Macau Youth, Hengqin Startup, Hong Kong IPO: Cross-Border Entrepreneurship Success Stories

The joint interview delegation themed “Leveraging New Advantages to Align with the 15th Five-Year Plan” visited the Hengqin-Macao Youth Entrepreneurship Valley to witness the innovation and entrepreneurship achievements of Macao youth in Hengqin and to experience the integrated development of Hengqin and Macao.

Hengqin: A New Frontier for Talent

Zhuhai Nanometals Technology Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Zhuhai Nanometals Technology Co., Ltd., founded by Macao youth Lei Zhen together with several national-level high-calibre talents, is a leading enterprise in nanomaterials and flexible tactile sensing in China. Lei Zhen said the company holds more than 100 invention patents. Among them, a multimodal tactile sensor developed using flexible, conductive nano-silver materials can endow robots with sensing capabilities. The product has completed sample testing and is expected to achieve large-scale market launch within this year.

Lei Zhen, Founder and CEO of Zhuhai Nanometals Technology Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Lei Zhen pointed out that Hengqin has advantages in attracting talent: "Relying on the advantages of Hengqin-Macao integration, we have brought in outstanding young people from the Chinese Mainland and recruited talent from Germany. Hengqin is also building a university town, which provides an excellent research environment for industry-academia-research cooperation."

The business partners of Zhuhai Nanometals Technology Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Display of cooperative achievements, Photo by Bastille Post

Hong Kong as a Bridgehead for Overseas Expansion

Xu Yuechan, Executive Director and co-founder of Barco Technology Limited, a subsidiary of BoardWare Intelligence Technology, Photo by Bastille Post

BoardWare Intelligence Technology Limited was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Main Board in 2022, becoming the first Macao-based technology corporation to list on the Hong Kong Main Board. The group has established two subsidiaries, one in Hengqin and one in Hong Kong, forming a complete layout of "Macao R&D + Hengqin commercialisation + Hong Kong and Macao overseas expansion."

Xu Yuechan, Executive Director and co-founder of Barco Technology Limited, a subsidiary of BoardWare Intelligence Technology, Photo by Bastille Post

Barco Technology Limited, a subsidiary of BoardWare Intelligence Technology, has its China headquarters in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, focusing on developing non-invasive brain-computer interface technology. Xu Yuechan, its Executive Director and co-founder, said that in Hengqin the corporation can draw on the research strength of Macao's local universities to tackle industry-side technical challenges, making up for Macao's shortcomings in land space and the lack of large-scale testing scenarios.

Barcosense AI Glasses, Photo by Bastille Post

Xu Yuechan showcased the Barcosense AI Glasses, the core brain-computer interface product, to the delegation members. She said, "The corporation's R&D has currently achieved electroencephalogram and physiological signal reading as well as electromechanical command output, and it is still at the prototype development stage."

Xu Yuechan, Executive Director and co-founder of Barco Technology Limited, a subsidiary of BoardWare Intelligence Technology, Photo by Bastille Post

In addition, BoardWare Intelligence has two subsidiaries in Hong Kong, laying out two self-developed business lines, namely cybersecurity operation services and AI government solutions. BoardWare Intelligence also regards Hong Kong as a bridgehead for overseas expansion. Xu Yuechan pointed out that the Hong Kong business targets the Southeast Asian market, and the related overseas business has entered a critical stage of implementation, relying on the Hong Kong and Macao gateways to complete the transformation and export of research results.

Robot-Guided Puncture Ablation Surgery

The puncture surgery navigation and positioning system invented by Guangdong True Health Medical Technology Development Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

The puncture surgery navigation and positioning system invented by Guangdong True Health Medical Technology Development Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Guangdong True Health Medical Technology Development Co., Ltd. was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this year, becoming the "first stock in puncture surgery robots," as well as the first biomedical listed company in Macao and the first local listed company in Hengqin.

Zhang Haoren, Founder of Guangdong True Health Medical Technology Development Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

Founder Zhang Haoren cited the example of True Health Medical robots providing puncture surgery for Macao residents. Two high-risk, elderly patients successfully underwent the first robot-guided puncture ablation surgery at the Hengqin Hospital. Zhang Haoren pointed out that this successful case offers Macao residents a treatment option at their doorstep, avoiding long-distance referrals.

Puncture surgery simulation using porcine lungs, Photo by Bastille Post

True Health Medical has signed a cooperation agreement with Macau University of Science and Technology, focusing on the field of regenerative medicine. Zhang Haoren revealed that the corporation plans to carry out joint cooperation with institutions such as the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as Hong Kong hospitals such as Prince of Wales Hospital.

Guangdong True Health Medical Technology Development Co., Ltd., Photo by Bastille Post

The Council of the European Union (EU) said in a statement on Monday that it had decided to extend the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) for another two years, until Nov 15, 2028, and establish a presence in Ukraine.

Nearly 300 million euros (about 336.3 million U.S. dollars) has been allocated for the extended period. The planned presence in Ukraine aims to ensure direct and effective coordination with Ukrainian military authorities, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) and like-minded international partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Norway.

The mission will also cooperate with the Coalition of the Willing and NATO under the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) command, said the statement.

The decision follows a recent strategic review of EUMAM, which led to an expansion of the mission's mandate, with a focus on ensuring that EU training evolves in line with the UAF's needs, drawing lessons from the battlefield and strengthening military training in support of Ukraine's defense agenda, according to the statement.

The Council described the mission as a key instrument of the EU's military support for Ukraine. Since its establishment in October 2022 at Ukraine's request, the mission has trained more than 100,000 soldiers.

Established by a Council decision on Oct 17, 2022, EUMAM Ukraine initially had a two-year mandate. The mission provides individual, collective and specialized training to the UAF in EU member states and coordinates and synchronizes training delivered by member states. The mission is financed by the European Peace Facility.

EU extends military assistance mission, plans presence in Ukraine