USJ Macao Participates in the 2026 Pearl River Design Forum and Joins the International Research Partnership in Aviation Simulation Technology
USJ Macao Participates in the 2026 Pearl River Design Forum and Joins the International Research Partnership in Aviation Simulation Technology
15
Jun
15/06/2026
USJ Macao joins China Southern Airlines, GDUT and University of Madeira to launch “Research Institute for China-Portugal Aviation Simulation Technology” at the 2026 Pearl River Design Forum held in Guangzhou.
The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Macao, represented by Prof. Carlos Sena Caires, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, participated as a keynote speaker in the 2026 Pearl River Design Forum – “Belt and Road” Aviation and Design Innovation Sub-Forum, held on 13 June 2026 at the Guangdong University of Technology (GDUT), Guangzhou, China.
The Forum brought together leading academics, designers, researchers and industry professionals from across the region to discuss the future of aviation, design innovation and international collaboration under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
On the occasion of the Forum, USJ joined the official launch of the Research Institute for China-Portugal Aviation Simulation Technology, a groundbreaking international research partnership established between China Southern Airlines Sci-Tech, Guangdong University of Technology (School of Art and Design), the University of Saint Joseph (Faculty of Arts and Humanities), and the University of Madeira, Portugal.
The inauguration ceremony, marked by the formal unveiling of the Institute’s plaque, signals a significant step forward in Sino-Portuguese academic and technological cooperation, positioning Macao as a unique bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in the field of aviation simulation research and design innovation.
Prof. Carlos Sena Caires, Associate Professor of Design and Research Coordinator at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, delivered the keynote presentation entitled “With Concepts We Design-Innovate: A New Framework for Designing Innovation and Better Futures”.
The presentation, delivered to a large audience of students, academics and industry professionals, outlined USJ’s concept-driven pedagogical approach to design innovation, arguing that strong theoretical and philosophical concepts are the essential foundation of any meaningful design process, regardless of the field or industry in which design is applied.
Drawing on years of teaching experience at USJ and collaborative workshops across the region, Prof. Sena Caires proposed a new pedagogical framework in which the concept always precedes the form and function and in which design innovation is understood as a universal force for better futures.
The establishment of the Research Institute for China-Portugal Aviation Simulation Technology opens new doors for collaborative research, student exchange and joint projects between USJ, GDUT, China Southern Airlines Sci-Tech and the University of Madeira, further expanding USJ’s growing presence and reputation within the Greater Bay Area’s academic and creative industries landscape.
