Tsinghua, ANTA upgrade sports fashion research partnership

Tsinghua University and ANTA Group formalized a joint research institute for sports fashion at a ceremony in Beijing in October 2026. The move builds on five years of collaboration and expands work on design, materials, talent development and commercialization in China’s sportswear sector.

Why it matters: - The upgraded institute gives Tsinghua University and ANTA Group a deeper platform for sports fashion research, product development and talent training. - The partnership is meant to strengthen China’s sports industry and support the Healthy China initiative. - The collaboration also signals a push to build a more integrated university-industry model in sports fashion.

What happened: - Tsinghua University and ANTA Group held a ceremony at the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing in October 2026 to establish the Tsinghua University–ANTA Group Joint Research Institute for Sports Fashion. - The event also included the award ceremony for the 3rd Global Sportswear Design Award. - Professor Zhao Chao, president of the new institute, and Zhu Chenye, president of the ANTA Brand, signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of their organizations. - Li Luming, president of Tsinghua University, and Ding Shizhong, chairman of the board of ANTA Group, attended and witnessed the signing. - The agreement formally upgraded the former Tsinghua University–ANTA Group Joint Research Center for Sports Fashion into a joint research institute.

The details: - Tsinghua said the university will use its multidisciplinary strengths to expand cooperation with ANTA in collaborative research, product design and development, and sports talent cultivation. - Since the center was established in 2021, the partnership has connected design, materials science, sports science and intelligent manufacturing with ANTA’s industrial resources. - The partners have built an end-to-end innovation chain covering concept incubation, talent identification, scientific research and industrial application. - Over five years, the collaboration advanced nearly 40 interdisciplinary research projects. - The partnership supported more than 60 postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates and master’s students. - Representative outcomes include ultra-down materials, adaptive children’s athletic footwear and a Chinese Sports Aesthetics product series. - Several laboratory achievements have moved into commercial applications. - A separate agreement launched the “ANTA Supports Tsinghua University’s Sports Education” initiative. - Hu Kai, director of Tsinghua University’s Department of Physical Education, and Xie Chunlong, vice president of sports marketing at ANTA Group, signed that agreement. - Chinese national-team swimmers Tang Qianting and Yu Zidi witnessed the signing. - The initiative will provide Tsinghua students with professional sports equipment to encourage active and healthy lifestyles.

Between the lines: - The institute upgrade shows both sides want to move from project-based cooperation to a more permanent research structure. - The emphasis on commercialization suggests the partnership is intended to produce market-ready sportswear, not just academic research. - The student-focused initiative adds a visible campus-facing layer to the partnership and broadens its reach beyond product innovation.

What's next: - Tsinghua University and ANTA Group said they will use the new institute as a core platform for scientific and technological innovation, talent development and industry leadership. - The two sides aim to build a leading model of industry-university-research integration in China’s sports fashion sector.

The details: - Across its first three editions, the Global Sportswear Design Award attracted more than 7,000 creators from 57 countries and regions and 657 educational institutions. - The competition included 168 institutions outside China. - The award has recognized 120 winning works and distributed more than RMB 6 million in total prize money. - Final judging for the 3rd GSDA used a multidimensional evaluation by experts from China and abroad. - Award categories included Gold, Silver and Bronze, plus Excellence and Potential Awards, Future Star Awards, New Materials Innovation and Application Awards, and Outstanding Organization and Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards. - Wang Xuejun and Wang Muyi won the Gold Award in Footwear for ANTA RFS Running Shoes. - Lucas Miller and Rain Muller won the Gold Award in Apparel and Accessories for skin2. - Luan Xu and Wang Siqi won the Silver Award in Footwear for CORIX. - Bruno Foulstone won the Silver Award in Apparel and Accessories for Technical Ventilation Jacket. - Bronze Footwear winners included Michael Stevens and Luca Wright for Anchor Point, Vasile Oanta and Teresa Belli for Proteus, and Li Jiahao for Silent Motion. - Bronze Apparel and Accessories winners included 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. - More information