Two local scientific research platforms passed the evaluation, enhancing the strength of Chinese medicine R&D and transformation of results
17/05/2023
In order to work in line with the deployment of the Greater Bay Area to build an international innovation and technology (“I&T”) hub and the policy of the SAR government to vigorously foster technological innovation, the Science and Technology Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as: FDCT) launched the “Funding Scheme for Laboratories and R&D Centers” in 2019 to encourage Macao institutions to cooperate with foreign scientific research forces, with an aim of building a number of laboratories and R&D centers in Macao, better attracting high-level scientific research talents to Macao and thereby enhancing Macao’s technological innovation capabilities.
 
Building a full-chain ecosystem for traditional Chinese medicine R&D, attracting high-level leading talents
Subsequent to strict evaluation, the Science and Technology Development Fund (hereinafter referred to as: FDCT) approved the establishment of two scientific research platforms in 2020, among which the University of Macau (UM) collaborated with Chinese medicine companies of Fortune 500 to establish the “Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine”, becoming the first R&D and transformation platform of Chinese medicine led by UM. The Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) collaborated with Nobel laureate Dr. Erwin Neher to establish the “Dr. Neher’s Biophysics Laboratory for Innovative Drug Discovery” (hereinafter referred to as the Laboratory), which aims to promote high-quality development in the field of innovative drug R&D in Macao by establishing a high-level platform for innovative drug R&D.
According to the provisions of the “Funding Scheme for Laboratories and R&D Centers”, FDCT entrusted the Guangdong Science and Technology Cooperation Center to organize experts to evaluate the two research platforms on May 16. The expert evaluator group is composed of technical experts and industry experts in relevant professional fields, and carries out an evaluation of the research direction, research results, team building, research conditions building, policy formulation, opening-up, funding investment of the research platform, and other aspects. In addition, according to the different natures of laboratories and R&D centers, the focus is on the investigation of its cutting-edge research and the effectiveness of industry-university-research cooperation in terms of laboratories, whereas that of the R&D centers is on the effectiveness of cooperative R&D, and the implementation and transformation of scientific research results with enterprises.
 
Looking forward to future optimization and development through strict evaluation and acceptance
During the evaluation period, the expert group was briefed by representatives of two research platforms regarding their work progress, representative research results, and future development plans. They conducted on-site inspections of the research platform’s venues, instruments and equipment, and supporting research conditions, and had in-depth exchanges with representatives of the research platform. On this basis, the expert group conducted in-depth discussions and summarized a detailed evaluation report based on the content of the discussion. For the next stage of work, the expert group suggests that the two research platforms need to increase investment in personnel, venues, and hardware; and efforts should be made to increase key members in laboratories to deepen cooperation worldwide and in the Greater Bay Area and strengthen industry-university-research cooperation, promoting the application of results; whereas it is also necessary to vigorously explore institutional and mechanism innovation for the R&D centers, to further strengthen the transformation of results, assist in registering traditional Chinese medicine products developed in cooperation with enterprises in Macao, and help foster moderate and diversification of Macao’s economy.
The SAR government will continue to support the development of laboratories and R&D centers, encourage cooperation between universities and enterprises in Macao, especially those in the Greater Bay Area, allow research teams in Macao to accumulate experience, continuously improve their research level, and open up greater space for the transformation of results in R&D in Macao. By working together, the moderate diversification of Macao’s industries and the development of the biopharmaceutical industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be facilitated.


The expert group was briefed on the work progress introduced by the Laboratory

 
Professor Wang Yitao, director of the Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine carried out an introduction to the expert group
 
 
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