On the morning of December 4, the 7th International Forum on Design Education in Central China was held at the International Academic Lecture Hall on the Xianghu Campus of Jingdezhen Ceramic University (JCU). At the forum’s opening ceremony, JCU formally signed an agreement with Türkiye’s Anadolu University and Sakarya University to establish a Joint Ceramic Laboratory (Talent Cultivation Base).
The signing ceremony was attended and witnessed by Pu Shouzhi, Party Secretary of JCU; Lin Rong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Jingdezhen Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Organization Department; and representatives from Anadolu University and Sakarya University. Huang Yong, Member of the Standing Committee of the JCU Party Committee and Vice President of the university, signed the agreement on behalf of JCU, together with Koçdar Sepril, Vice President of Anadolu University, and Halit Yaşar, Vice President of Sakarya University. The ceremony was presided over by Wang Haibo, Deputy Party Secretary of JCU. More than 200 participants, including university leaders, heads of relevant departments and schools, and Chinese and international faculty and student representatives, were present.
China and Türkiye share a long history of ceramic cultural exchange, and cooperation among the three universities has steadily deepened in recent years. Since signing a memorandum of understanding in 2023, the institutions have carried out sustained collaboration in areas such as faculty and student exchanges and artist-in-residence programs. The establishment of the joint laboratory represents a concrete step in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and marks a new phase of ceramic research cooperation supported by a dedicated physical platform.
In preparation for the agreement, JCU’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, Department of Science and Technology, and relevant schools held in-depth consultations with Turkish counterparts on December 2. The three parties reached consensus on the laboratory’s positioning, research focus, resource allocation, and operational mechanisms, laying a solid foundation for its launch.
Under the agreement, the Ceramic Joint Laboratory will integrate the respective strengths of the three universities in ceramic materials science, advanced manufacturing, innovative design, and cultural heritage conservation. It aims to become a high-level international innovation platform combining collaborative research, results transformation, talent cultivation, and academic exchange, injecting new momentum into Belt and Road scientific and cultural cooperation.
With the agreement now in place, construction of the joint laboratory will officially begin. The three parties plan to establish a joint management committee, refine operational frameworks, and accelerate the laboratory’s transition into full operation, with the goal of building a model project for academic, scientific, and cultural cooperation among universities along the Belt and Road.
Anadolu University
Sakarya University
Anadolu University and Sakarya University are both prominent higher education institutions in Türkiye, particularly recognized for their strengths in ceramic education. Anadolu University is one of the country’s largest and most historic comprehensive public universities, renowned for its teaching and research in art and design, cultural heritage conservation, and engineering. Sakarya University, a fast-growing research-oriented institution, is noted for its strong capabilities in materials science, advanced manufacturing technologies, and engineering applications.
