WIDA Established, with its Secretariat based at USST

On April 18, WIDA （World Industrial Design Association） was officially established, with its headquarters located in Shanghai. The association is dedicated to promoting global industrial design academic research and the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, enhancing the development of industrial design worldwide, building an open, collaborative, and efficient innovation ecosystem, and contributing to the progress of human civilization and socio-economic development.

WIDA is an international scientific and technological organization approved by the State Council. It was jointly initiated by design industry organizations, enterprises, universities, design institutions, and individuals from both China and abroad, including the USST, the China Industrial Design Association, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the German HEMA Design Agency. The secretariat is based at USST, with the China Association for Science and Technology serving as its administrative supervisor.

The first founding members of WIDA included 168 organizations and individuals from 23 countries and regions, establishing connections with over 60 nations. It covers a wide range of disciplines and industrial fields, such as design thinking, design science, artificial intelligence, robotics, aerospace, automotive, high-end equipment, new materials and processes, information interaction, intelligent design, as well as ecological and low-carbon design.

The first plenary meeting of WIDA and its inaugural council convened at USST on April 17, electing the first council and leadership. Zhu Xinyuan, President of USST, assumed the role of the first chairman. "Our vision is to promote shared prosperity in global industrial civilization through the bond of industrial design," stated Chairman Zhu Xinyuan in his opening remarks.

On April 18, the founding conference of the society was successfully held in Fuxing Island, Yangpu District, Shanghai. Representatives from the China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as well as relevant government departments from provinces and cities including Shanghai, Beijing, and Jiangsu, attended and witnessed the event alongside domestic and international members of the society.

The establishment of the WIDA embodies the noble vision of open dialogue, collaborative innovation, and shared achievements in the global design community, serving as a vital bridge across regions, disciplines, fields, and cultures. It fosters shared opportunities in global industrial design's development, joint responses to challenges, consensus-building through collaboration, and win-win outcomes through cooperation.