Higher education awarded MOP28.4 million in Q4 2016

The Macau SAR Government disbursed some MOP28.4 million to finance the projects and activities of higher education institutions, related associations, and scholarships in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to data published by the Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES) in the Official Gazette.
A total of MOP17.34 million attributed in the three months leading up to the end of 2016 were allocated to three higher education institutions: the University of Science and Technology (MUST) and its Foundation, the City University of Macau, and the University of Saint Joseph (USJ).
MUST and MUST Foundation alone received nearly MOP12.67 million of all funds in the fourth quarter – MOP4.27 million and MOP8.40 million, respectively – with the latter amount attributed to the purchase of a licence for the use of electronic library databases in 2017. In the third quarter of 2016, MUST Foundation received MOP4.35 million from GAES and MO12.50 million from the Macau Foundation.
Although the University of Macau was not among the beneficiaries in the fourth quarter it had received MOP1.42 million in the third quarter of 2016.
The activities subsidised range research, the Acquisition of equipment (USJ) and IT to the training of bilingual staff in Portuguese and Chinese.
Additional financial support was granted to student associations such as Fujian University Macau Student Association, and cultural associations like the Heritage Ambassadors Association as well as civic associations such as the New Chinese Youth of Macau.
Some MOP7.54 million was also spent on scholarships granted to 244 graduate students, representing MOP31,145 per person.