Macau, China, Oct. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - The Macau Polytechnic University (UPM) and Portugal's University of Coimbra (UC) have set up a laboratory that aims to use digital technology applied to humanities and linguistics to «build bridges of communication» between Portugal and China.
UPM announced the formal establishment of the Joint Research Laboratory in Digital Humanities and Applied Linguistics in a statement released on Monday evening.
The statement notes that the laboratory's inauguration ceremony took place during a visit by UPM's rector, Zhou Zhongrong, to Coimbra last week.
UPM said that the two universities will «harness digital technology to revitalise resources in the humanities and use linguistic science to build bridges of communication» between China and Portugal.
During the ceremony, Zhou Zhongrong emphasised that the creation of the joint laboratory forms part of the first joint campus between universities in Portugal and Macau, which is to be established in neighbouring Hengqin (Mountain Island).
The head of UPM assured that, with the development of the campus, there will be «more research initiatives» and cooperation with Coimbra «is set to reach new heights».
The rector of UC, Amílcar Falcão, pledged to deepen collaboration with UPM in areas such as staff and student exchanges and to put the results of the research into practice in Hengqin.
Last week, the director of the UC General Library said that the project will, for example, «computerise the different strains of the Portuguese language, computerise translation into Chinese and also into the different strains of the Chinese language».
According to a statement from UC, Manuel Portela described the initiative as a laboratory «for the future», which will use artificial intelligence to preserve and promote historical heritage, cultures and languages.
In early June, the two rectors signed a memorandum of understanding in Macau for the creation of the UPM-UCoimbra Joint Global Campus in the Hengqin Special Economic Zone.
At the time, Amílcar Falcão said that the agreement was «a decisive step towards raising the University of Coimbra's international profile».
The new campus will enable «the development of joint bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes with dual degrees recognised in Portugal and Macau» and the creation of joint incubators, the rector added.
The Portuguese Minister for Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, said that the project will have a direct impact on research, innovation and academic mobility between Portugal and China.
He explained that the innovative aspect of the agreement lies in the creation of a physical campus in Hengqin, with dedicated laboratories where «researchers from both institutions will work».
According to the minister, this agreement forms part of an already well-established network of academic and scientific cooperation between Portugal and China.
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