Ezio Manzini, founder and president of DESIS Network, speaks at the conference. [Photo/Jiangnan University]
The 2025 Design & Multi-Symbiosis International Conference was recently held at the School of Design, Jiangnan University, in Wuxi, with over 200 representatives from universities and industries worldwide participating.
The conference featured 10 keynote speeches, a special forum, and many workshops and exhibitions, all focusing on three main areas: cross-disciplinary integration, future scenarios, and interdisciplinary reconstruction.
Roundtable discussion during the conference. [Photo/Jiangnan University]
Centering on global design leadership, Lou Yongqi, chairman of the National Graduate Education Steering Committee for Professional Degrees in Design, cited examples from Shanghai and Milan to propose connecting the world through design and building a new framework for sustainable development. Ezio Manzini, founder and president of DESIS Network, promoted design innovation as a means to directly address global crises. Professor Cees de Bont, head of Industrial Design at the National University of Singapore, introduced the "behavior-oriented design" theory, emphasizing the importance of environmental insight in fostering sustainable growth.
Design exhibition during the conference. [Photo/Jiangnan University]
During the conference, guests shared case studies from China, Italy, and several African countries, offering diverse perspectives, at the special forum. They discussed social innovation observations across different contexts, emphasizing the importance of collaboration. Roundtable discussions were also held on topics such as the power of collaboration, international cooperation, and disciplinary development.
A key segment of the conference was the official launch of the "Power of Collaboration (PoC)" project by DESIS Network's Thematic Cluster. Led by the Jiangnan University International DESIS Joint Laboratory (DESIS Lab), this initiative was started by nine DESIS labs from eight countries, including China, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.
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