With the objective of contributing to the reinforcement of Macao's role as a Sino-Lusophone cooperation platform and improving the knowledge of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao among Higher Education Institutions in Lusophone countries and regions, the Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI), in partnership with the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, will host the 11th conference of FORGES (Forum of Higher Education Management in Portuguese-speaking Countries and Regions), under the theme, “Cooperation in Higher Education in Portuguese-speaking Countries and Regions in the face of Global Challenges”.

The Conference will take place between 22 and 26 November 2021, in a mixed model (online and in-person). Throughout the week, there will be daily three-hour sessions online. If public health conditions are met, the face-to-face component will take place at the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, in a format closer to the traditional one. The possibility of remote participation in all sessions will be ensured, through digital platforms. Thematic sessions are foreseen in seven predefined themes and the organisers accept proposals for special sessions on relevant topics in the context of higher education in Portuguese-speaking countries and regions.

With the announcement by the Central Government in 2018 of the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area”, a strategy was defined directed at creating an International Center for Technological Innovation in the region, by attracting international talent and increasing links between the academic world and the modern industrial system. This strategy includes many references to Portuguese-speaking countries, which opens up new opportunities for academic cooperation that fully benefit from Macao's role as a Sino-Lusophone platform, in the perspective of innovation and internationalization, answering today's global challenges.

This is the second time that MPI has hosted the FORGES conference, having welcomed the 2nd Conference in 2012. MPI has been intensifying its contributions to the training of qualified bilingual talents, the promotion of teaching of the Portuguese language in the Greater Bay and other regions of China, and the development of scientific research in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Translation through the creation of the Chinese-Portuguese-English Machine Translation Laboratory, thus playing a relevant role in the construction and development of Macao as a platform for cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. For more information about the 11th FORGES Conference, see: https://www.aforges.org/conferencia/