• Sands China co-hosted the “Macao Hengqin Technological Innovation Industry-Academia-Research Reverse Business Matching” event.
• The event enhanced cross-sector collaboration to build a tech exchange platform for Macau and Hengqin.

Sands China, in partnership with the Macao Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) and the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT), kicked off a groundbreaking “reverse business matching” event at The Londoner Macao at the end of May. The initiative aims to supercharge collaboration among industry, academia and research institutions, fuelling the next wave of tech-driven “smart tourism” solutions across Macau and Hengqin.

Unlike traditional business matching where companies pitch their products to corporations, the Macao Hengqin Technological Innovation Industry-Academia-Research Reverse Business Matching event flipped the script. Sands China explicitly shared its specific operational needs directly to universities and research organizations. Academic and research teams are now challenged to craft tailored, real-world solutions targeting the company’s current priorities, fast-tracking the transformation of research into commercial impact.

The event pulled in around 140 participants, from senior academics to emerging tech innovators. Representatives from Sands China laid out the pressing technological challenges and opportunities facing Macau’s largest integrated tourism and leisure operator. A robust Q&A and networking session followed, giving research teams a head start on proposals that directly address operational challenges. Over the next six months, both sides will keep up the momentum with monthly progress reviews, aiming to build a long-term communication platform to ensure projects don’t just launch, but thrive.

Advised by the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance and implemented by the Sands Resorts Incubation Centre, this reverse business matching scheme intends to serve as a key pillar of Macau’s “1+4” economic diversification strategy. It is designed to bridge the gap between academic discovery and market application, helping Macau and Hengqin move beyond traditional industries and into high-value, high-tech sectors. By supporting research commercialization at universities and fostering industry-academia-research collaboration, the initiative promises deeper integration between the two regions and a major boost for the local innovation ecosystem.

Secretary for Economy and Finance, Tai Kin Ip, opened the event, underscoring the Macau government’s commitment to moderate economic diversification and positioning technological innovation as the engine of sustainable growth. He noted that the event is a concrete example of how aligning the needs of major tourism operators with the strengths of local research can accelerate Macau’s development and urged more enterprises to engage with local tech teams and universities, opening up new opportunities for “tourism + technology” and driving up the quality of regional development.

Grant Chum, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Sands China Ltd, echoed these ambitions. He noted that technological innovation is the core engine driving high-quality societal development. Through initiatives like reverse business matching, Sands China is not just supporting Macau’s “1+4” economic diversification but also creating more opportunities for local SMEs, tech start-ups and youth entrepreneurs.

“Moving forward, we aim to continue utilizing the Sands Resorts Incubation Centre to accelerate the transformation of Macau’s scientific and research achievements into real-world applications,” Chum said.

Distinguished guests at the event included government officials, senior academics from the University of Macau and Macau University of Science and Technology, and top leadership from Sands China.

The reverse business matching initiative is part of Sands China’s F.I.T. support program for local suppliers, which saw the establishment of the Sands Resorts Incubation Centre in 2023. The Incubation Centre aims to discover, nurture and scale local innovation, turning conceptual ideas into commercial game-changers.