The University of Macau (UM) said in a statement last week that it has recently sent two delegations to top universities in the UK and Brazil, aiming to explore cooperation opportunities with experts and scholars in related fields.

Thursday’s statement noted that the visits were also held to enhance cooperation in training and research with higher education institutions in English- and Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs) to promote the development of UM’s “internationalisation strategy”.

A delegation led by Honours College (HC) Dean Lai Neng visited several universities in the UK such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to discuss student exchanges and research collaborations, according to the statement.

The statement added that the visits deepened the understanding of UM’s development among UK universities and established academic collaborative initiatives with international characteristics and global competitiveness.

The delegation also met with HC students studying at the University of Bristol and Queen Mary University of London to learn about their experience with the HC Study Abroad Programme, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, another delegation led by Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) Dean Hu Weixing visited the world-renowned research-education institution and think-tank Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) and several universities in Brazil, such as University of São Paulo (USP) and Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio).

The statement said that the UM delegates and the representatives of the Brazilian higher education institutions “expressed their intention to establish closer cooperation, optimise and expand exchange programmes for students and faculty, promote collaboration in innovative research, build bilateral or multilateral cooperation platforms, and jointly hold academic conferences and other educational activities”. 

This undated handout photo recently provided by the University of Macau (UM) shows the UM delegation members and Imperial College London representatives posing for a photo.