AU × Tsinghua University: Expanding Art & Innovation Collaboration

On May 19, 2025, Assumption University (AU) and Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design met in Beijing to deepen academic and artistic cooperation—particularly in digital art, design innovation, and cultural entrepreneurship. AU President Rev. Bro. Sirichai Fonseka, f.s.g., Ph.D., led the AU delegation, and Professor Ma Sai, Dean of the Academy, welcomed the group at Tsinghua.

During the high-level meeting, both sides discussed interdisciplinary curricula, exchanges, and the creative economy, reaffirming their commitment to collaboration. Rev. Bro. Sirichai underscored AU’s strengths in creative industries and international education, highlighting the synergy between the two institutions.

Both universities agreed to focus on four key areas of cooperation:

• Joint Programs & Dual-Degree Initiatives: Co-develop interdisciplinary courses—such as Digital Art & Design—and expand dual-degree pathways, with scholarships reserved for AU’s top art students.

• Joint Research & Innovation Platforms: Strengthen the Smart Art & Design Lab by integrating AU’s AI and engineering expertise, and pursue collaborative projects on digital cultural heritage preservation and sustainable design.

• Faculty-Student Exchanges & Academic Activities: Revitalize the China–Thailand Arts Exchange Fund to support additional faculty visits, artist residencies, and student mobility, and co-host the Asian Youth Art Biennale 2026.

• Industry-Academia Collaboration & Creative Business Incubation: Explore a China–Thailand Creative Industry Incubation Center in Bangkok, leveraging AU’s business and technology management expertise to nurture emerging art and innovation ventures.

  
  

The meeting concluded with an exchange of symbolic artworks representing friendship, and both parties agreed to finalize the cooperation framework by the end of 2025. A joint task force will coordinate next steps and upcoming projects.

For full details and background on our collaboration with Tsinghua, please read the complete article on AU’s main website: click here.