Yonghua Song
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the University of Macau (UM). The university held a press conference today (23 December) to release its Five-Year Development Plan (Academic Years 2021/22 to 2025/26). The press conference was chaired by Rector Yonghua Song. He introduced UM’s development goals and strategies, measures, as well as supports and assurances in the next five years to the audience.
UM’s Five-Year Development Plan is based on the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan and the Vision for the Year 2035, and Second Five-Year Development Plan of the Macao SAR (2021-2025). UM’s Five-Year Development Plan is seen as the university’s blueprint and outline for development. In the next five years, UM will take “being rooted in Macao, taking part in the development of the Greater Bay Area, integrating into the nation and going international” as its development positioning. UM aspires to become an internationally recognised university of excellence by implementing quality student-centred education, key research subjects with international impact and a high standard of community services. By implementing the “R.I.S.E.” (Relevance, Impact, Significance and Excellence) as an overall development strategy, UM will carry out its focused strategies from five aspects:
Firstly, to continually strengthen the high-level talent nurturing system. UM will expand its student body appropriately by focusing on increasing the number of postgraduate and non-local students, will deepen the “4-in-1” integrated education model, and improving postgraduate education comprehensively, as well as promoting interdisciplinary development and improving disciplinary layout and development;
Secondly, to promote a collaborative, open, and innovative strategic layout for research. UM will implement the “P.I.C.K.” strategy (Problem Orientation, Interdisciplinary Interaction, Collaborative Innovation, Knowledge Translation) for research development; and the university will deploy its strategic layout based on the “3+3+3+3” model, and develop multiple key national and regional research platforms;
Thirdly, to develop the “5-in-1” research result transfer system. UM will fully explore the leading role of its three State Key Laboratories, will build a high-level industry-academia-research platform incorporating the dimensions of innovation, service, management, cultivation and practice, to promote technological innovation and research result transfer;
Fourthly, to expand the quality and efficient international cooperation networks. UM will deepen its higher education cooperation with the Portuguese-speaking and English-speaking countries, will consolidate and expand UM’s international student body. UM will also further strengthen its exchanges and cooperation with the mainland, and explore more dual degree and joint programmes;
Fifthly, to develop platforms to serve the local community. UM will develop a community service system that centres on advancing innovative research concerning the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, cultivating talents demanded by social development, advancing high-level think-tanks, facilitating Macao’s development in accordance with its positioning, and promoting the sharing of resources.
In terms of supports and assurances, UM will develop high-standard teams of talents, and will gradually implement the public university administrative system reform in accordance with the Macao SAR government, and strengthen UM’s capabilities of financial self-reliance. Furthermore, UM will utilise the university’s space planning and will conduct multiple campus key construction projects. Moreover, UM will grasp the development opportunities offered by the Cooperation Zone, and will continue to improve the teaching and research facilities in the ZUMRI, and strengthen the collaborations of Industry-Academia-Research, promote the transfer of research achievements, as well as to bring more learning, research and living opportunities for the university’s staff members and students.
Through 40 years of development, with the support of the central and local governments, UM has become a comprehensive university with features and strengths in the Greater Bay Area, along with its continually improving international reputation. Currently, UM is ranked 201-250 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, and 322nd in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. In the future, UM will continue to strengthen its responsibilities to assist Macao’s sustainable development with moderate economic diversification, and better serve the demand of the nation’s development, as well as to continuously pursue excellence and breakthroughs to impel UM’s development to a new level.
For the English version of the outline of the Five-Year Development Plan, go to https://go.um.edu.mo/u3t2zeu7.
