An inaugural briefing on China-Italy cultural exchange and industry-education convergence was convened on the second-floor conference room of the Chengdu Campus Administrative Committee, Sichuan University of Culture and Arts, at 15:20 on 31 December 2025. Presided over by Prof. Li Chenjie, Dean of the School of Digital Music Industry, the session assembled Ms. Huang Wanxin, Party Secretary of the School, Mr. Wu Hong, Deputy Director of the Industry-Education Cooperation Office, Mr. Yuan Changze, Deputy Director of the Development Planning Office, and a senior delegation from the Municipality of Asti, Italy, alongside its partner agencies. Discussions centred on the joint development of the “China-Italy Cultural Exchange Park”, delineating a clear roadmap for cross-cultural and cross-sector collaboration.

Anchored in a closed-loop ecosystem of “education propels innovation, industry reinvests in education”, the parties first reaffirmed the memorandum’s strategic intent and designated the Exchange Park as the flagship platform. Under the physical co-location pillar, the Chengdu campus will integrate joint R&D laboratories, pedagogical ateliers and incubation-showcase hubs; concurrently, an Asti-based overseas synergistic base was proposed to establish a “domestic plus offshore” dual-matrix architecture.

The talent-development component introduces a project-centric training paradigm: authentic brand briefs from Italian enterprises will be embedded via a “live brief + dual-mentor” regime, complemented by brand workshops, immersive internships and vacation factory rotations, enabling learners to interface directly with industry workflows and ensuring precise calibration between curricular outcomes and market demand. An end-to-end innovation and commercialisation pipeline was likewise formalised, spanning joint-team grant applications, milestone-based assessment, access to seed funds, IP licensing and spin-off incorporation, with additional avenues encompassing brand co-creation, localised innovation centres and equity joint ventures to maximise research valorisation.

Furthermore, the two sides deliberated on the launch of a curated Italy-focused light-industry flagship store and concomitant e-commerce presence, alongside phased deployment across Chengdu Cultural-Technology City and other tier-one conurbations. Governance protocols—joint management committee, permanent executive secretariat and strategic advisory board—were ratified, and a chronological framework for concluding supplementary implementation accords was fixed. Cost structures, visa facilitation and statutory compliance matters were clarified, while the timeline and division of responsibilities for subsequent milestones were definitively set. Following a comprehensive Q&A segment, consensus on the draft agreement was secured, bringing the proceedings to a successful conclusion.

The briefing signals a pivotal advancement in the internationalisation of industry-education integration at Sichuan University of Culture and Arts. The co-establishment of the China-Italy Cultural Exchange Park is poised to catalyse bilateral cultural and industrial dialogue, while injecting renewed impetus into higher-education talent cultivation and sectoral innovation.