Advancing research translation beyond disciplinary boundaries
Interdisciplinary research that can be translated into practical applications remains the key focus of research at City University of Macau
Sponsored by City University of Macau
Sponsored by
Sponsored by
The evolution of City University of Macau (CityU Macau) demonstrates that institutional excellence is bolstered through strategies that move beyond the traditional confines of individual disciplines. Spanning autonomous drone swarms, embodied AI, unmanned vessels, virtual patrolling systems and AI-driven heritage conservation, the university’s initiatives showcase a strongly held culture of innovation. As its research output grows more influential, CityU Macau is committed to connecting regional expertise with global applications.
Collaboration sits at the heart of the curriculum at CityU Macau. The university is breaking down traditional silos to build an interdisciplinary ecosystem focusing on digital humanities, modern finance, precision health, smart cultural tourism, innovative design, decision science and future cities – a strategy that aligns closely with Macao’s economic diversification plan.
As part of CityU Macau’s innovative approach to curriculum development, it has implemented a ternary integrated academic model that combines general education, disciplinary specialisation and practical experience to strengthen talent development. Creating new connections is central to implementing this method. The university has established cooperative networks with more than 200 universities in over 40 countries, alongside industry partnerships to support joint research and development.
Connecting excellence and innovation
To accelerate industry-academia collaboration and real-world research applications, CityU Macau launched its inaugural honours degree in 2024, a rigorous undergraduate programme. It was built in partnership with the X-Institute, a research-intensive science academy located in Shenzhen, China. The course adapts the problem-focused pedagogy of the Tsien Excellence in Engineering Programme at China’s Tsinghua University.
CityU Macau invites leading scholars from around the world to deliver lectures to offer students a closer look at the latest research breakthroughs and diverse perspectives across disciplines. Beyond the classroom, it enables students to gain access to internship opportunities at leading companies located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, covering sectors such as robotics, electric vehicles and internet technology.
Such initiatives have enabled students to excel in international competitions and present original research at respected academic conferences, including the International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design and the International Conference on Knowledge Science, Engineering and Management.
Another example of CityU Macau’s student-led achievements is a self-healing drone swarm used for fighting forest fires. Developed by a team of honours students, the system harnesses drones equipped with hybrid sensors. Its hierarchical control model mitigates the vulnerability of master drone loss associated with traditional centralised networks. By embedding deep reinforcement learning with a diffusion model for single-drone strategy mapping, the system demonstrates superior navigation performance in complex and hazardous environments.
Designing solutions for tomorrow
CityU Macau is committed to transforming theoretical concepts into high-impact, real-world solutions. It maintains strong research momentum, doubling the number of research projects between 2023 and 2025. It has continued to secure highly competitive grants by focusing on higher-calibre research.
The university is widely recognised for its research capacity and expertise. Its influence was cemented by the establishment of the Advanced Research Institute in Hengqin. Launched in March 2026, in conjunction with the university’s 45th anniversary, the institute serves as an international innovation platform. It focuses on technology commercialisation, international talent development and regional industry-academia synergy, channelling Macao’s strengths to promote global impact.
Also part of this unified cross-border innovation pipeline is the Knowledge Transfer Center, which was launched in 2026 to bridge the gap between academic research and practical application. It promotes intellectual property development and global collaboration. The university’s Macao-Hengqin Sci-Tech Innovation Partner Programme supports academic-industry collaboration by providing joint research and development, talent support, resource matching and technology transfer, particularly with science and technology enterprises in Macao and Hengqin.
While expanding partnerships with organisations within and outside the higher education sector is remarkable, CityU Macau remains eager to ensure that such cooperation can deliver a tangible impact. It pursues a number of landmark projects that support this mission. One example is HeartVision, a cardiac imaging recognition and segmentation system developed by a team from the Faculty of Data Science. The project, which uses AI to accurately predict and generate images of postoperative blood vessel recovery. The system has been implemented in several hospitals.
Medical innovation is an area of focus for CityU Macau. It has developed the Huaying Endoscopic Robotics Operation System, dubbed the HEROS project. It is an advanced endoluminal surgical application designed to access the gastrointestinal tract and bladder through natural orifices on the body to perform complex, minimally invasive procedures to reduce patient risk. Similarly, CityU Macau’s Faculty of Innovation and Design has developed SafeStepK, a patented system that uses AI to teach children how to fall more safely. Its intelligent feedback system uses wearable motion sensors to provide corrective feedback on movement.
Data science and privacy are among the top priorities on CityU Macau’s research agenda. The Faculty of Data Science has created an embodied AI robot to support mental well-being. Built using positive psychology and safety guardrails, it incorporates a highly secure data-protection algorithm to safeguard user privacy. Another project led by the Faculty of Data Science is developing an intelligent uncrewed vessel with a corresponding virtual platform for unmanned patrolling. This solution offers low-cost, multi-scenario versatility and lightweight edge computing capabilities, supporting autonomous navigation, target detection and tracking in coastal ecosystems.
The university is also exploring how AI can be used to achieve more sustainable urban development. Macao’s historic centre is classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The university explored its design in a study on urban planning that combined environmental colour analysis, digital image processing, AI and eye-movement experiments to reflect local architectural culture and collective memory. The project emphasised how interdisciplinary research is often the most effective way to deliver tangible results that benefit society.