As an important technology R&D base, CCAD has seven research institutes including digital printing, printing packaging engineering, publication and communication, brand publicity (marketing), digital publishing, product modeling design and architectural planning & design. CCAD also has two academic research institutions including "Collaborative Innovation Center for Internet and Cultural Creative Industry" and "Research Center for Digital Publicity of Intangible Cultural Heritage" . Over the past five years, CCAD has undertaken over 140 national and provincial scientific research projects, among which 10 are national ones, responsible for more than 550 programs authorized by or jointly developed with enterprises, earning more than 40 million of research fund, publishing more than 1000 of monographs, textbooks.academic papers with 500 high-level papers.

CCAD has also established internship bases and industry-academia-research bases along with over 50 renowned enterprises from home and abroad including Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, Shanghai Printing Group, Shanghai United Media Group, Shanghai Century Publishing Group, Jiangsu Phoenix Publishing Media Group, D&S Media Group, Donelley (China) Investment Co.Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Shanghai Garden Engineering Co.Ltd. and China Shipbuilding NDRI Engineering Co. Ltd. Among these enterprises, Chinese Academy of Press and Publication is the collaborative graduate students training base in Shanghai, and Shanghai Zhangjiang Digital Publishing Cultural Creative Industry Development Co. Ltd. is the internship base in Shanghai for grad-uate students from publishing program of CCAD.