On March 13, the Royal College of Art (RCA) Shanghai Centre was officially inaugurated at Donghua University, marking a significant milestone in the partnership between the two institutions and opening a new chapter in international collaboration in art, design, and innovation.The inauguration ceremony brought together senior leaders from government and academia, including Jiang Fan, Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Education and Health Work Committee; Xiang Yanxun, President of Donghua University; Christoph Lindner, President of the Royal College of Art; Ye Linlin, Vice Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Lu Weibing; and Ken Neil. Distinguished scholars and representatives from leading Chinese universities and art and design institutions also attended the event.
（Speech by Xiang Yanxun）
In his remarks, President Xiang highlighted the strong foundation of cooperation established between Donghua University and the Royal College of Art across academic exchange, talent development, and research collaboration. He described the launch of the RCA Shanghai Centre as a landmark achievement that transforms a shared vision into reality. He noted that the Centre will serve as an important platform for leveraging world-class educational resources and innovation ecosystems to cultivate globally competitive talent, while contributing to Shanghai’s ambitions as a leading international design and fashion capital.
（Speech by Christoph Lindner）
President Christoph Lindner emphasized Shanghai’s unique position as a global hub for creative education, innovation, design, architecture, and emerging industries. On behalf of the Royal College of Art, he expressed appreciation for the support provided by Shanghai’s educational authorities in advancing the partnership. Looking ahead, he underscored the institutions’ shared commitment to addressing global challenges through creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation in the age of artificial intelligence.
The inauguration ceremony of the "Huangyi Shanghai Center" was held at the meeting. Jiang Fan, Xiang Yanxun, Christoph Lindner, Ye Linlin, Lu Weibing, Ken Neil, and Sun Jie jointly witnessed this historically significant moment.
During the conference, the "Global Strategic Advisory Committee for Art and Design" was also held as an honorary advisor certification ceremony and the inaugural VitD National Art and Design College Leadership Conference, focusing on interdisciplinary integration, design education and teaching reform, and internationalized schooling, exchanging and sharing cutting-edge ideas and practical explorations.
It is reported that the official inauguration of the "Royal Art Shanghai Center" marks the first time the Royal College of Art, a world-class art institution with nearly two centuries of history, has established a strategic cooperation platform in China. As a world-class creative industry center and interdisciplinary research platform for the global audience, the center will deeply collaborate in areas such as high-end education programs, industry-academia-research collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship education, and alumni services, injecting new momentum into art and design education in China and globally