The first project in Macao was approved by the National Key R&D Program
01/12/2022
01/12/2022
Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST) released the funding list of the project under the National Key R&D Program, the “Stem Cell Research and Organ Repair”. The project was recommended by the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT), with Xu Renhe, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Macau (UM), as the chief scientist, and was approved, which is a historic breakthrough since it is the first project under National Key R&D Program approved in Macao, with national funding of a total of RMB 30 million.
The project helps facilitate the standardization of stem cell medicine
UM is the only university in the Hong Kong-Macao region that has been approved for carrying out the project this year. The approved project is “Research on the Technical System for Supervision and Evaluation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Other Major Diseases”, which mainly studies the use of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of acute graft-versus-host diseases (aGVHD) and common diseases such as knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The completion of the project will form a supervision and evaluation system that is conducive to the long-term and healthy development of my country’s stem cell industry, and improve China’s level in clinical technology and international competitiveness in the field of stem cell therapy.
The establishment of this project has achieved a historic breakthrough in Macao’s application for carrying out projects of the National Key R&D Program, breaking the record of single funding for scientific research projects in Macao and marking a new level of scientific research in Macao, which also represented the gradual effects of the SAR government’s investment in scientific research over the years.
UM’s Rector Song Yonghua congratulated on the successful application of the project and hoped that UM could continue its efforts and play a greater role in the national science and technology development strategy. Xu Renhe indicated that, it is a great encouragement for him and his collaborators to have obtained funding from the National Key R&D Program. He hopes to make further progress in the standardization and normalization of the country’s stem cell medicines through this project, and strengthen the scientific and technological cooperation and industrialization between Macao and the mainland. Xu Renhe believes that success is built with step-by-step efforts and the approval of the national-level project this time is inseparable from the long-term strong support of FDCT and UM for his multiple projects, which can lay a research foundation for this project. Xu Renhe has been engaged in stem cell research and therapeutic applications for a long time, and has been granted the national natural science fund, the science and technology fund, and approved for carrying out UM’s competitive projects since joining UM in 2014.
The scientific research level of Macao is recognized by China
For a long time, FDCT has been encouraging and assisting the scientific research teams in Macao to apply for the National Key R&D Program, inviting experts in relevant fields to analyze the project level by level from aspects such as innovative ideas, directions of technology and research foundations to select high-quality projects and recommend them to the MOST, and giving relevant feedback to the applicant teams. In the future, FDCT will continue to encourage local scientific researchers to actively apply for national-level science and technology programs, and study the provision of supporting funds for approved projects. It is hoped that this will further enhance the level of scientific research in Macao, and facilitate the moderate diversification of Macao’s economy through scientific and technological innovation, thereby integrating into the overall development of the country.
The positioning of the National Key R&D Program is to focus on major social welfare research, major scientific issues, major common key technologies and products, and major international scientific and technological cooperation. In 2018, MOST took the lead in introducing a series of measures to encourage Hong Kong and Macao institutions to participate in the central financial science and technology programs. In the same year, the institutions that can apply for key special projects in Macao were confirmed, respectively the University of Macau (UM), the Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), and the City University of Macau (CityU). As the recommending unit of this matter, FDCT is responsible for handling relevant works.
The project helps facilitate the standardization of stem cell medicine
UM is the only university in the Hong Kong-Macao region that has been approved for carrying out the project this year. The approved project is “Research on the Technical System for Supervision and Evaluation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Other Major Diseases”, which mainly studies the use of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of acute graft-versus-host diseases (aGVHD) and common diseases such as knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The completion of the project will form a supervision and evaluation system that is conducive to the long-term and healthy development of my country’s stem cell industry, and improve China’s level in clinical technology and international competitiveness in the field of stem cell therapy.
The establishment of this project has achieved a historic breakthrough in Macao’s application for carrying out projects of the National Key R&D Program, breaking the record of single funding for scientific research projects in Macao and marking a new level of scientific research in Macao, which also represented the gradual effects of the SAR government’s investment in scientific research over the years.
UM’s Rector Song Yonghua congratulated on the successful application of the project and hoped that UM could continue its efforts and play a greater role in the national science and technology development strategy. Xu Renhe indicated that, it is a great encouragement for him and his collaborators to have obtained funding from the National Key R&D Program. He hopes to make further progress in the standardization and normalization of the country’s stem cell medicines through this project, and strengthen the scientific and technological cooperation and industrialization between Macao and the mainland. Xu Renhe believes that success is built with step-by-step efforts and the approval of the national-level project this time is inseparable from the long-term strong support of FDCT and UM for his multiple projects, which can lay a research foundation for this project. Xu Renhe has been engaged in stem cell research and therapeutic applications for a long time, and has been granted the national natural science fund, the science and technology fund, and approved for carrying out UM’s competitive projects since joining UM in 2014.
The scientific research level of Macao is recognized by China
For a long time, FDCT has been encouraging and assisting the scientific research teams in Macao to apply for the National Key R&D Program, inviting experts in relevant fields to analyze the project level by level from aspects such as innovative ideas, directions of technology and research foundations to select high-quality projects and recommend them to the MOST, and giving relevant feedback to the applicant teams. In the future, FDCT will continue to encourage local scientific researchers to actively apply for national-level science and technology programs, and study the provision of supporting funds for approved projects. It is hoped that this will further enhance the level of scientific research in Macao, and facilitate the moderate diversification of Macao’s economy through scientific and technological innovation, thereby integrating into the overall development of the country.
The positioning of the National Key R&D Program is to focus on major social welfare research, major scientific issues, major common key technologies and products, and major international scientific and technological cooperation. In 2018, MOST took the lead in introducing a series of measures to encourage Hong Kong and Macao institutions to participate in the central financial science and technology programs. In the same year, the institutions that can apply for key special projects in Macao were confirmed, respectively the University of Macau (UM), the Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), and the City University of Macau (CityU). As the recommending unit of this matter, FDCT is responsible for handling relevant works.
Prof. Xu and his team carry out scientific research and experiments.
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Office hours: Monday to Thursday: 9:00-13:00, 14:30-17:45；Friday: 9:00-13:00, 14:30-17:30；Tel.: 28788777
Copyright(C) 2021 ALL right reserved.