On 17 to 27 September 2017, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) President Van Iat Kio and Executive Officer of Education Department Tsang Sau Mui Alice joined the delegation of leadership of higher education institutes of Macao for an exchange visit to Portugal. With the assistance of O Tin Lin, Head of Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, KWNC signed a memorandum of cooperation with different parties including Chair of Board of Directors of Coimbra Hospital and University Centre Mr. Fernando Regateiro, as well as Chair of Board of Directors Dr. Isabel Maria Pereira Aníbal Vaz and Board Member Mr. Pedro Líbano Monteiro of Hospital da Luz Lisboa. The cooperation highlights the establishment of professional research, exchange of academic publication and exchange programme for teacher and student between the institutions.

KWNC President Van recognized the professionalism of the two collaborating institutions. Coimbra Hospital and University Centre is directly affiliated under the health service structure of the country's Ministry of Health, whose pediatrics, nephrology, organ transplantation (especially heart, liver and kidney) professionalism and teaching experiences in nursing and health science are outstanding. Hospital da Luz Lisboa is one of the largest private hospitals in the country with rich experiences. Both Coimbra Hospital and Hospital da Luz Lisboa receive many difficult cases, and their experiences will enrich the knowledge and broaden the horizons of teachers and students from different KWNC programmes including the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing Programme (PDAN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programme (BSN). Furthermore, to comply with the Macao SAR Government's development objective "One Centre, One Platform" as well as the internationalization progress of KWNC, it is hoped that the first teacher and student exchange programme will be launched next year.

During the trip, President Van and Executive Officer Tsang also visited the University of West London, where collaborative plans were discussed with the leadership of the University including Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost for Health Professor Anthony Woodman, in order to explore more overseas study opportunities for students. In addition to possessing cooperation agreements with local medical institutions, KWNC has already signed numerous cooperation agreements with higher education and medical institutions worldwide including the UK, USA, Australia, Portugal, Brazil, Thailand, Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. President Van therefore encourages students to enhance their English and Portuguese language proficiency so that they are given more options to select from for their study exchanges.

As the Global Summit Forum on "Alzheimer's Disease (Dementia) Research and Nursing" took part during this period, President Van and Executive Officer Tsang also attended its opening ceremony and paid a visit to the Alzheimer's Society UK to further study the development progress of dementia friendly project around the world. They also expressed interest in joining the project so as to intensify a dementia friendly community for Macao.