The new Macao International Technology Industry Centre (MITIC), which aims to boost the city’s high-tech industry, was inaugurated by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai yesterday.
The MITIC will operate as a “pilot institution” during the interim period before the future large-scale Macao Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park becomes fully operational.
The government proposes to set up two separate plots for the planned industrial park project:
The site at the foot of Big Taipa Hill on Avenida Wai Long near the airport (previously earmarked for a sandwich-class housing project).
The west side of the Zone E1 land reclamation area off Taipa’s Pac On district.
The MITIC is currently housed in an office building in Nape. The office will start operating in the near future following the completion of its fit-out. Yesterday’s inauguration ceremony was held at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre in Sai Van.
According to the MITIC’s website, the centre will serve as a testing ground for industrial development and policy implementation ahead of the main industrial park’s launch. It will utilise its existing resources to attract tech enterprises and projects in fields such as biomedicine, digital technology, integrated circuits, and aerospace technology to establish themselves and develop in Macau.
The website also notes that the MITIC, operated by the Macao Institute of Industrial Technology (MIIT), is a “strategic” sci-tech innovation platform established under the guidance of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) and the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT). The MIIT itself is a research-based association established in 2022.
Positioned as a gateway between China and the global market, the centre is committed to leveraging Macau’s unique advantages as a free port, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and a service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to connect technology enterprises with international opportunities, according to the website.
During yesterday’s ceremony at Macau Tower, the centre was officially inaugurated by: Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, Central People’s Government Liaison Office Director Zheng Xincong, Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chairwoman of the MIIT Liu Ming, MITIC Director U Seng Pan, and lawmaker Chao Ka Chon, who heads the MIIT Supervisory Board.
Dora Ng raises 4 expectations for MITIC
Delivering a speech during the ceremony, Ng said that as a special administrative region where the “One Country, Two Systems” principle is successfully implemented, and as a crucial bridgehead for the nation’s high-level opening-up, Macau is driving the development of new quality productive forces through sci-tech innovation. This plays a unique role in serving the nation’s overall development and promoting the city’s appropriate economic diversification.
Ng noted that the MITIC is a pilot project for the construction of the Macao Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park, as well as an important vehicle for sci-tech innovation actively promoted by the local government. She added that the centre will gather a broad range of innovative resources to secure high-quality enterprises for the future industrial park, promote the initial formation of an industrial cluster, and lay a solid foundation for the high-quality growth of Macau’s tech industry.
Ng raised four expectations for the centre’s operation to further highlight its advantages and better serve the needs of Macau and the whole nation:
First, the centre must uphold the principle of “One Country” and leverage the advantages of “Two Systems”. Relying on multiple policy benefits, the centre must adopt an innovative mindset to transform itself into a hub for gathering international sci-tech resources and high-level talent, contributing to the country’s initiative to become a sci-tech powerhouse.
Second, the centre must focus on Macau’s appropriate economic diversification drive and the cultivation of benchmark enterprises. This will accelerate the formation of cutting-edge technology clusters with Macau characteristics, inject momentum into the optimisation of the industrial structure, and promote sustainable, high-quality economic growth.
Third, the centre must become a vital vehicle for attracting, cultivating, and utilising qualified talent. It must drive the training and introduction of high-quality professionals through industrial activity, fostering a positive interaction between the sector and local talent while creating more high-quality jobs for local youth and professionals.
Fourth, as a fundamental instrument to deepen the connection between Macau and Hengqin and promote their integrated development, the centre must strive to provide bilateral setup facilities for established sci-tech innovation enterprises. The centre must deepen the “Research in Macao + Transformation in Hengqin” model to achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages.
Govt appoints 17 ‘investment promotion ambassadors’
Meanwhile, the local government has appointed 17 prominent figures from major sectors – including high-tech, Big Health, and modern financial services – as “Macao Investment Promotion Ambassadors”. This aims to leverage their professional influence and market networks to attract domestic and international investors to Macau’s business strengths, industrial policies, and investment opportunities.
Ng presented the 17 ambassadors with their certificates during yesterday’s MITIC inauguration ceremony.
A list released by the Commerce and Investment Promotion (IPIM) identified the 17 ambassadors as Vong Hin Fai, Chao Ka Chon, Fan Yaosheng, Cindy Lau, Cally Kuan, Chan Chi Fong, Kuan Wong, Aglaia Kong Chio Fai, Ho Kuok Tou, Wong Su Chin, Ieong Mei Kei, Renee Pan, Zheng Jianxiong, Yang Zhenyu, Fei Fei, Li Yingjie, and Chang Liu.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s ceremony, IPIM President Che Weng Keong said that through the ambassador programme, the local government aims to attract more high-quality enterprises to establish a presence in the city, fostering a new pattern for integrated industrial development, supporting Macau’s industrial upgrading, and forging a spectrum of diverse employment opportunities, thereby facilitating the city’s appropriate economic diversification.
Che said that the 17 ambassadors, with a two-year term, will perform their duties on a voluntary basis, adding that they will represent the local government in attracting external investment and promoting the business environments of Macau and Hengqin in the course of their own business operations.
Chao Ka Chon (from left to right), Liu Ming, Zheng Xincong, Sam Hou Fai, Dora Ng Wai Han, and U Seng Pan unveil the inaugural plaque of the Macao International Technology Industry Centre (MITIC) during yesterday’s ceremony at Macau Tower. – Photo: Tony Wong
Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han (centre) poses for a group photo with the 17 “Macau Investment Promotion Ambassadors” after presenting them with their certificates during yesterday’s MITIC inauguration ceremony. – Photo: IPIM
