The City University of Macau (CityU) and Guangdong University of Technology (GDUT) signed the cooperation agreement on innovative and entrepreneurial talent cultivation and held the inaugural ceremony to launch the Joint University Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Services Centre today at the Taipa campus. The two universities are collaborating to establish a new model that takes innovation and entrepreneurship education as an orientation to cultivate talents, build an innovation and entrepreneurship base in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and make it the first innovation and entrepreneurship integrated services centre in Guangdong and Macao.

At the meeting, Prof Jun Liu, Rector of CityU, expressed his warm welcome to Mr Luan Tiangang, Vice-President of GDUT and his delegation. Rector Liu said that both universities are committed to nurturing high-quality, innovative, application-orientated, and practical talents, and the objectives of talent cultivation are in line with each other, which emphasises the development of the industry-academia collaboration. He hoped that both sides will further exchange, strengthen the collaboration between the two universities, join hands to nurture talents and provide innovation and entrepreneurship support and guidance for students’ development in the Greater Bay Area.

Vice-President Luan introduced the history and profile of GDUT. He said that GDUT is a key provincial university specialising in engineering education, offering engineering, science, economics, management, humanities, law and arts programmes. GDUT is a key university for the development of high-level universities in Guangdong Province with a focus on the coordinated development of multiple disciplines. GDUT attaches great importance to innovation and entrepreneurship education and is ranked 25th on the 2020 National College Students Competition Ranking List by the China Association of Higher Education. Vice-President Luan said the innovation and entrepreneurship education has become the GDUT’s unique characteristic in its profile. In addition, Vice President Luan put forward four prospects for the future development of cross-border cooperation in the cultivation of innovative and entrepreneurial talents: First, the two universities would seize the general trend and join hands to build a high-level talent highland in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Secondly, the two universities will look far ahead and work together to promote the high-quality development of higher education. Third, the two universities will shoulder their missions and work together to promote the integration and growth of young people in both places. Fourthly, the two universities will work closely together to promote the development of the I&E Services Centre.

In the following session, Rector Liu and Vice-President Luan signed a cooperation agreement on behalf of the two universities on the innovative and entrepreneurial talent cultivation and unveiled a plaque for the Joint University Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Services Centre. Through cooperation, the two sides hope to advance the needs and development of the industry and cultivate talents through the integration of industry and education, science and education, and multi-disciplinary integration. By integrating the resources, disciplinary strengths, faculty and community resources and establishing the collaboration mechanism, the two universities will co-ordinate and jointly promote innovation and entrepreneurship development for student and talent cultivation. The two universities will collaborate in the development of various students’ innovation and entrepreneurship activities such as exchanges, competitions, training, joint programme and joint incubation, implement the “Joint Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme” for Guangdong and Macao university students, jointly launch Hong Kong, Macao and international exchanges, jointly develop social resources, and promote the joint cultivation of innovative and entrepreneurial talents in various fields.

Guests attended the ceremony included: Ms Huang Rong, Director of Office for Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs of GDUT, Mr Wang Changhong, Associate Dean of College of Innovation and Entrepreneurship of GDUT, Ms Ji Shaomin, Vice Director of Personnel Division of GDUT, Ms Lu Yujing, Associate Dean of School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of GDUT; Prof Zhou Wanlei, Vice-Rector of CityU, Dr Chan Chon Pat, Pro-Rector of CityU, Ms Che Ka I, Director of Rector’s Office and Acting Head of Global Exchange Office of CityU, Mr Chu Te Lin, Head of Human Resources Office of CityU, Mr Chao Chan Chong, Head of Student Affairs Office of CityU.