An inaugural business matching event, pairing industry and academia, took place late last month at the Londoner.
The gathering, on 29 May, brought together more than 140 participants from certified tech enterprises and higher education institutions in Macao and Hengqin, according to a joint statement from the Economic and Technological Development Bureau and the Science and Technology Development Fund.
The initiative, which matched technology providers with relevant academic researchers, aimed to fast-track the commercialisation of research milestones through real-world application scenarios, with a focus on developing innovative solutions for smart tourism. It was implemented by the Sands Integrated Resort Incubation Centre – first unveiled at BEYOND Expo 2023.
Throughout the day, Sands China representatives presented key challenges and needs related to smart tourism, setting the stage for focused discussions during Q&A and business matching sessions.
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The next step will be for participating teams from Macao and Hengqin to develop targeted proposals, with a six-month period of close collaboration to refine and advance selected projects.
Organisers said the long-term goal was to build a sustainable communication platform for ongoing cooperation between enterprises and research bodies, ensuring more locally developed technologies are applied in real-world contexts.
Speaking at the event, Tai Kin Ip, the secretary for economy and finance, noted that innovation-led economic diversification was a top priority for the government. “Enhancing technological innovation capabilities can inject new momentum into Macao’s sustainable development, and today’s event is a concrete practice of this concept,” he said.
“It is hoped that other organisations, large enterprises, and integrated tourism and leisure enterprises will offer more application scenarios and demands to technology enterprises and higher education teams in Macao and Hengqin, driving quality development together.”
