The APDIG is a forum for open debate between parliament and the UK's design and innovation communities, established in 1994 by a group of MPs and Peers.

The APDIG’s mission is to communicate within Parliament the enormous potential value of design, innovation and the creative industries for both the public and private sector - and society at large. They promote exchange and understanding, to enable Parliamentarians to enhance their knowledge of the issues and priorities for the design and innovation sectors.

BIID was formed in 2002 through the amalgamation of the Interior Decorators & Designers Association (originally set up in 1966), and the International Interior Design Association (UK Chapter). This newly created organisation continues to promote high standards throughout the profession, encouraging and fostering proven design ability. The Institute is a Member of IFI, the International Federation of Interior Architects & Designers. It has 1,179 members in total.

Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE) is a national organisation which aims to transform the lives of children and families by harnessing the potential of creative learning and cultural opportunity to enhance their aspirations, achievements and skills.

Our vision is for children’s creativity to be encouraged and nurtured in and out of school and for all children to experience and access the diverse range of cultural activity in England because these opportunities can dramatically improve their life chances.

Creative & Cultural Skills is the sector skills council for the creative and cultural industries. Their remit covers advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, and the performing, literary and visual arts.

CHEAD is an association of 70 educational institutions across the UK that provide degree or postgraduate education in art and design.

CHEAD has a strong international reputation for its work in promoting UK art and design and in activity, which examines contemporary issues affecting the HE curriculum and its implementation. In total some 148,000 undergraduate students are enrolled on A&D programmes at our member institutions.

The Cheltenham Design Foundation is a charitable trust established by leading design professionals from many creative disciplines who believe that creativity and good design have the ability to transform lives at a fundamental level. The Foundation has launched the Cheltenham Design Festival, which will take place for the first time in April 2012, with Sir John Hegarty presiding over the 3-day event. The Foundation has also founded the Cheltenham Design Academy, which launched in September 2011. Taking place at the University of Gloucestershire, it provides free term-time, Saturday-morning classes in a variety of design disciplines for talented 14-16 year olds.For more information visit: www.cheltenhamdesignfestival.com

Creative Front Cambridgeshire is a vibrant and dynamic network whose core aim is to bring business and professionals across all sub-sectors of the creative industries together to raise awareness, visibility and economic strength of the sector in the region. With currently over 350 members, Creative Front is represented by 9 Special Interest Groups (SIGs), covering games development, publishing, film, tv & audiovisual, photography, industrial design and many more. They aim to bring together everyone in the creative sector to form a powerful community of individuals and organisations, for more information on joining Creative Front visit www.creativefront/org/register or contact Clare Denham, Co-ordinator on 0845 196 2997.

Culture North is dedicated to the development and delivery of inspirational projects within the creative and cultural sectors of the north of England. Culture North operates locally, regionally and nationally. It initiates and delivers projects and services that increase public awareness of creativity in the CDI sector, enabling the development of new works, new creative partnerships and new audiences. They believe that creative engagement and integration of emerging technologies and processes can provide dialogue, sustainability and much needed strategic impact in creative and cultural sectors and in wider social contexts. For more information visit www.culturenorth.org

D&AD is an educational charity that represents the global creative, design and advertising communities. Since 1962, D&AD has set industry standards, educated and inspired the next generation and, more recently, has demonstrated the impact of creativity and innovation on enhancing business performance.

The Design and Technology Association is an educational charity which works towards excellence in design and technology education. It has over 6000 members and offers support, advice and leadership to all those involved in D&T education and the wider design and technology subject community

The Design Council believes that design can help people to do what they do, better. We promote the use of design throughout the UK's businesses and public services, highlighting the vital role that design can play in strengthening our economy and improving our society.

Design Event started in 2005 as a festival, and has grown to be an organisation delivering an annual programme of design based exhibitions and events across the North East. Each year Design Event curates a festival celebrating design across the North East region and holds a programme of talks with leading designers in their fields. Design Event is not a membership organisation as such but runs events and exhibitions to promote design in the region. Design Event’s 5th Annual Festival attracted over 36,000 visitors during the 10 day period.

Design Factory is the regional creative development agency that promotes and supports the thriving craft and design sector within the East Midlands. As well as internationally marketing the talent and innovation that is created in the region, Design Factory creates new opportunities, facilitates collaboration, and ultimately innovates and encourages the growth of new and established businesses.

Design Initiative is a specialist regional agency, working directly with design companies and practitioners in North West England, to grow their businesses. Working with industry partners, public sector agencies and commissioners to expand the market for good quality design in the North West, Design Initiative supports professional development, business skills and networking within the sector.

Leicestershire and its sister county Rutland are home to a major cluster of the UK's foremost design and architectural practices. Design Leicestershire exists to promote and bolster the sub-region’s strength in design, by promoting the sector and supporting collaboration.

The organisation's ultimate aim is to support the 345 member practices to attract more high quality business to the sub-region.

The Design Museum is one of the world’s leading museums devoted to contemporary design in every form from furniture to graphics, and architecture to industrial design. It is working to place design at the centre of contemporary culture.

It demonstrates both the richness of the creativity to be found in all forms of design, and its importance. It provides a means for understanding the contemporary world, and, potentially, for making it a better place. The museum’s mission is to celebrate, entertain, and inform.

Design Network North supports innovative companies in the North East of England, helping them to utilise high-quality design skills and processes. Funded by One North East and the European Regional Development Fund, the network is co-ordinated by RTC North in Sunderland and supported the Universities of Northumbria, Newcastle and Teesside.

Design Wales is an international centre of expertise for design support and related national and regional policy. Their extensive programme of activities includes the coordination of a European design network, research and support services for businesses and regional development offices in Wales.

Run by Design Wales, the Design Wales Forum is a network for designers across Wales. The forum aims to help build the capacity of the Welsh design community through training opportunities, encouraging good design practice and promoting the business case for design.

Designer Breakfasts is a hub for the owners of small design businesses and their employees. It organises events exploring the principles of entrepreneurship, co-ownership and co-creation, with a focus on selling creativity not outputs, and taking designers’ vision and ideas to SMEs to help them
innovate and grow.

The Designers’ Network is a not for profit organisation created by designers, for designers in the East of England. It aims to build a strong community from all disciplines by promoting creativity, excellence and professionalism through training, education and shared experience. It also promotes the value of design to business through the Design for Business East website.

Established in 2006, the Ecodesign Centre is a UK based applied research organisation that aims to build capacity and capabilities to enable effective ecodesign.

EDC was designated a Centre of Expertise by the Welsh Assembly Government in 2008 and is recognised as the ‘voice’ of, and knowledge base for, ecodesign in Wales. EDC aims to proactively inspire and lead government, public sector organisations, educational institutes and the design community to enable effective ecodesign in industry. This is done by facilitating the open sharing of knowledge and experience with fresh thinking and integrity.

ADM-HEA was established in 2000 to support and enhance learning and teaching in higher education art, design, media theory and practice, the history of art and design and cultural studies subjects.

The ADM-HEA achieves its aims by undertaking and supporting research, supporting networks, designing and delivering events and consultations to exchange knowledge and ideas of effective practice in art, design and media education. The ADM-HEA also consults with a wide range of agencies involved in creative and cultural sectors.

The Milton Keynes Design Forum is a non-profit organisation created to support and promote the creative industries within the Milton Keynes area.

Its main aims are to promote the need and advantages of good design to businesses, working with local government to create a stronger economy, with sustainable development, and to support and collaborate with design-based centres of Higher Education within Milton Keynes.

Members include local design industry professionals, students and those aspiring to work in the design industry. The Milton Keynes Design Forum also supports the Design Alliance's manifesto for Good Design Practice.

The NI Design Alliance is a partnership between industry, education and stakeholders who are committed to supporting designers in Northern Ireland.

They promote professional standards and develop design skills that will help designers compete in global markets. The Alliance aims to ensure designers in Northern Ireland have access to quality professional development and skills training.

Panel is a new Glasgow-based creative consultancy that aims to promote design locally and internationally through a dynamic programme of exhibitions, events and cultural projects across a range of venues and environments.

Panel will establish a programme of activity in 2010 that will define their approach to creating and presenting design practice of the highest quality.

SBID was created in April 2009 to equally represent the interests of manufacturers, practitioners and education. The objective of the Society is to promote the profession and in doing so create a clear separation between those that are professional and those that are hobbyist or untrained. SBID has been inducted into the European Council of Interior Architects (ECIA) adopting the code of conduct, ethics and membership regulations. This is the highest level of measured knowledge and best practice for interior design throughout Europe and aligns us to 15 existing member countries, all collaborating at the same level of measured qualification. There are currently 674 members.

South Coast Design Forum is a network for designers of all disciplines along the south coast from Brighton to Southampton. It provides opportunities for business collaborations across sectors, together with events such as showcases, talks and workshops.

It aims to promote good design, raise standards and expectations, inform and educate, provide a voice for designers, address local issues and strengthen links between education and business.

The South West Design Forum represents the design industry in the seven counties of the South West, connecting designers and businesses, sharing ideas between public and private sector organisations, encouraging best practice and promoting the benefits of professional skills for all designers.

The South West Design Forum consists of six local groups: Cornwall Design Forum, Designed in Devon, Dorset Design Forum, Gloucestershire Design Network, Somerset Design Enterprise Network and West of England Design Forum.

The Design Trust helps people to start, run and grow their own small design or crafts businesses. They aim to promote and provide the best on and off line business development support for small design and craft businesses, across the various design disciplines, throughout people's careers. The Design Trust works in partnership with individual experts and trainers, non-profit organisations, creative universities, government and commercial businesses to provide easy access to the best business training, advice and coaching, and high quality sales opportunities across the UK and beyond.

UKTI works with UK-based businesses to ensure their success in international markets, and encourage the best overseas companies to look to the UK as their global partner of choice. UKTI’s aims and objectives are to:

• Deliver measurable improvement in the business performance of UK Trade & Investment’s international trade customers, with an emphasis on innovative and R&D active firms.
• Increase the contribution of foreign direct investment to knowledge intensive economic activity in the UK, including R&D.
• Deliver a measurable improvement in the reputation of the UK in leading overseas markets as the international business partner of choice.

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design with a collection spanning world cultures and dating from ancient times to the present day. The collection, which includes ceramics, furniture, dress, glass, jewellery, metalwork, photographs, printing, sculpture, textiles and paintings, is unequalled in its diversity and quality.

The Museum is a powerhouse of skills and expertise and a source of inspiration for young and old, for professionals in the arts and creative industries, and for all those with a passion, interest and enthusiasm for making and using as well as looking at art and design. It has always collected from the makers and designers of the day and its collection is a leading international resource that enables the Museum to pursue its original vision by making sense of the past, defining the contemporary and providing inspiration for the designers of the future.