On the morning of January 31, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the former site of The Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education, where he toured the SUES–DIIS Joint Innovation Center of SUES.
During the visit, President Lou Yongqi introduced SUES’ collaboration with the Design Intelligence Innovation Institute (DIIS) of Shanghai to build a globally influential innovation and transformation engine, as well as a community integrating creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Shanghai’s North Bund area. President Lou also presented “Harmony”, an automated xylophone installation developed by the Nlimited Tech Lab, led by Associate Professor Chen Junkai of SUES. The installation integrates interactive performance with algorithmic composition, combining automated instruments with real-time interaction. Professor Chen’s team is currently developing an AI-driven intelligent instrument ensemble based on interdisciplinary innovation by faculty and students of SUES, with a planned debut performance in September 2026.
During the tour, Prime Minister Starmer also interacted with performers from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the UK National Theatre, as well as students from two Shanghai secondary schools. At the conclusion of the visit, President Lou presented Prime Minister Starmer with a collection of works from the 2022–2023 World Design Capital Conference (WDCC) Theme Exhibition.
By the end of 2025, SUES has signed strategic cooperation agreements with the People’s Government of Hongkou District and the Design Intelligence Innovation Institute of Shanghai, respectively. Through the joint establishment of laboratories and research centers, the partners aim to develop a world-class design-driven innovation hub in the North Bund, supporting Shanghai’s goals of becoming a global science and innovation center and a World Design Capital, while promoting high-quality economic development. Based on this foundation, SUES also plans to expand the impact of innovation outcomes to surrounding areas, supporting the development of the North Bund innovation corridor and advancing the integrated development of the campus–district–neighborhood ecosystem.
The Nlimited Tech Lab is a newly established interdisciplinary innovation platform at SUES and serves as a key vehicle for the SUES’ golden “3-wings” talent cultivation model, which integrates engineering, management, and design. Grounded in the “3-wings” framework, the lab focuses on the intersection of engineering, design, and management, promoting reforms in talent development, scientific research, and innovation and entrepreneurship. As Professor Chen Junkai explained, “We understand the letter ‘N’ in Nlimited Tech Lab as a creative variable—iteration, circulation, and novation. Here, boundaries between disciplines, levels, cultures, and identities can all be broken.”
