A plaque unveiling ceremony for the “Macau Research Center for Finance Innovation Research” (MRCFIR) was held in front of the sub-branch of Back of China (BOC) Macau Branch, at the lobby of Block N, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), at 3 p.m., on March 25th, 2015. The officiating guests at the ceremony were Mr. Ip Sio Kai, Deputy General Manager of BOC Macau, Mr. Jiang Kuiwei, Assistant General Manager of BOC Macau, Ms. Lok In Kuan, Head of BOC Hoi Tou Sub-Branch, President Chair Professor Liu Liang, Vice President Professor Chen Xi, and Professor Lin Zhijun, Dean of School of Business, MUST. The grand yet lively atmosphere attracted over a hundred students and faculty members to witness this historic moment.
In his address, President Liu Liang remarked that establishing a sub-branch of BOC Macau on MUST campus in last August has not only provided daily conveniences for students and staff members of MUST, but also built a new platform for further cooperation between MUST and BOC Macau. A consensus was researched earlier that MUST and BOC Macau should collaborate to set up the MRCFIR so that concerted efforts would be made to cultivate talents and promote academic research in financial innovation so as to better meet the needs of Macau community and the financial market. The establishment of the “center” is a new attempt of MUST to cooperate with social organizations for joint efforts in talent cultivation and academic research. MUST hopes to explore new modes of education and research in the field of finance at a time when a new chapter for Macau’s development has already been opened.
President Liu believed that this BOC-MUST cooperation would create a win-win situation for both sides by sharing each other’s resources and complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, given that BOC Macau boasts a highly qualified team of financial professionals as well as familiarity with the actual economic and financial situations in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau; faculty members of School of Business, MUST are known for their solid theoretical background, comprehensive knowledge and research exploration in developing financial innovation systems.
Mr. Ip Sio Kai, Deputy General Manager of BOC Macau, also delivered a speech. He noted that with the vigorous support of MUST leadership and because of the successful cooperation experiences in the past and actual resource advantages, the launch of MRCFIR would serve as a both creative and practical model platform of bank-university cooperation. The “center” will rely on the physical platform of MUST Sub-branch of BOC Macau to conduct all-round cooperation covering talents cultivation, financial practice, research projects, social activities and transforming research outcomes into financial products or services. At the initial stage, the “center” will promote “BOC Financial Practice Course”, focus on some research projects, namely, “Constructing the Macau Major-Industry Index” which was already launched, and “Market Survey of Banking Industry”, etc. and keep exploring deeper and wider for areas where collaborative efforts are needed. Mr. Ip also hoped that both sides would work conjointly to promote the work of the “center”, and make contributions to Macau’s positioning as “One Center, One platform”, the diversification of Macau’s economy, talent cultivation and so on.
Other guests who attended this ceremony included Ms. Au Va On, Manager of Human resources, Ms. Chan Fan, Director of Business Development, Ms. Wu Yinyi, Deputy Administrative Officer, Mr. Chiang Hong Hin, Head of MUST Sub-branch of BOC Macau, as well as Dr. Tong Ka Lok, Vice President and Professor Pang Chuan, Associate Vice President of MUST.
