Nova University Lisbon (UNL) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) are preparing to launch joint training and research programmes in nanotechnology. The co-operation is based on the Sino-Portuguese Joint Laboratory of Optoelectronics, inaugurated in April in Macao.

The initiative provides for MUST to send master’s and doctoral students to Portugal, starting in the 2027/2028 academic year, under joint supervision. UNL could thereby receive up to 30 of MUST’s 87 undergraduate students in the nanotechnology field for exchange periods.

The Director of the Macau Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Lee Shuit-Tong, said that the institution will seek authorisation from the Macao Government to proceed with the programmes. The partnership could include joint-supervision programmes, with degrees awarded by both institutions, as well as the hosting of Portuguese students and students from other Portuguese-speaking countries in Macao.

Researchers Elvira Fortunato, former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and Rodrigo Martins consider that the collaboration could strengthen UNL’s internationalisation and promote scientific exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. During her visit to the region, Elvira Fortunato learned that she had been awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award, one of the highest distinctions conferred by China on foreign experts.

(Source: TDM, 30 August)