Kering & Tsinghua Foundation partner on Chinese education

09 Apr '14

3 min read

Tsinghua Foundation and Kering team up to empower Chinese young creative talent and female students through the ‘Tsinghua and Kering Art Education Fund’, Kering forms a strategic partnership with Tsinghua University to establish a long-term commitment to an education and training programme in China

François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering, and Professor Xie Weihe, Vice Principal of Tsinghua University, Professor Li Jiaqiang, Secretary-General of Tsinghua Education Foundation and Professor Su Dan, Vice Dean of Academy of Arts & Design - Tsinghua University met at Tsinghua University to launch the ‘Tsinghua and Kering Art Education Fund’.

The Fund is established for three years, from 2014 to 2017 and will support two projects:

- Artistic Innovation Studio, in which five outstanding students will be trained each year to develop their artistic skills and their understanding of the art business. The project will help them to set up their own studio after graduation and to gain market recognition. The Artistic Innovation Studio will offer the students the best guidance on research and development in arts and design, combined with marketing and commercial excellence.

- Female Support Programme which, each year, will provide ten outstanding women students with financial support. This will take the form of scholarships and grants so they may complete their studies or achieve specific projects. The Female Support Programme will help selected women students to successfully complete their education in the arts, economy, architecture, environment and journalism.

This partnership celebrates a new step in the relationship between Tsinghua University and the Kering group. Since 2009 Gucci, which is part of the Kering Group, has been cooperating with the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University through the ‘Tsinghua University and Gucci Arts Education Fund’ to support its academic development.

It also highlights Kering’s long-term relationship with China and its commitment to empower and nurture talent on a global scale.

François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering, commented: “I am delighted to launch this partnership with Tsinghua University Education Foundation. Supporting talent and encouraging creativity and innovation are part and parcel of the Kering vision, as expressed in our signature ‘Empowering Imagination’.

“In this year that celebrates 50 years of diplomatic relations between France and China, we are honoured to partner with Tsinghua University and to contribute to Chinese culture by promoting new talent in the arts and design.

“I amalso proud we have this opportunity to support female students at Tsinghua University and help them achieve their goals. Providing women worldwide with the same access to culture, education and career opportunities as men is a matter of urgency, and this programme complements our work on empowering women. ”

As a Group, Kering is dedicated to women’s empowerment through the Kering Foundation, as well as through various initiatives held within the Group, such as Chime for Change founded by Gucci.

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