The 2026 Study Tour offered 25 students from the Engineering-Industrial Design programme at the XJTU-POLIMI Joint School an immersive experience exploring the relationship between research, technology, design and innovation.
Organised within the framework of the collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and Xi’an Jiaotong University, the programme was structured around two complementary phases. The first week, held at the Lecco Campus of Politecnico di Milano, focused on an intensive workshop on Topology Optimization, Rapid Prototyping and Extended Reality (XR). Through hands-on activities, students explored digital design tools and advanced manufacturing technologies, developing a group project that was presented at the end of the workshop.
The second week expanded this experience through visits to the Engineering and Design laboratories at Politecnico di Milano, the MADE Competence Center, Design Group Italia, Fondazione Castiglioni, Fondazione Prada and the Italian Design Museum at Triennale Milano. Each visit provided a different perspective on the role of research, technology transfer and design culture, highlighting how universities, industry and cultural institutions contribute together to driving innovation.
Rather than presenting individual technologies or methodologies, the Study Tour enabled students to experience the entire journey of an idea: from research and laboratory experimentation to industrial applications and broader reflections on the role of design in contemporary society. This is the meaning behind “Beyond the Laboratory”: understanding that innovation does not emerge from a single place, but from the interaction between research, experimentation, industry and design culture.
