Recently, the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Brain‑Intelligence Engineering Center and the Macao Artificial Intelligence Application Research Association formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement at Macao Polytechnic University. The two parties will establish a long‑term strategic partnership based on the principles of “complementary advantages, resource sharing, mutual benefit, and coordinated development,” jointly advancing the integrated development of brain‑intelligence science and technology and the artificial intelligence industry ecosystem in the Guangdong‑Macao region.

The Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Brain‑Intelligence Engineering Center is a frontier exchange platform in brain science and intelligent technology established in Macao by the Guangdong Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology (GDIIST) to facilitate international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation and to promote the internationalisation of technology transfer. It focuses on two cutting‑edge fields: “brain‑inspired intelligence” and “brain health.” As a key strategic initiative of GDIIST based in Macao with a global outlook, the Center undertakes important functions in technology commercialisation and international collaboration. In October 2022, the Center registered the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area Brain‑Intelligence Engineering Research Association in Macao, and in October 2023 it officially moved into the office space of the Macao Grand Hengqin International Industrial Development Center, gradually building a bridge connecting science and technology, markets, and capital.

The Macao Artificial Intelligence Application Research Association is a professional non‑governmental organisation in the Macao Special Administrative Region dedicated to frontier AI technology research, application promotion, and industrial advancement. Established collaboratively by multidisciplinary professors from Macao Polytechnic University in AI technology, artificial intelligence medicine, and business management, the Association is committed to driving innovative applications and industrial upgrading of AI technologies across diverse scenarios in Macao.

Under the agreement, the two parties will engage in deep cooperation across five core areas:

Establish a mechanism for project information sharing and resource alignment to facilitate the efficient deployment of brain‑intelligence science and technology and artificial intelligence.

Deepen the Guangdong‑Macao industry‑university‑research collaboration model of “enterprises posing challenges, universities providing solutions,” promoting the transfer of research outcomes from laboratories to the market.

Jointly organise and host high‑level academic forums and industry summits to enhance the international academic influence of Guangdong and Macao.

Organise study and enterprise‑visit activities for university faculty, students, and industry practitioners to better align talent development with industrial needs.

Jointly hold innovation and entrepreneurship competitions in the fields of artificial intelligence and brain‑intelligence technology to stimulate the innovative vitality of young people in Guangdong and Macao.

Since its inception, the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Brain‑Intelligence Engineering Center has consistently used the Research Association as a link to connect and serve the Guangdong‑Macao region, actively leveraging Macao’s status as an international free port to foster global exchanges and cooperation. The Center collaborates with universities, research institutions, and corporate resources in Guangdong and Macao, continuously carrying out international cooperation and technology commercialisation. This strategic partnership with the Macao Artificial Intelligence Application Research Association marks an important step by the Center to deepen collaborative scientific and technological innovation between Guangdong and Macao and to advance the “R&D in Macao, transformation in Hengqin” linkage mechanism.

Looking ahead, the two parties will capitalise on the policy advantages of the Guangdong‑Macao In‑Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, fully leverage their respective strengths, and jointly promote the integrated development of the brain‑intelligence technology and artificial intelligence industry ecosystem in the region. This collaboration will contribute to the appropriately diversified economic development of Macao and to the construction of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area as an international centre for science and technology innovation.