Official Launch of the Asian Design College Consortium (ADCC)

‘2025 Inaugural ADCC Forum’ Held

During the roundtable session, in-depth discussions were held among panelists on the future of Asian design education. Nah Ken, Chief Designer of Busan Metropolitan City, emphasized that the discovery of shared values and continued practice among Asian design universities form the foundation of strong partnerships, and that students should ultimately become the primary beneficiaries of inter-university partnerships. Professor Kuo Jo-Yu of National Cheng Kung University agreed that enhanced mobility through international exchange is important for understanding design from diverse cultural perspectives. Professor Won Ho Choi of Dongseo University introduced various international collaboration activities led by the university and proposed policy and institutional changes to encourage more active international joint research. Professor Sungpil Lee of the Design College at Dongseo University pointed out that topics previously considered outside the realm of design have now moved to the center of contemporary design discourse, stressing that design education must respond flexibly to changing paradigms. Professor Jae Hong Kim of the Department of Industrial Design at Dong-A University emphasized that international conferences serve not only as global platforms recognizing the achievements and identity of research institutions, but also as opportunities to strengthen long-term collaborative networks.

In his welcome remarks, Hyotaek Lim, Dean of the Graduate School at Dongseo University, stated, “I hope ADCC will become a new model for nurturing creative talent and advancing cooperation in Asian design education in response to changing times.” In his congratulatory remarks, Ken Nah, Chief Designer of Busan Metropolitan City, emphasized that “cooperation and solidarity among Asian design universities will become an important foundation for enhancing the competitiveness of future design education.” Phil hyun Kang, President of the Busan Design Promotion Agency, also highlighted the importance of industry-academia-government collaboration in realizing Busan as a “Global Design Hub City” and evaluated the significance of ADCC’s launch.

The ‘2025 Inaugural ADCC Forum,’ held to commemorate the launch of ADCC, featured lectures and discussions on the future direction of Asian design education. Juyoung Chang, Dean of the Design College at Dongseo University, introduced the vision and educational collaboration model of ADCC under the theme “A Shared Future for Asian Design Education – ADCC as a Glocal Innovation Engine,” presenting the potential of design education based on Asia’s unique cultural values. He also emphasized that ADCC could contribute to Busan’s bid for the World Design Capital (WDC) designation and the city’s emergence as a global hub for design education.

Robert Chen, former professor at De Montfort University, shared cases of changes in British higher education and interdisciplinary educational programs. Professor Makoto Watanabe of Chiba University introduced the “Chiba University Global 7” program and presented directions for international collaboration in design education. Professor Melanie Sarantou of Kyushu University and Professor Chen Chien-hsu of National Cheng Kung University also shared various perspectives on design education and collaborative models.

Following the forum, another roundtable discussion continued with in-depth conversations on collaborative models for Asian design education and strategies for expanding international joint research. Participants expressed consensus on the need for sustained cooperation and expanded student exchange among Asian design universities, while expressing expectations that ADCC would become a new platform for the international design education network.

Toward the end of the event, Chiba University, Kyushu University, National Cheng Kung University, and Dongseo University jointly signed the “ADCC Declaration on Design Education,” officially announcing the launch of the Asian design education collaboration network.

In his closing remarks, Ho Soo Nam, Vice President of Dongseo University, stated, “I hope ADCC will go beyond simple inter-university cooperation and open a new chapter in future design education through joint research and educational innovation.”

ADCC plans to expand its network with the goal of involving 20 design universities across Asia within the next five years. Through this initiative, Busan is expected to establish itself as a hub city for Asian design education and play a positive role in its bid for the World Design Capital (WDC).

Meanwhile, the 2025 Inaugural ADCC Forum was organized and conducted with the support of the Dongseo University RISE Project Group.