UM undertakes project under China’s National Key R&D Programmes
澳大承擔國家重點研發計劃專案

The University of Macau (UM) recently signed an agreement with China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) on undertaking a key research project in the field of the Internet of Things and smart cities. The project is part of the top-tier National Key R&D Programmes in China. In addition to providing solutions for key social issues, the programmes have been continuously addressing issues in industrial competitiveness, indigenous innovation, and national security strategy. UM’s appointment to undertake the project shows national recognition of its research capacity in the field.

The National Key R&D Programmes have incorporated 13 previously-existing programmes, including the 863 Programme (for R&D), the 973 Programme (for basic research), and the National Science and Technology Support Programme. The three-year project undertaken by UM will focus on the development of technologies for efficient integration and dynamic recognition for applications in public service.

Many cities in China, including Macao, suffer from various problems, such as weak information infrastructure and constraints on informationalisation. These problems have posed challenges for smart city development. The project undertaken by UM aims to tackle these challenges through the use of multi-source heterogeneous data, studies of technologies related to the efficient operation of urban computing platforms, and other methods. The project will also demonstrate successful examples of smart city development on AI-based ‘City Brain’ platforms. Organisations that will participate in the project include UM, Beihang University, South China University of Technology, Zhejiang Lab, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Institute of Urban Scientific Planning and Design, Alibaba Cloud in Hangzhou, and AutoNavi Holdings Limited. The chief scientist of the project is Xu Chengzhong, head of smart transport research at UM’s State Key Lab of Internet of Things for Smart City. He is also the dean of UM’s Faculty of Science and Technology and a chair professor in the Department of Computer and Information Science. This is the first time that a UM professor has been appointed to head a project under the National Key R&D Programmes.

Established in 2018 with the approval of the MoST, UM’s State Key Lab of Internet of Things for Smart City is the only state key lab in China in the area of Internet of Things applications for smart cities. The lab boasts a strong research team, whose members include one member of Academia Europaea, one fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and three fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

澳門大學與國家科學技術部簽署合約，承擔國家重點研發計劃“物聯網與智慧城市關鍵技術及示範”重點專項的研發任務。重點研發計劃是現時中國最高級別的研發專案，除針對國計民生方面的重大社會問題外，亦持續支撐引領在產業競爭、自主創新、國安戰略方面的重大科學問題。是次澳大成為專項承擔單位，代表在該領域獲國家高度的認可。

國家重點研發計劃是現時中國最高級別的研發專案，由國家重點基礎研究發展計劃（973計劃）、國家高技術研究發展計劃（863計劃）、國家科技支撐計劃等13個專項整合而成，以優化產學研協同攻關和配合產業變革急速步伐。此次澳大承擔的是“面向城市公共服務的高效融合與動態認知技術和平台”專案，為期三年。

全國中小城市（包括澳門）存在一些獨特的城市問題，主要表現在資訊基礎薄弱、場景特色差異大、資訊化建設約束多等，給智慧城市建設帶來諸多挑戰。此專案通過多源異構資料的高效感知和協同融合、多樣複雜場景的規律理解和動態認知、城市計算平台的高效能運行與適應性技術的研究，應對中小型智慧城市建設的挑戰，並通過城市大腦開放平台應用示範，為中小型智慧城市建設提供成功案例。

專案參與單位包括澳門大學、北京航空航天大學、華南理工大學、浙江之江實驗室、中國科學院深圳先進技術研究院、中國城市規劃設計研究院、杭州阿里雲公司及北京高德地圖等國內著名大學研究院與公司。專案歷經半年多的籌備，經過了多輪嚴格的專家評審、答辯和激烈比拼而勝出。項目首席科學家由澳大智慧城市物聯網國家重點實驗室智慧交通方向的學科帶頭人、科技學院院長、電腦及資訊科學系講座教授須成忠擔任，這也是澳大教授首次以專案總負責人身份領銜科技部重點研發計劃。

澳大擁有全國唯一的智慧城市物聯網領域的國家重點實驗室，於2018年7月獲國家科技部批准設立。實驗室秉持“國家所需，澳門所長”的理念，根據“世界一流，澳門特色”的要求，定位解決智慧城市物聯網關鍵科學和技術問題，提出帶有基礎性和共性的理論、算法和系統，並開發智慧城市的示範應用。實驗室具有實力雄厚的科研團隊，包括講座教授及特聘教授4名，正教授、副教授、助理教授及講師16名，其中有歐洲科學院外籍院士1名、英國皇家工程院院士1名、IEEE會士3名。實驗室圍繞五個方向下設研究室，包括智能傳感與網路通信、城市大數據與智能技術、智慧能源、智能交通、城市公共安全與災害防治。