Macau, China, April 21, 2026 (Lusa) – Macau has awarded a contract worth over €20 million to a Beijing state-owned company to plan a new science and technology research centre in the Chinese region.
The Economic and Technological Development Bureau (the city’s government department for technology) has awarded the Beijing Industrial Design and Research Institute a direct contract to design the Macau Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park worth over 197 million patacas (€20.8 million).
The Beijing Industrial Design and Research Institute is a state-owned company controlled by the Zhongguancun Development Group, a technology innovation group established by the Beijing municipal government.
The company has until the end of 2027 to deliver the planning for a large research and innovation hub in Macau as the semi-autonomous city seeks to reduce its dependence on casinos.
Macau authorities believe the project should serve as a launchpad for technology companies in China wanting to expand into international markets, especially Portuguese-speaking countries.
The park will host international and local initiatives, with Macau acting as an innovation and research hub while the neighbouring Hengqin economic zone handles large-scale production and marketing.
The project focusses on four strategic areas, biomedicine, integrated circuits, digital technologies and aerospace technologies, to form an integrated ecosystem joining scientific research, startup incubation, results transformation and support services.
Authorities said the park intends to be a hub for cutting-edge foreign technology projects and a platform for cooperation between industry, universities and research in Macau.
The industrial park comprises two main zones: a new 177,000-square-metre reclaimed area and an 83,000-square-metre plot near the airport on Wai Long Avenue, Taipa.
Beijing Industrial Design and Research Institute received separate contracts to draft plans for the two plots: one worth 129 million yuan (€16.1 million) and another worth 42 million yuan (€5.23 million).
MP Ip Sio Kai revealed in December that the industrial park’s initial 2026 budget was over 300 million patacas (€31.61 million).
He made the disclosure after a closed-door meeting of the parliamentary public finance committee with government officials, including then Economy and Finance Secretary Anton Tai Kin Ip.
NCM/LYT // AYLS
Lusa
