Lu Jianhua, Vice Director of the NSFC and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, signs cooperation documents with Vincent U, President of the Administrative Committee of the FDCT.
Vice Director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (hereinafter “NSFC”) and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lu Jianhua, led a delegation to Macao and held a working meeting today (20th) with Vincent U, President of the Administrative Committee of the Science and Technology Development Fund (hereinafter “FDCT”), during which three cooperation agreements were signed. Both parties will further deepen collaborative development between the Mainland of China and Macao in areas such as joint research funding, attracting international scientific and technological talents through Macao, and promoting international (regional) scientific and technological cooperation.
At the working meeting, Lu Jianhua stated that the NSFC has always attached great importance to scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges with Macao. To better serve the overall development of the country and further consolidate and expand the positive outcomes of their long-term cooperation, both parties, following friendly consultations, have decided to renew the Memorandum of Understanding and two work plans. Moving forward, both parties will further deepen pragmatic cooperation, fully leverage Macao’s unique advantages, focus on enhancing regional scientific and technological innovation capabilities, and jointly promote the development of an international science and technology innovation center in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Vincent U expressed gratitude to the NSFC for its strong support of Macao’s scientific and technological development over the years. In particular, since the signing of their first cooperation agreement in 2016, the two sides have achieved positive results in areas such as joint research funding between the Mainland of China and Macao, co-organizing academic seminars, and conducting entrusted project evaluations. These efforts have established a high-level cooperation mechanism and created an efficient exchange platform for researchers from universities in both the Mainland of China and Macao. The renewed cooperation documents have been further optimized to meet the evolving needs of collaborative development and cover a broader range of areas. By leveraging Macao’s advantages and features, such as its international network, the initiative aims to “make the most of Macao’s strengths to serve the country’s needs” and better integrate with the overall national development strategy.
Since the signing of their first cooperation agreement, the NSFC and the FDCT have achieved remarkable results in their collaboration. In terms of joint research funding, they have supported 133 collaborative research projects between the Mainland of China and Macao, with the NSFC contributing a total of RMB 210 million. In academic exchange, the two sides have jointly organized nine seminars, bringing together more than 300 experts from the Mainland of China and Macao for discussions and exchanges. With the deepening of practical cooperation and developments in the scientific and technological landscape, both parties, after thorough consultations, have carried out necessary optimizations and updates to the scope of their collaboration, ultimately reaching a consensus to renew the agreement. Looking ahead, they will further expand the scope of their cooperation, jointly support the hosting of high-level international academic conferences in Macao, attract various international scientific and technological talents to Macao, and advance international (regional) scientific and technological cooperation to new heights.
