The State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City (SKL-IOTSC) of the University of Macau (UM) has successfully passed an assessment conducted by a team of experts jointly arranged by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund. Passing the assessment shows state recognition of the lab’s significant research achievements since its founding, as well as successful completion of its development plan and objectives.

During the assessment, the experts inspected the lab’s facilities and operation and listened to a brief work report delivered by Yonghua Song, director of the lab and rector of UM, as well as a report of the lab’s achievements presented by Ma Shaodan, associate professor and assistant director of the lab. The experts also reviewed the application report submitted by the lab and examined the relevant data. After a serious deliberation, the experts agreed that the lab is aligned with the country’s major strategic need of developing smart cities and has a clear focus on key scientific and technological issues in the field of internet of things for smart city development. Members of the expert team come from various institutions, including Xi’an Jiaotong University, the Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences and the Institute of Software (both of which are under the Chinese Academy of Sciences), Tsinghua University, and the University of Science and Technology of China.

According to Prof Song, the SKL-IOTSC has received great support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Macao SAR government, the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund, and the host institution, UM. In the future, the lab will continue to push back the frontiers of science by pursuing cutting-edge research, promote the collaborative development of various academic disciplines, strengthen the application of its research results in smart city development, enhance the calibre of its research team, and promote economic diversification in Macao and the integration of smart cities in the Greater Bay Area.