To celebrate the 26th anniversary of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), the Cell Press Forum on Optoelectronic Materials and Devices (CPF-OMD 2026) and the Inauguration Ceremony of the Sino-Luso Joint Laboratory for Optoelectronics, jointly organized by MUST and Cell Press with Soochow University and East China Normal University as co-organizers, and funded by the Macao Foundation held its opening ceremony at the N101 Auditorium of MUST on 9 April 2026. Covering topics including electronic and information materials, low-dimensional and functional materials, energy and environmental materials, and AI for materials and device modeling, the forum featured six plenary lectures and four parallel sessions, attracting experts, scholars, university faculty, students, and industry representatives from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Portugal, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Australia.

Distinguished guests attending the event included Ms. Liang Qiaozhi, Deputy Director of the Information and Public Diplomacy Department, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao SAR; Mr. Alexandre Leitão, Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong; Mr. Ip Kuai Lam, Members of the Administrative Committee of the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT); Mr. Ao Ka Leong, Acting Director of the Technology Industry Promotion Division, Economic and Technological Development Bureau; Mr. Xu Zhi Ping, Director of Division 5, Department of Education and Youth Affairs, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR; Ms. Márcia Cordeiro Guerreiro, Representative of Portugal, Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao); Ms. Patrícia Quaresm, Director of Instituto Português do Oriente; Dr. Lei Chan, Deputy Director of the Macau Association for Promotion of Science and Technology; Professor Paulo Pereira, Rector of NOVA University Lisbon (by video); Professor Rodrigo Martins, President of the European Academy of Sciences, NOVA University Lisbon; Professor Elvira Fortunato, Former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, NOVA University Lisbon; Academician Yuguang Ma of South China University of Technology; Professor Alex Kwan Yue Jen of City University of Hong Kong; Dr. Steven W. Cranford, Editor-in-Chief of Matter and Matter & Light, Cell Press; Dr. Andrew Bissette, Editor-in-Chief of Cell Reports Physical Science; and Dr. Yan Li, Deputy Editor of Matter and Matter & Light. MUST representatives in attendance included Dr. LIU Chak-Wan, Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council of MUST; Chair Professor Joseph Hun-wei Lee, Chairman of the University Advisory Committee; Professor Tong Ka Lok, Vice President; Chair Professor Chen Yong, Vice President; Chair Professor He Yao, Vice President; Ms. Su Hsiang Mei, University Council Member; Chair Professor Shuit-Tong Lee, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of MIMSE; Professor Lifeng Chi, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Professor Jianxin Tang, Executive Director of MIMSE.

Professor Tong Ka Lok, Vice President of MUST, delivered the welcome speech

Chair Professor Lee Shuit-Tong delivered a speech

Professor Rodrigo Martins delivered a speech

Dr. Steven W. Cranford spoke on behalf of Cell Press

Mr. Ip Kuai Lam representing FDCT delivered a speech

Professor Tong Ka Lok, Vice President of MUST, delivered the welcome speech, reviewing the university's development over the past 26 years and reaffirming its commitment to international cooperation and Macao's scientific innovation and economic diversification. Chair Professor Lee Shuit-Tong, General Chair of the forum, Director of the Sino-Luso Joint Laboratory for Optoelectronics, and Director of MIMSE, outlined the institute's research progress since its establishment in 2021 in areas including optoelectronic and new energy materials, biomedical materials, and AI-driven interdisciplinary applications. Professor Rodrigo Martins reviewed the longstanding cooperation between NOVA University Lisbon and MUST, and congratulated the inauguration of the joint laboratory. Dr. Steven W. Cranford spoke on behalf of Cell Press, introducing the newly launched journal Matter & Light, whose scope closely matches the themes of the forum. Rector Paulo Pereira delivered his remarks by video, expressing gratitude to FDCT for its support. Mr. Ip Kuai Lam, representing FDCT, noted that the Funding Scheme for Scientific Research Platforms aims to help Macao's universities build world-class research capacity, and commended the collaboration with Cell Press.

The inauguration ceremony of the Sino-Luso Joint Laboratory for Optoelectronics

The inauguration ceremony of the Sino-Luso Joint Laboratory for Optoelectronics then took place. Ms. Liang Qiaozhi, Mr. Alexandre Leitão, Mr. Ip Kuai Lam, Professor Tong Ka Lok, Chair Professor Lee Shuit-Tong, Professor Chi Lifeng, Professor Rodrigo Martins, and Professor Elvira Fortunato jointly unveiled the plaque, marking the formal establishment of the collaborative platform between MUST and NOVA University Lisbon. The Sino-Luso Joint Laboratory for Optoelectronics is the first collaborative platform in the field of optoelectronic technology between China and Portugal, and will leverage Macao's role as a bridge to Portuguese-speaking countries to deepen international industry-university-research cooperation.

Forum group photo

The forum featured six plenary lectures by leading scholars: Professor Rodrigo Martins on sustainable materials in electronics and energy; Academician Yuguang Ma on organic soliton semiconductors; Professor Alex Kwan Yue Jen on molecular engineering for perovskite and organic solar cells; Chair Professor Chen Yong on two-dimensional van der Waals materials for photodetectors and quantum emitters; Professor Elvira Fortunato on sustainable materials for electronic applications; and Professor Satoshi Kera on designing function through momentum-resolved electronic structure. Four parallel sessions covered solar energy, electroluminescent devices, energy storage and sensors, and materials synthesis, processing and interfaces, with over 30 invited speakers from leading institutions worldwide. The closing session featured remarks by Dr. Andrew Bissette, Editor-in-Chief of Cell Reports Physical Science, and concluding addresses by Professor Elvira Fortunato and Professor Chi Lifeng.

As a major event in the MUST 26th Anniversary Celebration Series, the forum carried forward MUST's strong tradition of hosting academic events in the field of optoelectronic materials, and for the first time partnered with Cell Press, elevating its international profile and academic impact to a new level. The inauguration of the Sino-Luso Joint Laboratory for Optoelectronics marks a new chapter in the collaboration between MUST and NOVA University Lisbon, and will inject fresh momentum into optoelectronic innovation, Sino-Portuguese scientific cooperation, and the appropriate economic diversification of Macao.