Industrial Design Education Program

Each year, the Program provides up to 50 full scholarships to eligible students from LDCs. These scholarships enable students to study industrial design and cultivate their problem-solving skills. The Program is designed to welcome students from diverse educational backgrounds for nurturing interdisciplinary designers. The Program also serves as an incubator to support student innovation and entrepreneurship by providing business support, research and services that help transform ideas in the classroom into start-ups in the market.

The Program received a total of 149 applications from 21 LDCs in 2021 and 2022. 68 students from 19 LDCs were accepted to the Program, the acceptance rate is 45.6%. The Program’s modules are hosted by the Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, in English and it takes two and a half academic years to complete the Program. During the pandemic period, the Program also provides an online study option. Students fulfilling all the degree requirements will be awarded a Master’s degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Zhejiang University.

The Program aims to enhance LDCs' industrial design talent pool and stimulate their knowledge economy. The Program also promotes technology transfer and cooperation between industry, universities and research institutes internationally.

The long-term goal of the Program is to boost LDCs’ capacities in science, technology and innovation that contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the world’s 46 LDCs.

The 3rd IDE Program application is scheduled to begin in early January 2023, and we strongly encourage qualified female candidates to apply.