College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Award celebrates Scotland-China partnership

A collaboration with the Universities of Edinburgh and Donghua in Shanghai has won an award celebrating creative ties between Scotland and China.

The Donghua Edinburgh Centre for Creative Industries (DECCI) – which is hosted by Edinburgh’s Confucius Institute and Donghua University’s Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation (SCF) – has won the China-Britain Business Council’s Innovators in Education award.

The prize recognises a partnership that involves a joint programme of teaching and research at  the SCF, which has developed cultural activities including an annual Fringe fashion show,  a summer school programme, and a lecture series at the DECCI.

International partnership

The China-Scotland Business Awards, the only China-focused business awards in Scotland, are organised by the China-Britain Business Council. This year they were in partnership with Scottish Enterprise.

The awards celebrate the expanding trade and investment ties between Scotland and China.

The judging panel said the Donghua Centre for Creative Industries showcased a novel approach to cross-cultural education, offering students in both countries the opportunity to engage and expand their own creative visions.

Edinburgh's relationship with Donghua is longstanding. In 2014 the two institutions launched a joint education programme based in the SFC, part of Donghua University.

Fashion collaboration

Shanghai-based students studying Fashion Innovation or Fashion Interior Design have the chance to study at Edinburgh College of Art for the final two years of their programme.

In September 2016 the University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Donghua University to establish DECCI .

The centre builds on both universities’ strengths in fashion design and creative industries.

Professor Natascha Gentz, Assistant Principal (China) and Director of the DECCI received the award at the Annual CBBC Burns Supper with Juliette MacDonald, Dean International at SFC.

We are extremely pleased that DECCI and SCF have won this award for innovation in education. In the past three years, our colleagues in the Confucius Institute for Scotland, Donghua University and Edinburgh College of Art have worked passionately together to produce a wide range of exciting educational and cultural programmes, as well as a joint research agenda on Shanghai fashion and sustainable fashion. I believe our partnership will grow from strength and strength through further innovation and closer collaboration with all partners.

Professor Natascha GentzAssistant Principal (China)

Confucius Institute

Edinburgh College of Art

Image - Philip Candice from Huawei, Juliette MacDonald from ECA, Natascha Gentz from Confucius Institute for Scotland.