The public Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM) yesterday summarised the ongoing implementation of the government’s financial support programme launched last year offering a subsidy to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to digitalise their operations, saying that feedback from beneficiaries of the programme indicate that local SMEs nowadays need stronger support to help them launch online marketing campaigns and create their own brands through the better use of social media.
Thomas Mak Seng Hin, a CPTTM manager, made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the CPTTM premises in Zape on the sidelines of a seminar about how SMEs can make good use of artificial intelligence (AI) to upgrade their operations.
The subsidy programme was first rolled out in 2023 on a pilot basis, providing 200 places, aiming to encourage local SMEs to carry out a digital transformation in their marketing campaigns, payments, and other daily operations.
The programme was launched for the second time last year, initially offering 600 places, but the number of places was later increased to 900 as the programme received an overwhelming response from applicants.
Last year’s programme had two application periods, in May and November, with each period initially offering 300 places. Due to the overwhelming response from applicants, the number of places in the first application period was later increased to 600, while the number of places in the second application period remained at 300 as initially planned.
The subsidy programme was launched by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT), which commissioned CPTTM to implement the programme. CPTTM is a non-profit organisation jointly funded by the Macau government and various companies and businesspeople in the private sector.
Both the 2023 and 2024 editions of the programme offered a subsidy of up to 18,000 patacas to each beneficiary where they were required to choose one of the programme’s listed IT companies to digitalise their operations.
Beneficiaries were chosen from eligible and accepted applicants through lucky draws. Successful applicants were required to take a six-hour training course on digital transformation, after which CPTTM technicians would visit the respective business premises to assess their operational situation before providing them with digital transformation advice and proposing solutions.
Afterwards, the beneficiaries could choose, by referencing the CPTTM advice and solutions, a supplier from the programme’s listed IT companies, which would then install the respective hardware devices and software for the beneficiaries.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mak said that the installation of the respective devices and IT systems has been completed for the 600 beneficiaries chosen from the first application period last year, while CPTTM is now running the training courses on digital transformation for the 300 beneficiaries chosen from the second application period.
After completing their training courses, Mak noted, the 300 beneficiaries will then receive advice and be given solutions for digitalising their business operations, after which they can start choosing a supplier from the programme’s listed companies.
Mak said he expected the installation services for all 300 beneficiaries to be completed in the second half of this year.
Mak underlined that many beneficiaries have provided feedback indicating that the programme helped them launch a digital transformation in their business operation.
Mak said that restaurants benefitting from the programme have all installed e-ordering systems which also enable patrons to pay their bills online.
According to Mak, feedback from beneficiaries also indicates that in addition to hardware installation, local SMEs in general also want stronger support to help them launch online marketing and other promotional strategies.
Consequently, Mak said, the implementation of the programme, in addition to hardware installation, will place stronger emphasis on helping SMEs develop stronger capability to perform business data analytics and create their own brands through the use of self-media platforms.
Mak said that CPTTM will continue to work closely with the Economic and Technological Development Bureau to assess beneficiaries’ feedback.
Thomas Mak Seng Hin, a manager of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM), speaks to reporters on the CPTTM premises in Zape yesterday. He is tasked with the centre’s digitalisation support service. – Photo: Tony Wong
