Gov’t opens science and technology center to support broader economic diversification

The Macao International Science and Technology Industry Center was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, marking the launch of a new policy-backed platform aimed at accelerating high-tech development and advancing Macau’s push to diversify beyond gaming.

The center was launched alongside the 2026 Macao InLotuX Technology Innovation Summit and is being positioned as a pilot project for the planned Macao Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park.

Secretary for Economy and Finance Ng Wai Han said yesterday that the center is intended to gather innovation resources, attract high-quality enterprises, and help form an industrial cluster that can anchor Macau’s technology ambitions.

She described the project as a foundation for the orderly construction of the broader science and technology park and for the high-quality development of the city’s tech sector.

“The ‘Macao International Science and Technology Industry Center’ officially inaugurated today is a pilot project for the construction of the Macao Science and Technology R&D Industrial Park, and an important innovation platform established under the active promotion of the SAR Government,” Ng explained.

“The center will broadly gather innovation resources, reserve a group of high-quality enterprises for the science and technology park, foster the initial formation of an industrial cluster, and lay a solid foundation for the high-quality development of Macau’s science and technology sector and the orderly construction of the science park,” she added.

Ng also linked the initiative to both national and local priorities, saying it fits Beijing’s drive for greater technological self-reliance under the 15th National Five-Year Plan while also reflecting Macau’s goal of “appropriate economic diversification.”

Policy vision and development goals

In her keynote, Ng outlined four priorities for the center. She said Macau should use the ‘One country, two systems’ framework to build a hub for international technology resources and high-end talent.

She also called for the development of benchmark firms and a technology cluster with Macau characteristics, along with stronger links between industry and talent training.

A major goal, she said, is to create more opportunities for local residents, especially young people, through closer integration of industry, education, and research.

She added that the center should help Macau deepen cooperation with Hengqin by expanding the “Macau R&D plus Hengqin transformation” model, allowing research completed in Macau to be commercialized across the border.

In a separate speech, Yu Chengbin, director of the center, said the project has already made early progress. He said it has connected with more than 70 technology companies from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Greater Bay Area.

Yu said the center will focus on integrated circuits, digital technology, biomedicine, and aerospace while building four platforms for industrial applications, talent and project services, offshore innovation, and market expansion. He said the center is intended to serve as an international gateway, helping overseas technologies enter mainland China and supporting the global expansion of Chinese innovations through Macau.

“The initial results are promising,” Yu said, adding that many of the companies involved are nationally recognized firms or listed businesses. He said the center will continue recruiting and strengthen services including investment matchmaking and support for application scenarios.

Industry participation and talent focus

The inauguration also featured the signing of multiple cooperation agreements involving 12 prospective tenant companies, six investment institutions, and several science parks. Additional ecosystem platforms, including a development laboratory and a Sino-Portuguese technology overseas expansion workstation, were also launched.

Among the first participants is a Jiangsu-based technology investment group focused on artificial intelligence and financial technology. Company head Shu Lan said the firm plans to work with local schools and universities to develop talent and promote industry-academia collaboration.

“We want to help Macau through this environment,” Shu told local media. “We can cooperate with universities to promote industry-academia-research collaboration and cultivate local technology talent.”

The company has already started projects in AI plus healthcare and AI plus education, and it aims to support the modernization of Macau’s traditional banking sector through financial technology.

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai and Liaison Office director Zheng Xincong were also in attendance at the inauguration ceremony.