Connecting with national research platforms to support biotechnology industry development
The World Data Center for Microorganisms (WDCM) 2026 International Annual Conference was held on 22 and 23 September at Beijing Future Science City in Changping. Under the theme “Connecting the World’s Microbial Treasures: Data, Preservation and Global Collaboration”, the conference was jointly organised by the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Chinese Society of Biotechnology and the Beijing Future Science City Administrative Committee. It brought together more than 170 experts and scholars from 17 countries and regions for in-depth discussions on key issues, including the governance of digital sequence information, the standardisation of culture collections, infectious disease surveillance and international research collaboration. The Macao International Technology Industry Centre (the “Centre”) attended by invitation and used this international platform to present Macao’s strategic plans for its high-tech industries and pathways to commercialisation.
Connecting with international platforms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to support bioengineering and biobank development in Macao
During the conference, the Centre highlighted its industrial development priorities, with a focus on biomedicine, and actively pursued strategic links with WDCM’s global microbial resource data system. Zhang Zhinong, Deputy Director of the Centre, said that the Centre would draw on the leading research capabilities of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and WDCM’s international platform resources to provide Macao with access to standardised microbial strain data, genomic information and channels for international research collaboration. It would also explore the development of biobank infrastructure in Macao and Hengqin that meets international standards, helping local enterprises and those establishing operations in Macao to reduce early-stage research and development costs in strain screening, genomic analysis and drug discovery, and accelerating the translation of research findings into practical applications and commercialisation in bioengineering.
According to the information presented, WDCM is hosted by the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and currently has 903 registered microbial culture collections from 81 countries and regions, forming an integrated global network for data collaboration. The conference placed particular emphasis on the standardisation of biobanks and international mutual recognition, issues of key strategic importance to the standardised management of resources for biomedical research and development.
Using Macao’s platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to expand into Lusophone markets
During the conference, WDCM signed memoranda of strategic co-operation with leading international institutions, including the Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure – European Research Infrastructure Consortium (MIRRI-ERIC), the Micoteca da Universidade do Minho (MUM), a culture collection at the University of Minho in Portugal, and the Government of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The Centre seized this opportunity to connect with industrial resources in Portuguese-speaking countries, including Portugal and Brazil, and facilitate access to overseas markets for enterprises establishing operations in Macao.
The Centre has already established platforms to support its industrial ecosystem, including the “China–Portuguese-speaking Countries Technology Overseas Expansion Workstation”. These make full use of Macao’s role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and as a “precise liaison”, promoting two-way connections between biotechnology enterprises from the Chinese mainland and around the world and markets in Portuguese-speaking countries, and helping enterprises use Macao as a base for expanding their international business.
Focusing on four priority sectors to build a technology innovation ecosystem
The Macao International Technology Industry Centre was officially inaugurated on 30 June this year. As a pilot project for the Macao Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park, it focuses on four priority sectors: biomedicine, digital technology, integrated circuits and aerospace technology. With “Macao R&D + Hengqin commercialisation” as its core collaborative model, the Centre aims to attract and nurture technology enterprises with high growth potential, bring research findings from the laboratory into commercial application and lay a solid foundation for the high-quality development of Macao’s technology industry.
