To deepen collaboration with local government and industry partners, a delegation from the Institute of Creativity and Innovation (ICI) at Xiamen University conducted a two-day engagement on April 1–2, 2026: meeting with the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and touring the headquarters of JOMOO Group. The visits aimed to translate ICI’s design and creative expertise into tangible partnerships with Xiamen’s cultural tourism sector and a leading home solutions enterprise.
On April 1, Dean Qin Jian, Associate Dean He Dongmei, Chen Yi, Head of the Visual Communication Design Program, and other faculty members met with officials at the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. Su Ke, Deputy Director of the Bureau; Peng Jun, Director of the International Exchange Division and Head of the Promotion Group, Xiamen Tourism Development Office; and representatives from the Industry Division and the Cultural Heritage Protection Center attended the symposium, along with officials from Xiamen Cultural Tourism Group and Xiamen Media Group Mobile Media.
Deputy Director Su introduced the Bureau's current priorities including cultural heritage digitization, city IP development, tourism experience upgrades, and cultural product innovation, and emphasized the urgent need to tap into academic creativity and young talent to drive these initiatives forward.
Dean Qin presented ICI’s academic programs, international faculty, and industry-integrated curriculum, highlighting how the Institute’s capabilities directly address Xiamen’s developmental goals. He proposed embedding real-world cultural tourism challenges into studio projects, inviting Bureau experts to co-teach or lecture, and creating pathways for faculty exchanges, student internships and graduate placements.
In response, Bureau and partner representatives offered concrete concrete ideas: integrating Red Dot design criteria into academic projects, connecting student work with the city’s “XMENLY” cultural merchandise line, launching joint AIGC research, and co-organizing ICI’s graduation exhibition. All parties committed to establishing a long-term cooperation framework centered on talent development, project collaboration, and creativity-driven urban development.
On April 2, Associate Dean He Dongmei led a visit to JOMOO Group, accompanied by industry expert Jurgen Bey, Environmental Design faculty member Jordi Ma Lu, and industry partnerships director Zheng Na. They were welcomed by JOMOO executives from Global Product Management, Aesthetic Design, Technology R&D, Human Resources, and JOMOO University attended.
Associate Dean He introduced ICI’s educational philosophy, disciplinary profile, and approach to practice-oriented talent development. JOMOO’s representatives shared their design innovation priorities, talent recruitment expectations, and strong interest in co-developing university-enterprise education platforms.
Faculty from both the Chinese and international sides spoke about their experience in bridging industry needs and classroom teaching. Discussions covered internship arrangements, graduate employment pathways, and models for ongoing university-enterprise cooperation, with both sides reaching a number of substantive agreements.
Following the symposium, British Environmental Design program director Samuel Penn, faculty colleagues, and Class of 2024 Environmental Design students toured JOMOO’s facilities, where they explored smart bathroom systems and customized home furnishing solutions, gaining direct insight into the company’s design innovation and its applications in the market.
The visits underscore ICI’s broader commitment to connecting its academic programs with the needs of regional government and industry. Drawing on the strengths of its Sino-foreign cooperative education model, the Institute will continue to build dynamic partnerships that give students direct, meaningful exposure to professional practice, and translate those partnerships into joint courses, practice bases, and internship programs that prepare graduates to lead in a rapidly evolving global design landscape.
