Recently, the CUMULUS Association Annual Conference was successfully held in Athens, Greece. Under the theme “Roots/Routes in Design”, the conference explored the integration and symbiosis of traditional heritage and future-oriented design, attracting over 500 delegates and guests from around the world. Professor Lou Yongqi, President of SUES, led a delegation to the conference. Professor Joseph Press, Professor Kim Sung Yong, and Dr. Zhu Mingjie from the School of Design (in preparation) attended as part of the delegation.
During the Working Group session, President Lou Yongqi delivered a speech as a guest speaker. Drawing on his extensive design practice, he shared practical experiences on design-driven industrial transformation and introduced SUES’ SPINOVATION concept and its latest achievements in interdisciplinary talent cultivation—characterized by the “Engineering × Management × Design” 3-wings crossover model. His presentation received high recognition and positive feedback from the attendees.
At the new members’ exchange session, the SUES delegation presented the SUES’ distinctive 3-wings educational model and the development directions of the School of Design (in preparation) to the CUMULUS Executive Board, global members, and newly admitted members. In-depth discussions were held on potential international cooperation projects, further enriching SUES’ international collaboration resources.
At the CUMULUS General Assembly, following a vote by all member representatives, the School of Design (in preparation) at SUES was officially approved as a member of the CUMULUS Association. The SUES representatives attended the General Assembly for the first time, listened to the annual work report of the Presidium, and participated in discussions and recommendations on relevant association proposals.
After the CUMULUS conference, the delegation visited the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), a top-tier Greek institution in science and technology. President Lou Yongqi and NTUA Rector Ioannis K. Chatjigeorgiou had in-depth exchanges on educational philosophies and reached preliminary consensus on cooperation directions such as dual-degree joint programs and collaborative research project applications.
This overseas visit effectively promoted SUES’ SPINOVATION talent cultivation philosophy, facilitated the university’s deep integration into the global design innovation network, and expanded its access to high-level international cooperation resources. It serves as a significant driver for accelerating the development of SUES into a world-class application-oriented university with distinctive industry features.
