The 8th International Conference on Design Think Tanks and Industry-Academia-Research-Application Collaboration 2026 was held at the Concert Hall of YSU’s School of Arts and Design on September 20. Hosted by YSU and jointly organized by its School of Arts and Design, the Hebei Research Center for Design Innovation and Industrial Development (a New-Type High-End Think Tank), and the Hebei Technology Innovation Center for Intelligent Industrial Design, the conference featured discussions on AI-driven design and the development of new quality industries.
Zhao Xianfeng, Secretary of the CPC YSU Committee, and Chen Guoqiang, Executive Committee Member of the CPC YSU Committee and Vice President of YSU, attended the conference’s opening ceremony. On behalf of the university and the organizing committee, Vice President Chen Guoqiang extended a warm welcome to the experts, scholars, faculty members, and students in attendance and thanked fellow universities and industry organizations for their longstanding support of YSU’s design discipline and the development of its design think tank. He expressed hope that the conference would foster the exchange of ideas, stimulate innovative thinking, and propel the design discipline to new heights.
Remarks by Chen Guoqiang, Executive Committee Member of the CPC YSU Committee and Vice President of YSU
Building on the year’s achievements in intelligent design and new quality industries, the conference featured a roundtable discussion on “The Opportunities and Challenges of Contemporary Art and Intelligent Technology.” Bringing together distinguished artists, industry experts, and scholars from China and abroad, the session encouraged critical dialogue across disciplines. Participants drew on their experience in artistic practice, industry, and talent development in higher education to examine AI-driven changes in creative processes, artistic value judgments, intellectual property, and public welfare initiatives, exploring new avenues for innovation at the intersection of AI technology, contemporary art, and modern design.
Conference Roundtable Discussion
Founded in 2017 with the approval of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee, the Hebei Research Center for Design Innovation and Industrial Development (a New-Type High-End Think Tank) was included in the Chinese Think Tank Index (CTTI), a directory maintained by the China Think Tank Research and Evaluation Center at Nanjing University (CTTREC), in 2018. The only design-focused think tank in the index, the center is based in Hebei and serves the wider Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with research achievements spanning urban renewal, rural revitalization, revolutionary heritage tourism, intelligent manufacturing, and health and wellness services. The conference strengthened collaboration among universities, industry organizations, and arts institutions, supporting interdisciplinary design research, talent development, and the translation of research into practical applications.
