On October 29, the Tongji University–Politecnico di Milano International Joint Symposium on Design Research "From Knowledgeable to the Creation of Knowledge" was held at Politecnico di Milano. Faculty and students from the College of Design and Innovation (D&I) at Tongji University and the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano gathered together. Under the theme "What If," 32 graduate students from the two universities—including 14 master's students and 18 doctoral students—engaged in dialogue through research presentations, poster sessions, and joint workshops, jointly exploring new possibilities in design research and knowledge creation.

From left to right: Marco Ajovalasit, Francesco Zurlo, Xin Xiangyang

The opening ceremony was moderated by Associate Professor Marco Ajovalasit from Politecnico di Milano, Director of the Tongji-PoliMi Dual Master's Degree Program. He welcomed the attending faculty and students and introduced the theme and schedule of the symposium. He stated that the event aimed to provide a platform for the younger generation of researchers to share and engage in dialogue, allowing students from diverse research backgrounds to fully communicate and draw inspiration from each other's explorations.

In his welcome address, Professor Francesco Zurlo, Dean of the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano, reviewed the 19-year continuous collaboration between the two universities in the field of design. He noted that on the eve of the 20th anniversary of their partnership, this symposium provided an opportunity to review their cooperative journey and look forward to future development.

Professor Xin Xiangyang, Dean of Tongji D&I, introduced the background and original intention of the symposium, and elaborated on his expectations for young researchers centered around the theme "From Knowledgeable to the Creation of Knowledge." He emphasized that researchers need to continuously learn existing knowledge and, more importantly, discover research-worthy questions during their learning and exploration, form their own research concepts, and thereby create new knowledge. This also set a common reflection for the exchange: how to start from an understanding of existing knowledge, raise new questions, and expand the boundaries of understanding through research.

As stated in the symposium's concept note: "Design shapes not only products and services, but also purposes, goals, organizations, and pathways for action." By asking "What If," the symposium encouraged young researchers to re-examine taken-for-granted premises and explore how design research can break through existing frames of reference, imagining more meaningful futures for individuals, organizations, and society.

Graduate students from both universities presented their respective research and practices around four major themes, posing questions from four dimensions: purposes, objectives, pathways, and organizations. Combining poster presentations with face-to-face discussions, faculty and students moved among different research projects, exchanging views on research questions, methods, and practical experiences. Through introducing and listening, questioning and responding, they shared their thoughts and gained new references from each other's research. Participants in the exchange included Professor Daniela Sangiorgi and Professor Francesco Scullica from PoliMi, and Associate Professors Zhao Huasen, Liang Jing, and Ni Minqing from Tongji.

Beyond the symposium, the two universities also jointly organized workshops. Students split into groups and visited various workshops and exhibitions at PoliMi, engaging in learning and dialogue around topics such as photography and materials, interdisciplinary workshops, digital services for workshops, textiles and fashion, and bio-circular design, communicating closely with faculty and students. From traditional craft experiences to digital services, and from textiles and fashion to bio-circular design, the diverse workshop content exposed students to different approaches to knowledge and practice, extending the symposium's reflections on research pathways and organizational collaboration into concrete learning processes.

The symposium and the joint workshops were successfully held, building a platform for graduate students from both universities to share research, exchange methods, and learn together. The discussions centered on "What If" allowed different research experiences to inspire one another, making "From Knowledgeable to the Creation of Knowledge" a shared direction of exploration for faculty and students from both institutions.

Since 2007, Tongji University and Politecnico di Milano have jointly established the dual master's degree program in Product Service System Design (PSSD), which became China's first PSSD graduate program. Next year, the College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University and the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their collaboration. Both sides look forward to further expanding faculty-student exchanges, joint training, and academic research cooperation on the basis of existing collaborations, allowing the questions and ideas generated from this gathering to deepen on a broader international stage and through continuous dialogue, jointly creating new knowledge and value.

This International Joint Symposium on Design Research was partially funded by the Graduate School of Tongji University.