The public University of Macau (UM) launched five new faculties and two research institutes on Saturday as part of a major restructuring aimed at strengthening science and technology education, supporting Macau’s appropriate economic diversification, and expanding the university’s role in innovation and research, according to a UM statement issued that day. The new academic units, which commenced operations on Saturday, comprise the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Information Science and Computing, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Design, the Institute of Smart City Technologies, and the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Brain Sciences, the statement said. According to the statement, the restructuring is intended to bolster UM’s science and technology capabilities, support educational integration between Macau and Hengqin, and enhance talent development in line with national and regional development strategies. UM Rector Yonghua Song (also known as Song Yonghua) said that the restructuring aligns with the country’s goal of becoming a science and technology powerhouse, facilitates the integrated development of education, technology and talent in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and supports Macau’s economic diversification, the statement noted. Song added that the restructuring followed two years of research, expert consultation and approval processes, allowing the university to consolidate its teaching and research resources while strengthening its science and technology education and cutting-edge research, the statement said. The statement underlined that the five new faculties will establish a sci-tech framework spanning basic sciences, engineering, information technology, medicine and design, while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration across medicine, engineering, information science and intelligent technologies. The university also plans to expand cooperation with leading international institutions through joint talent cultivation, academic exchanges and research collaboration, while further internationalising its student body, faculty and academic programmes, the statement pointed out. It added that the two new research institutes