Macau, China, April 9, 2026 (Lusa) - A new Sino-Portuguese laboratory was inaugurated on Thursday in Macau to develop technologies that could lead to the creation of electric aircraft and sustainable supercomputers.
The new Sino-Portuguese Joint Laboratory of Optoelectronics brings together the Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication (i3N) from the Nova University of Lisbon (UNL) and the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering at the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST).
Rodrigo Martins, coordinator of i3N-NOVA and the European Academy of Sciences president, said that the initiative was intended to boost emerging technologies capable of transforming strategic sectors.
According to him, these advancements ranged from electric aviation to low-energy supercomputers, simultaneously strengthening scientific ties between Portugal, Macau, and China.
Optoelectronics involves the study and application of electronic devices that source, detect and control light, including the computers of the future, which may operate using light rather than purely electronic transitions.
Furthermore, he highlighted his dream of creating an electric aeroplane, relying on ultra-lightweight storage systems such as paper batteries.
"With current batteries, it would be impossible to take off. We are developing ultra-lightweight systems, including paper batteries, as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan", he said.
He also mentioned the necessity of reimagining supercomputers, saying that current models consume more energy than the city of Lisbon, and that the solution does not lie in nuclear energy, but in the development of new ultra-low-power electronic components.
"Flexible polymer sheets can replace silicon, as they are more resistant to cosmic radiation and lighter. We have a project called Jump into Outer Space that explores precisely this", he said.
A partnership between Nova and several Italian, French and German universities, the Jump into Outer Space project aims to develop lightweight, flexible and efficient ‘tandem’ solar cells made entirely of perovskite, integrated into durable photonic substrates for use in low Earth orbit.
These solutions promise to revolutionise space-based solar energy, powering everything from satellites and propulsion systems to solar power stations capable of supplying continuous energy to Earth and supporting bases on the Moon or Mars.
Shuit-Tong Lee, representing MUST, told Lusa that the partnership was vital for Macau’s economic diversification.
"Macau wants to develop high technology as a way of diversifying beyond casinos. Optoelectronics is one of the key areas for this future. We have a dynamic research team, and the Nova University is one of the best in Europe in this field. This collaboration is an important step for our development", he said.
Rodrigo Martins further pointed out that the laboratory would serve as a "bridge" linking China to Portugal and Europe, saying that it would attract talent to Portugal, benefiting its development, also recognising that China represented the "great market of the future”.
He also highlighted the importance of existing partnerships with Chinese institutions, such as Wuhan University, where he serves as a scientific advisor.
"We have also opened 'hubs' in Hefei and Chongqing. Europe needs the great talent that exists in China, and we need to learn how to better tap into this new market”, he said.
Elvira Fortunato, a leading scientist and former Portuguese minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, highlighted China’s exponential technological growth over the last two decades, now a leader in various technological sectors.
“Science is global and knows no barriers. We must work together for a better world, whether in China, Portugal, Russia or the US. Scientific diplomacy can often help to resolve very difficult problems”, she concluded.
NCM/MYAL // AYLS
Lusa
