical applications in data exploration and management, machine learning algorithms and techniques, and natural language processing. Xu Cheng-Zhong, dean of FST and interim director of ICI, emphasised FST’s commitment to building international academic platforms to foster cross-border and interdisciplinary collaboration. He noted that the three conferences provided students with valuable opportunities to engage with world-leading experts.

Keynote speakers at the three conferences included Nitesh Chawla, professor at the University of Notre Dame, US; Li Guoliang, professor at Tsinghua University; Zheng Yu, vice president and chief data scientist at JD.com; Zhou Xiaofang, chair professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Siham Amer-Yahia, director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research; José Santos-Victor, Distinguished Professor at the University of Lisbon, Portugal; Philippe Cudre-Mauroux, professor at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland; John W. Paisley, associate professor at Columbia University, US; and Zhou Aoying, professor at East China Normal University.

In addition, UM launched its Joint Innovation Center with industry partners, as well as research projects funded by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund. The closing ceremony for the self-driving bus research project, supported by the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund, was also held during the event.

The 13th IEEE International Conference on Big Data

The 5th Macao Symposium on Cloud Computing and Intelligent Driving

The 3rd Macau Symposium on Data Science

A group photo