Donghua University, UK's RCA launch creative industry center

China's Donghua University and the United Kingdom's Royal College of Art officially launched the RCA Shanghai Center on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Design Cities Conference.

The new center, a flagship creative industry project, will leverage the strengths of its two founding institutions, based in Shanghai and London, respectively, to forge strong partnerships with academic institutions, government bodies, and enterprises across the Chinese mainland, according to a statement from Donghua University.

Its mission is to deepen collaboration on scientific research and joint professional education, with a core objective to tackle a central challenge of the modern economy: harnessing design-driven innovation in the digital intelligence era to accelerate consumer trends and industrial transformation.

Speaking later at an afternoon forum, RCA Vice Chancellor Ken Neil underscored the importance of the partnership. He said that the RCA Shanghai Center is the first and only institution of its kind co-established by the prestigious UK college in China.

He said, as a global leader in art, design, fashion and architecture education, RCA was looking forward to deepening education and research collaboration with Donghua University, and the new center will be crucial in linking the creative industries, innovative professionals, and design communities in China with those around the world to build a vibrant and dynamic creative ecosystem.

The collaboration signals a growing emphasis on the role of design and innovation in driving economic growth, and positions Shanghai as a key node in the global creative network.