To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the City University Macau and promote academic exchange among Greater Bay Area universities, the GBA Higher Education Collaboration Forum was held today at the Taipa Campus. Themed “45 Years of Legacy, Intelligence Converging for a New Journey in the Bay Area”, the forum was co‑organized by the Graduate School and the Postgraduate Association. It brought together university leaders and youth representatives from top Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area, GBA) institutions to discuss innovative postgraduate education pathways and collaborative talent cultivation models, aligned with national strategies for education, technology, and talent integration.
The forum was attended, both online and offline, by a distinguished group of government representatives and university leaders from across the Greater Bay Area, including Chu Zhiwen, representative of the Education and Youth Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; Sam Hio Tong, head of the Division of Quality Assurance of the Education and Youth Development Bureau; Prof. Xu Yong, vice president of the South China University of Technology; Dr. Teresa Loong, Vice Rector, University of Saint Joseph; Associate Provost Ray C.C. Cheung, and Prof. Ru Zhiyuan, dean of the Graduate School of the City University of Hong Kong; Prof. Ouyang Gangfeng, dean of the Graduate School of the Sun Yat‑sen University; Prof. Wen Hong, executive associate dean of the Graduate School of the South China University of Technology; Prof. Xia Yong, associate dean of the Graduate School of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Ms. Yang Chenxin, head of the Graduate School, and Ms. Fan Bei, admin of the The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen).
CityU management in attendance included Vice Rectors Zhou Wanlei and Ip Kuai Peng; Pro‑Rectors Wicky So, Robert Chan, and Vince Chu; Prof. Han Haoying, executive associate dean of the Institute of Urban and Sustainable Development; Lewis Chao, head of the Student Affairs Office; and Zhang Jie, head of the Graduate School Office.
In addition, outstanding youth representatives from multiple universities participated in the event, including: Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, The University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, University of Macau, Macau University of Science and Technology, and City University of Macau.
In his address, Vice Rector Zhou Wanlei noted that the critical role of postgraduate education in higher education system and in cultivating high‑level innovative talent. He mentioned the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area is currently advancing the development of an international education demonstration zone, and regarded the launch of the postgraduate programs this September is a historic opportunity for higher education integration.
Vice Rector Zhou reaffirmed CityU’s mission of “serving Macao and integrating into the Greater Bay Area”. He noted that the University made its debut in the THE World University Rankings in 2025 and is leveraging big data technology to drive interdisciplinary development. He expressed his hope that this exchange forum would deepen collaboration with universities across the GBA, foster a new ecosystem of interdisciplinary and regionally connected talent cultivation, and implement the “R&D in Macao, transformation in Hengqin” model. He called for joint efforts in cultivating high‑level talent to support the development of new quality productive forces, contributing wisdom and strength to Macao’s moderate economic diversification and the high‑quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
During the expert exchange session, Prof. Xu Yong, Xu Yong, vice president of the South China University of Technology, delivered a presentation titled “serving national strategy, enhancing quality through synergy”. He elaborated on SCUT’s reform practices in aligning postgraduate education with major national needs and deepening industry‑education integration, sharing insights and outcomes from its exploration of cultivating top‑notch innovative talent. His presentation offered valuable references for the high‑quality development of postgraduate education in GBA universities.
Prof. Ouyang Gangfeng, dean of the Graduate School of the Sun Yat‑sen University, focused on the contemporary need of building a leading nation in education. He systematically presented the university’s latest progress in optimizing admissions and selection mechanisms, innovating talent cultivation models for top‑notch students, and strengthening degree quality assurance systems. His sharing provided practical reference points for participating universities.
Dr. Teresa Loong, Vice Rector, University of Saint Joseph, shared insights from the perspective of Macao’s only Catholic university. She systematically reviewed the university’s development journey and provided a detailed introduction to its postgraduate education model, which integrates Chinese and Western cultures while combining humanistic care with academic rigor. Her presentation offered new ideas on institutional operation to participating universities.
Associate Provost Ray C.C. Cheung from the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) introduced their proactive implementation of the “4I” educational philosophy. As he mentioned, since the summer of 2024, the university has expanded team‑based learning models to over 160 courses, shifting education from “knowledge transmission” to “competency development”. Cheung highlighted that this initiative has reshaped the future of education and showcases innovative achievements in higher education.
Prof. Ru Zhiyuan, dean of the Graduate School of CityUHK, highlighted the vital role of universities in implementing national strategies of building the leading country in education and science‑education integration. He stressed that postgraduate education should prioritize innovation and entrepreneurship, deepen industry‑academia collaboration, and strengthen industry ties in a bid to drive high‑quality economic growth in the GBA.
Prof. Xia Yong, associate dean of the Graduate School of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, shared his personal reflections and experiences on the journey of scientific research. Drawing from his own career, he encouraged the young scholars in attendance to cultivate a deep passion for research, remain steadfast in their original aspirations, and dedicate themselves to their chosen academic fields. He emphasized that perseverance and long‑term commitment are essential for achieving meaningful results and personal fulfilment.
Vice Rector Ip Kuai Peng, who moderated the thematic sharing session, noted that building a leading nation in education is a foundational project for comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and that the integration of education, technology, and talent is a core driver of high‑quality development. He emphasized that Macao’s higher education institutions should leverage the unique advantages of the "one country, two systems" framework, actively align with the national "15th Five‑Year Plan" and the Outline of the Plan for Building China into a Leading Country in Education, and focus on advancing work in three key areas:
- First, deepening Macao‑Hengqin educational collaboration by implementing national policy support for Macao's higher education institutions to extend their operations in Hengqin. This includes advancing the development of the Macao‑Hengqin International Education (University) Town under the principles of unified planning and open sharing, optimizing the disciplinary layout with a focus on science, technology, and emerging interdisciplinary fields, and enhancing the quality of high‑level innovative talent cultivation.
- Second, building a cross‑border industry‑academia collaborative innovation system that is deeply integrated into the development of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area international innovation and technology hub. This involves promoting effective alignment between the education chain, talent chain, industrial chain, and innovation chain, and facilitating the translation and application of research outcomes.
- Third, advancing the integrated alignment of talent policies and service systems by implementing the “Macao + Hengqin” integrated talent attraction mechanism, improving mutual recognition of professional qualifications and resource‑sharing systems, and optimizing full‑lifecycle talent services — providing solid support for Macao’s moderate economic diversification and the high‑quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
Student representatives, Li Juntao, president of the Postgraduate Association of the CityU Macau, and He Binghao, director-general of the Association, shared that the Postgraduate Association has always been committed to building bridges for academic exchange and supporting youth development. They expressed their hope that by bringing together the strengths of top universities across the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, the Association can create a high‑quality platform for postgraduate students to engage in intellectual exchange, advance together academically, and contribute to the region's development.
Zhang Jie, head of the Graduate School, concluded that the forum had brought together GBA university expertise to build consensus on postgraduate education innovation and collaborative talent cultivation. She expressed hope that CityU’s 45th anniversary would serve as a catalyst for deeper GBA university cooperation and a new chapter in higher education integration.
Source: Graduate School
