The 13th International Conference on Sustainable Development of the Built Environment (SuDBE2025) was held in Cambridge and London, UK, in July 2025. Two PhD candidates from the Institute of Future Human Habitats at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS), Li Kaisan and Zhang Yuhang, attended the conference at the University of Cambridge's Robinson College with the support of a C Foundation Research Scholarship. During the conference, they presented their research findings and engaged in in-depth exchanges with leading global scholars on addressing critical issues like global climate change.
The International Conference on Sustainable Development of the Built Environment was established by Chongqing University in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, the University of Reading, and other institutions. In recent years, it has facilitated numerous discussions and exchanges on themes such as enhancing the thermal resilience of cities and buildings to combat climate change, promoting academic collaboration between China and the UK in these fields. This year's conference brought together over 200 experts and scholars from 10 countries and regions, including China, the UK, Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong, China.
Li Kaisan: I am immensely thankful to the Shenzhen C Foundation for the C Foundation Research Scholarship. This support provided me the opportunity to understand the global context and the research directions of my academic peers, which is incredibly helpful for contemplating how to conduct deeper scientific research. I will continue to explore ways to advance and enrich my knowledge, hoping to make contributions to China's 'Dual Carbon' transition and to key research questions in sustainable development and low-carbon city construction between China and the UK.
Zhang Yuhang: Thanks to the funding from the 'C Foundation Research Scholarship,' I had this invaluable opportunity to visit Cambridge and engage in face-to-face academic discussions with experts and scholars from around the world. This conference experience has strengthened my resolve to continue delving into research on building energy consumption and energy storage optimization. In the future, I hope to apply the concepts and methods I gained here to broader scenarios, promoting the synergistic development of low-carbon transformation and energy system optimization.
Through its Design Education Development Project, the C Foundation establishes scholarships and grants within universities to support promising young scholars in building international connections and engaging in global exchanges. This initiative not only enables young Chinese scholars to explore cutting-edge knowledge and practices alongside their international counterparts but also ensures that Chinese perspectives and practices are integrated into the global response to climate change, allowing them to genuinely participate in the discussion and resolution of global issues.
Design Education Development Project
In 2019, C Foundation’s initiative to support non-profit projects was upgraded and named as “Design Education Development Project”. Focused on design education, the project seeks out and finances non-profit projects of design education research, exploration and innovation, facilitating changes and ecosystem improvement in the field of design education and thus advancing China’s design industry.
Shenzhen C Foundation for Public Welfare Scholarship at the Institute of Future Human Habitats, Tsinghua SIGS
The educational philosophy of the Institute of Future Human Habitats highly aligns with the C Foundation's mission and vision of 'Design for Good'. Establishing these scholarships serves as an opportunity to build deeper collaboration, cultivate outstanding design talent, stimulate industry-academia research partnerships, and contribute to the transformation and ecosystem improvement of design education, ultimately promoting the development of design education in China.
In line with the C Foundation's mission and the Institute's principles, four types of scholarships and grants have been established: the C Foundation Design Scholarship, the C Foundation Education Grant, the C Foundation Research Scholarship, and the C Foundation Practice Scholarship.
Source: Office of Global Affairs
Edited by Chen Jundou
Reviewed by Lin Zhoulu & Nie Xiaomei
