32 Students from LDCs Awarded Scholarships to Study Masters Degrees in Industrial Design Engineering through the IDE Program 2022

Gebze/Guangzhou/Ningbo – The selection process for the scholarships under the International Design Education (IDE) program has now been completed. A total of 32 outstanding students from 14 least developed countries (LDCs) were awarded scholarships and will start their studies for the Industrial Design Engineering Masters this September at the International School of Design, Zhejiang University, Ningbo.

 

The IDE program is jointly organized by the UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (UN Technology Bank), the World Eco-Design Conference (WEDC) and the Zhejiang University, Ningbo (ZJU, Ningbo). The program aims to enhance the industrial design capacity and competitiveness in the world’s 46 least developed countries by providing scholarships for students from these countries to study industrial design engineering at the post-graduate level.

 

After a comprehensive review, ZJU, Ningbo awarded 32 students scholarships. Students are from Yemen (9), Bangladesh (5), Burundi (3), Somalia (3), Zambia (3), Comoros (1), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), Ethiopia (1), Lesotho (1), Madagascar (1), Rwanda (1), Tanzania (1), Timor-Leste (1) and Uganda (1). Of these 14 LDCs, 5 LDCs, namely Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Somalia and Timor-Leste are newly benefiting from the IDE Program by having their students in the Program for the first time.

 

Notably, there was an increase in the admission rate of 5.1% compared to last year, showing the higher quality of the applications received this year. In addition, a diverse educational background was seen in this year’s scholarship winners. A range of the undergraduate level degrees included architecture, civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, English, fashion design, human nutrition, industrial engineering, international commerce, international education of Chinese language, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, multimedia, animation and game design, network engineering, petroleum engineering, software engineering and textile engineering. Having such a diverse student background is an essential ingredient for nurturing interdisciplinary designers.

 

Through the IDE Program, students will cultivate their skills in design thinking, research, multicultural understanding, problem-solving, innovation and entrepreneurship. During the Program, they will be encouraged and supported to fit their design ideas into business models to create real-world impact. The program will contribute to the capacity and talent pool building for LDCs to fill their science, technology and innovation gaps for the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

The UN Technology Bank, WEDC, and ZJU, Ningbo will continue to deepen the partnerships with international stakeholders to offer opportunities to more students from LDCs. The next year’s scholarship application period for the International Design Education Program is scheduled for early February 2023.