MUST 25th Anniversary Celebration - MUST and Shandong University Jointly Held the International Forum on Innovative Digital Entertainment

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), the “International Forum on Innovative Digital Entertainment” was successfully held on March 28, 2025. This Forum was jointly organized by the Faculty of Innovative Engineering (FIE), MUST and Shandong University under the theme “AI-Driven Futures of Digital Entertainment,” and it brought together top scholars, industry leaders, and technology pioneers from around the world. Through keynote speeches and three invited lectures spanning distinct thematic areas, participants explored the innovation applications of cutting-edge technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC), Large Language Models (LLMs) in the fields of digital entertainment, virtual reality, and creative media, injecting technological momentum into Macao’s construction of a “World Center for Tourism and Leisure” and a “MICE Hub”, and supporting the “1+4” industrial diversification strategy.

Group photo of all participants

Guests attending the forum included: Ms. Ma U Leng, Head of Organizational Planning and Development Department of the Macao Government Tourist Office; Ms. Lorman Lo, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Teledifusão de Macau (TDM); Professor Li Shucai, President of Shandong University; Chair Professor Joseph Hun-wei Lee, Vice-Chancellor and President of MUST; Chair Professor Zhang Du, Director of the School of Computer Science and Engineering of MUST FIE; and leaders from domestic and international universities, corporate representatives, industry experts, and nearly 200 faculty members and students.

President Joseph Hun-wei Lee delivered a speech

At the opening ceremony, President Joseph Hun-wei Lee, emphasized in his address that this forum serves as one of the important academic activities of the 25^th Anniversary Celebration of MUST, demonstrating the University's commitment to advancing interdisciplinary integration of technology and arts. In recent years, relying on Macao’s unique cultural heritage and “Tourism+” industrial ecology, MUST has continued to delve into emerging fields, such as digital entertainment and intelligent interaction, and is committed to building a highland of science technology, culture, and creativity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This forum is not only a tribute to the university anniversary, but also demonstrates the core value of the university in serving reginal regional economic transformation and cultivating compound innovative talents.

President Li Shucai delivered a speech

Subsequently, President Li Shucai, delivered an opening speech, congratulating the convening of the forum and emphasizing the important role of the digital entertainment industry in promoting the cultural-technology integration and high-quality of socioeconomic development. He pointed out that universities should actively explore the digital empowerment in cultural industries and promote the deep integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain and talent chain of new cultural formats. The Macau University of Science and Technology has industrial advantages in area of digital entertainment technology, and Shandong University also has distinct characteristics in related fields. The partnership between the two universities will inject sustainable energy into digital entertainment science research and innovation.

Signing Ceremony

Next, President Joseph Hun-wei Lee and President Li Shucai jointly signed the Student Exchange Agreement. The signing of this agreement will further strengthen the relationship between the two universities, promote student exchange visits, facilitate the sharing of academic resources, and provide a broader platform for cultivating innovative talents with an international perspective.

Keynote speeches: Professor Taku Komura (top), Associate Professor Wu Zhuohao (center) and Professor Liu Yebin (bottom)

Following the opening ceremony, the forum proceeded to its keynote speech session. Speakers included Professor Taku Komura, Associate Professor Wu Zhuohao and Professor Liu Yebin. They shared their insights on the topics of “Physics-Based and Data-Driven Animation: Applications in Digital Humans and Robotics”, “Global AI Creativity Report 2025”, and “3D Digital Avatars: From Gaussian Splatting to Video Generation Models”.

Invited speakers: Professor Tu Changhe (top left), Associate Professor Zheng Jianyi (top right), Dr. Deng Dafu (middle left), Professor Rui Prada (middle right), Assistant Professor Liu Yuan (bottom left) and Assistant Professor Xu Lan (bottom right)

After the Keynote speech, Professor Tu Changhe and Associate Professor Zheng Jianyi gave reports on the theme of “Human-Centric Intelligence & Digital Symbiosis”; Dr. Deng Dafu and Professor Rui Prada gave reports on the theme of “Interactive Entertainment and Social Impact Creation”; Assistant Professor Liu Yuan and Assistant Professor Xu Lan gave reports on the theme of “AI-Driven 3D Reconstruction and Generation”. In these three theme reports, they shared their research and experience in their respective fields.

The successful hosting of this forum not only demonstrates the academic influence of Macau University of Science and Technology in the field of technology-art integration but also provides innovative insights for Macao’s economic diversification strategy. With the rapid development of the digital economy, Macao is poised to leverage its unique cultural and geographical advantages to establish itself as a globally influential hub for technological and cultural innovation.