BEIJING -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region has established four state key laboratories, covering traditional Chinese medicine, microelectronics, smart-city Internet of Things, and lunar and planetary sciences, a national political adviser said on Wednesday.

Relying on universities and state key laboratories, and through participation in major national projects, Macao has nurtured a legion of young scientists and attracted an increasing number of world-leading researchers to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said Chen Ji-min, vice-chairperson of the council of Macao University of Science and Technology, who is in Beijing to attend the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The Macao SAR has emphasized research and technological innovation in higher education since its return to the motherland in 1999, Chen told reporters on the sidelines of the session.

During this period, the number of students studying in Macao's universities has jumped from 8,000 to over 62,000, while university research staff have risen from 13 to 1,773, a 136-fold increase. More than 9,000 undergraduates and postgraduates are majoring in science and technology, Chen said.

"Macao is building itself into an international hub for top talent that gathers global expertise and links domestic and international collaborative innovation," she added.