Tsinghua University and ANTA Group Launch Joint Research Institute for Sports Fashion

BEIJING, CHINA, October 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A ceremony marking the establishment of the Tsinghua University–ANTA Group Joint Research Institute for Sports Fashion, together with the award ceremony of the 3rd Global Sportswear Design Award (GSDA), was held at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing in October 2026. The event celebrated five years of successful collaboration between Tsinghua University and ANTA Group while marking the beginning of a new chapter in their strategic partnership.

Professor Zhao Chao of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and President of the Joint Research Institute, signed the cooperation agreement with Zhu Chenye, President of the ANTA Brand, on behalf of their respective organizations. The agreement formally upgraded the former Tsinghua University–ANTA Group Joint Research Center for Sports Fashion into a joint research institute. Li Luming, President of Tsinghua University, and Ding Shizhong, Chairman of the Board of ANTA Group, attended the ceremony and witnessed the signing.

President Li Luming highlighted Tsinghua University’s long-standing sporting tradition and its commitment to physical education as an integral part of talent development. He said the university would build on its multidisciplinary strengths to deepen cooperation with ANTA in collaborative research, product design and development, and sports talent cultivation. Through tangible research and innovation outcomes, the two partners aim to enhance the global influence of China’s sports industry and contribute to the development of a leading sporting nation and the Healthy China initiative.

A New Chapter in University–Industry Collaboration
Since the Tsinghua University–ANTA Group Joint Research Center for Sports Fashion was established in 2021, the partnership has connected expertise in design, materials science, sports science and intelligent manufacturing with ANTA’s industrial resources. Together, the partners have developed an end-to-end innovation chain encompassing concept incubation, talent identification, scientific research and industrial application.
Over five years, the partnership has advanced nearly 40 interdisciplinary research projects and supported the development of more than 60 postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates and master’s students. Its representative outcomes include innovative ultra-down materials, adaptive children’s athletic footwear and a Chinese Sports Aesthetics product series. Several laboratory achievements have also progressed into commercial applications.
The collaboration is also extending into student development. At the event, Hu Kai, Director of Tsinghua University’s Department of Physical Education, and Xie Chunlong, Vice President of Sports Marketing at ANTA Group, signed an agreement to launch the “ANTA Supports Tsinghua University’s Sports Education” initiative. Chinese national-team swimmers Tang Qianting and Yu Zidi witnessed the signing. By providing Tsinghua students with professional sports equipment, the initiative aims to encourage active and healthy lifestyles among young people.

The 3rd GSDA Celebrates Emerging Design Talent Worldwide
Across its first three editions, the Global Sportswear Design Award has attracted more than 7,000 creators from 57 countries and regions and 657 educational institutions, including 168 institutions outside China. A total of 120 winning works have been recognized, with cumulative prize money exceeding RMB 6 million.
At the ceremony, the results of the 3rd GSDA’s final judging were announced following a multidimensional evaluation by experts from China and abroad. The awards included Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards; Excellence and Potential Awards; Future Star Awards; New Materials Innovation and Application Awards; as well as Outstanding Organization and Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards.

Gold Awards
Wang Xuejun and Wang Muyi received the Gold Award in the Footwear Category for ANTA RFS Running Shoes, while Lucas Miller and Rain Muller won the Gold Award in the Apparel and Accessories Category for skin2. Lu Xiaobo, Director of the Tsinghua University Art Museum and Senior Professor of Liberal Arts at Tsinghua University, and Chen Ke, Chief Operating Officer of ANTA Group, presented the awards.

Silver Awards
Luan Xu and Wang Siqi won the Silver Award in the Footwear Category for CORIX, while Bruno Foulstone received the Silver Award in the Apparel and Accessories Category for Technical Ventilation Jacket. Chen Guoqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yanshan University Committee and Vice President of Yanshan University, announced the Silver Award winners. The awards were presented by Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, a tenured professor in Tsinghua University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of six academies, and Zhang Tao, Vice President of ANTA Group.

Bronze Awards
In the Footwear Category, Bronze Awards went to Michael Stevens and Luca Wright for Anchor Point; Vasile Oanta and Teresa Belli for Proteus; and Li Jiahao for Silent Motion. In the Apparel and Accessories Category, the Bronze Award recipients were Ge Yukun, Zhao Shuo, Ma Peiyu, Liu Genlin and Isra Sulevani for ApexFold; Hang Dachuan for the Dance of Ink series; and Li Huanbin for Orange Haze over the Desert: Weaving Dreams of the Flying Apsaras.
Duan Shengfeng, Vice President of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, announced the Bronze Award winners. Johnathon Strebly, former President of the International Council of Design, and Xie Chunlong, Vice President of ANTA Group, presented the awards.
Looking ahead, Tsinghua University and ANTA Group will use the Joint Research Institute as a core platform to deepen collaboration in scientific and technological innovation, talent development and industry leadership. Their shared ambition is to create a leading model of industry–university–research integration in China’s sports fashion sector.

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