On the afternoon of 24th April, 2017, the Launching Ceremony of Global Innovation Design Master Programme (GID) Ⅲ co-organized by Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Royal College of Art, and Imperial College London was held in the Academy. Dean Prof. LU Xiaobo, Deputy Dean Prof. ZHANG Gan, Deputy Dean Dr. WU Qiong, Director of International Cooperation and Exchange Office Dr. ZANG Yingchun, Director of Teaching Affair Office Dr. YUAN Bo, Director of Industrial Design Department Dr. ZHAO Chao and faculty representatives Prof. CAI Jun, Associate Prof. LIU Zhensheng, Associate Prof. LIU Qiang and Associate Prof. TANG Lintao attended the ceremony.
On behalf of the Academy, Prof. LU Xiaobo expressed warm welcome to the 9 postgraduate students from Royal College of Art and recognized the participation of a dozen of postgraduate students from different majors of the Academy. He revealed that the Academy of Arts & Design had collaborated actively with international famous design institutes and universities in cross-culture and cross-disciplinary design teaching and research cooperation. In the past decade, the Academy has attached great importance to deepen the cooperation with Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. The three institutes have reached consensus on many areas in terms of innovative design talent cultivation and design discipline construction in their respective countries and even in the world and have made great efforts and contributions to the development of design discipline. GID Programme was developed in the context of Tsinghua University’s vigorous promotion of the global strategy. Through the integration of the advantage resources in design, culture and industry in Asia (Tsinghua University) and Europe (Royal College of Art and Imperial College London), the program aimed to create a unique, high-level, complex and innovative talents training mode featuring cross-culture and cross-discipline. Through the joint efforts with partners in UK, it integrates international cutting edge professional knowledge in art, design, engineering, technology and business and applies these into teaching to cultivating leadership talents with "art and science" interdisciplinary knowledge background and international vision.
Prof. ZHANG Gan talked about how the Academy has paid attention to and supported the GID Programme from teaching and admission affairs. The GID Programme got the approval from Tsinghua University graduate education teaching reform project. Moreover, the Graduate School approved 2:1 admission process. It showed that GID Programme has played an important role in promoting the internationalization of the design discipline of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. In 2016, the Academy sent 16 graduate students to Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, and has achieved positive outcomes. He hoped the students from UK could learn the economic development and design trends of China together with the Chinese students of the Academy, and also enhance friendship and interactions in the next four months. And we are looking forward to see more deep cooperation in the future career development and design innovation between the GID students.
As leader of the GID Programme in the Academy, Dr. ZHAO Chao explained the overall academic arrangement and process in detail to the students and faculty, and answered students’ questions together with the teaching faculty. Students from the UK and the Academy also introduced themselves to each other and exchanged their experiences and opinions.
