Plans to build a new University of Macau (UM) campus, which will be half the size of the current one, in Hengqin are under discussion, UM Rector President Prof. Song Yonghua (aka Yonghua Song) told reporters at the kick-off ceremony of the tertiary education institution’s on-campus Open Day yesterday.

The current campus, which has been leased by the Macau Special Administrative Region from the mainland, measures about 1 square kilometre. The new campus will be located in the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone. It will be the public university's second campus. 

Prof. Song told reporters that with the support of the nation’s relevant entities and the promotion of the Macau government, the university is preparing plans for a new campus to be built in Hengqin. He also mentioned in his speech at yesterday’s opening ceremony that the new campus is set to offer programmes in medicine, new engineering, microelectronics, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and quantitative business analytics.

He also noted that the university has received approval for the establishment of the UM Advanced Research Institute in Hengqin, which will further promote industry-academia collaboration.

Moreover, Prof. Song added that in the 2024/2025 academic year, UM will offer art programmes including a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in Fine Arts. He noted that there will also be a doctoral degree in Public Health, master’s degrees in Business Analytics, Marine Technology, Construction Project Management, as well as teaching English as a Foreign Language, aiming to support the SAR government’s “1+4” appropriate economic diversification strategy.

The open day was held on both UM’s campus and the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute (ZUMRI), marking the first time for the event to be held in both Macau and Hengqin.

The one-day event featured a tour of the campus facilities, on-site consultations, academic talks and exhibitions, among others, along with activities such as workshops, performances, booth games and science experiments for members of the public. 

UM Rector Song Yonghua (aka Yonghua Song ) delivers a speech during yesterday’s Open Day kick-off ceremony. – Photo: Rui Pastorin