The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) and SANY (Zhuhai) Investment Co. Ltd. yesterday inaugurated the “USJ Sino-Lusophone Business Incubation Base” at the SANY Southern Headquarters Building in Hengqin, with a signing ceremony hosted at Artyzen Grand Lapa hotel.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, the private Catholic university’s Rector Stephen Morgan said that the idea behind an incubation centre was to offer expertise in “a location for people who don’t have expertise”.

“Young businesspeople often have great ideas, but they lack certain elements”, Morgan said, adding that these may include not being strong in areas such as marketing, finance or identifying opportunities despite having a great idea.

Morgan noted that the centre in Hengqin provides a location where businesses that want to be involved in the centre can have access to the expertise provided by USJ and its wider network. “So not just our own professors, but businesses that we work with”, and with professors that the university networks with all over the world, Morgan said.

The platform is also designed to be “a real example of a platform where businesses from China can engage with Portugal and the Portuguese- speaking world”, as well as how business in Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world can engage in China, particularly the Greater Bay Area (GBA), he said. 

On its partnership with SANY Group, Morgan told reporters that the company is particularly interested in nurturing young businesses as they see “the potential for young businesses to enhance their own business as they go forward as enormous”, as well as that the group is easy to work with and has a “can-do mentality”.

Yesterday’s signing ceremony was followed by the Macao Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy Seminar, and the Introduction to SANY Group’s GBA Strategic Plan, and a presentation on the Hengqin Tax Policy. Macau government representatives and USJ academics and students were among the event’s attendees.

Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. is a multinational heavy equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Changsha, capital of Hunan.

It is one of the world’s largest heavy equipment manufacturer and the first in its industry in China to enter the FT Global 500. 

According to Wikipedia, the name “Sany” comes from the English pronunciation of the Chinese name of the company (Chinese: 三一; pinyin: Sanyi), which means “three ones”, in reference to the three goals the company mentions as its vision: “To build a first-class enterprise; to foster first-class employees; and to make first-class contributions to society”. 

University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Rector Stephen Morgan delivers a speech during yesterday’s signing ceremony and seminar at Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau hotel in Nape.
– Photo: Rui Pastorin