This summer, Dassault Systèmes celebrated the opening of our latest 3DEXPERIENCE Lab in Shanghai. Coinciding with the 10-year anniversary of the first Lab opening in Paris, the Shanghai Lab is set to drive creativity, collaboration and cutting-edge innovations in one of the world’s fastest-growing innovation ecosystems.
A growing legacy
Since 1986, Dassault Systèmes has been a key player in China’s technology and design marketplace. Over the years, we’ve partnered with diverse industries across China, including transportation and manufacturing to life sciences and consumer goods. Now, with China’s increasing global leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship, the opening of a 3DEXPERIENCE Lab in Shanghai, where our Asia Pacific headquarters is based, signals our commitment to fostering development and solving challenges unique to the local market.
The Shanghai Lab focuses on four main areas: Product innovation, Materials innovation, Construction innovation and the Workforce of the Future building. By specializing in these topics, the new 3DEXPERIENCE Lab seeks to address the major societal and industrial challenges that China faces by realizing a more sustainable, efficient and human-focused future.
The 3DEXPERIENCE Lab: A hub for innovation
This opening is part of the global strategy of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab.
Launched a decade ago with the foundational question: “What if we looked at the world with fresh eyes?” The Lab was born from the belief that by combining Dassault Systèmes’ virtual worlds with human collective intelligence, we could foster disruptive innovation for a more sustainable future.
Within a global community-driven approach made possible by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in the cloud, the Lab is also continuing its physical expansion to get closer to local innovation ecosystems.
The Shanghai Lab’s grand opening was a celebration of collaboration and vision, bringing together distinguished guests from industry, academia and the startup community.
Dassault Systèmes Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pascal Daloz and China Managing Director for Dassault Systèmes Zhang Ying were on hand, in addition to more than 150 guests, including Deputy District Mayor of Pudong New Area Mr. Xu Xin, Director of Lujiazui Administration Mr. Yuan Yefeng, Deputy Consul General Mr. David Kibler from the Consulate General of France, Mrs. Delphine Yao representing the French Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Sébastien Codeville, president of the French Tech Association. Clients, partners and leaders of innovation-driven companies, representatives of local technology startups, young entrepreneurs, researchers and media were also present, underlining the collective spirit and inclusive culture promoted by the Lab.
In his keynote address, Daloz discussed the transformative role of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab in supporting sustainable innovation and empowering the next generation of Chinese innovators. “Innovation thrives when people from diverse backgrounds come together to solve meaningful challenges,” he noted, reminding the audience of the Lab’s mission to accelerate technological and societal progress.
Following the keynote, attendees enjoyed guided tours of the Lab’s facilities, where they experienced demonstrations of Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin technology and interactive sessions with Lab mentors, especially with the Virtual Twin of the Shanghai Lab itself, featuring 3D representation, airflow and heating and cooling simulations.
Dassault Systèmes Head of Innovation Frédéric Vacher delivered video-recorded greetings, emphasizing the importance of open collaboration and inviting attendees to imagine what could be achieved together.
There were live showcases of ongoing projects, including a first look at the collaboration with Healytec,reflecting the Lab’s hands-on, solution-driven ethos.
Shanghai Lab’s first official collaboration is with Healtytec, a startup that won the Tech Prize at the French Chamber of Commerce startup competition this June. They are focused on next-generation orthopedic solutions, using Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin technology to accelerate their product design and optimize patient experience. Healytec’s first product is a mobile knee healer that features heating and cooling therapy. The product development and optimization are being accelerated thanks to our MODSIM solutions. Healytec’s tapping into the Lab’s resources highlights a powerful collaboration model that blends technology with human ingenuity. And this is just the start. “The opening of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab in China is a milestone moment,” said Vacher.
Networking sessions, breakout discussions on topics such as digital transformation and responsible design and a panel on the future of sustainable innovation in China made the event an engaging learning opportunity for all.
The 3DEXPERIENCE Lab isn’t your average coworking space or research center. It’s a worldwide ecosystem where innovators can access Dassault Systèmes’ groundbreaking technologies with collective intelligence to turn their concepts into impactful solutions. Applying virtual universes to real-life challenges, the Lab supports impactful startups from design to prototyping to go-to-market while inspiring global industrial transformation.
Why the Shanghai Lab matters for China’s innovation culture
China stands at the forefront of global innovation, with a thriving ecosystem for pioneering technologies, startups and research. Challenges lie ahead, however, as industries now face high demands for sustainability and efficiency and calls for more personalized consumer solutions. This is where the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab shines as a catalyst.
For many entrepreneurs and small companies, the biggest hurdles aren’t coming up with ideas but turning those ideas into reality, quickly reaching the optimum between customer experience and commercial viability. Access to advanced tools, mentorship and global resources can significantly change the trajectory for startups. The 3DEXPERIENCE Lab offers exactly that, providing emerging teams and individuals with access to Dassault Systèmes’ platform, bespoke workshops and a network of expert knowledge partners.
A vision of collective progress
What sets the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab apart is its human-centered philosophy. It focuses not just on technological advancements but also on shaping a world where innovation leads to greater well-being. By addressing global challenges such as climate change, urbanization and healthcare inequities, the Lab offers a platform to explore innovative solutions that harmonize with societal needs.
This aligns perfectly with Dassault Systèmes’ vision of using technology to empower individuals and create a sustainable future. Through its open, collaborative spirit, the Lab invites all innovators —engineers, designers, makers, artists and scientists—to come together and share ideas that impact industries and lives.
Looking ahead
What happens next? The first collaboration with Healytec is only the beginning. The Shanghai Lab is set to engage with both startups and established organizations, fostering ideas that could solve challenges on both a local and global scale. With Daloz and Vacher championing its mission, the Lab has set the stage for a future of game-changing innovation.
If you’re an innovator with bold ideas and a passion for creating solutions that matter, the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab just might be the place that transforms your vision into reality. It’s an open invitation to collaborate, challenge conventional thinking and design the future. What will you build?
Learn more and apply here.
Maryann is a Senior Communications Manager on the Dassault Systèmes corporate communications team. She’s been with the company for over 19 years, in roles ranging from marketing programs, communications, internal communications, creative and branding and of course, blogging.