Vice Rector Zhou Wanlei of the City University of Macau (CityU) was invited to the “Higher Education Innovative Development Conference – Talent Cultivation Resonating with Digital Intelligence”, which was successfully held at the Southern University of Science and Technology, and delivered a keynote speech titled “The paths of City University of Macau in industry and education integration”.
Centring on the future demand for talent in digital intelligence, the conference explored approaches and mechanisms for cultivating digital intelligence professionals, innovating pathways for integrating higher education with the industry, and fostering an environment conducive to innovator cultivation from multiple dimensions, including industrial upgrading, innovative talent training models, and collaboration between universities and enterprises, in the hope of meeting societal needs in the future.
During his address, Vice Rector Zhou shared the challenges CityU has encountered in its transformation from a teaching-centric university to one with a dual focus on teaching and research, together with the practices it has introduced. He highlighted the university’s strategic moves to drive its evolution, including the attraction and retention of top-tier faculty; the introduction of advanced research facilities, devices, and technologies to support the faculty’s scientific research; the establishment of distinctive interdisciplinary research centers and institutes; and the development of a culture of research and innovation within the university. Moreover, CityU has rolled out robust research funding strategies, along with supportive and administrative measures in its efforts to develop specialized research projects and innovative curricula that can attract exceptional students and offer them research opportunities. Benchmarks and performance indicators have also been set up to measure research productivity, impact, and excellence, and regularly evaluate research performance to inform strategic decisions. These moves have led to significant breakthroughs in industry-academia collaboration in recent years, particularly noteworthy for an institution primarily rooted in the humanities.
According to Vice Rector Zhou, CityU is aligning its endeavors with the Macao SAR Government’s long-term socio-economic development strategies and initiatives. Building on big data technologies, the university has been driving progress in emerging humanities and social sciences, as well as interdisciplinary studies, with courses such as smart technologies and services, fintech, smart interactive design, and smart healthcare in place or in the pipeline. These efforts represent concrete and meaningful steps in advancing disciplinary innovation within higher education institutions.
The conference was co-organised by the Southern University of Science and Technology, the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (Shenzhen, China), the Institute of Arts and Humanities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Global Education 50 Forum Committee. It featured three thematic forums: Reimagine the Higher Education Ecosystem, Identify the Core of Digital Talent Cultivation, and Build Robust Industry-University Collaboration on Lessons Learnt. The event brought together experts, industry leaders, and educators across different realms to put forward a string of innovative ideas and practical approaches for the future of higher education via keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, and interactive exchanges.
Source: Higher Education Innovative Development Conference
