Education | UM granted approval for third state key lab

The University of Macau (UM) has been granted approval for the establishment of the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City, making it the third state key lab at the university.

According to a statement from UM, the establishment of the lab will help to promote personnel training and research development in the field. Moreover, it is hoped that the lab will also contribute the development of Macau as a smart city and the formation of the Greater Bay Area.

The lab aims to tackle the technical challenge of constructing a new type of Internet of Things in the development of a smart city. According to UM, it will strive to overcome the shortcomings of current technologies and provide technical support for related applications that serve the local community.

This third state key lab is of significance, according to the University, because of the Macau SAR’s efforts to develop itself as a smart city within the greater development of China.

Such development needs to be based on local situations, as well as a macro-approach. It also needs to provide fact-based analysis for the improvement of urban innovations, transportation planning, city renewal, energy planning and use, as well as disaster prevention and decision-making.

The state key lab is comprised of five chair professors and distinguished professors, as well as 14 full professors, associate professors, and assistant professors. One of them is a member of the Royal Academy of Engineering and four are fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The lab also includes 16 Macau scholars and postdoctoral researchers, as well as more than 60 PhD students and master’s students.