Innovate for Universities

UK universities produce world class science and technology innovations. Much of this research and innovation has commercial potential and efforts to exploit this resource for competitive advantage have improved. But there is still scope to help technological and scientific experts turn their inventions into products and commercial opportunities that investors will back and customers will buy.

Design support for science and innovation from Design Council on Vimeo.

Designers can help UK innovators. They have a range of specialist skills, which include creative problem solving and visualisation techniques, and their focus on the technology’s end-users and how the innovation will benefit them, shifts the focus of technology transfer offices (TTOs) from pushing a new technology to understanding how to develop it so that a market wants and buys in to the idea. But due to a lack of awareness, little engagement between the design and research communities and an inability to fund design related projects, the value of design for technology transfer is under recognised.

In response, the Design Council has developed a support programme for TTOs that partners them with a design mentor to help them use strategic design and innovation tools to accelerate the commercialisation of their research projects, build links between the research and design communities, and leave a legacy of increased design capability.