Design Council grants 250 000

The Design Council has awarded a total of 250 000 in Government funding to nine design projects. The grants represent this year’s round of so-called “conduit funding” distributed via the council.

The Design Council is not releasing the amounts of the individual grants, but most of the projects are likely to receive between 15 000 and 40 000.

The Design Museum is to develop a national framework for design education training, aimed at teacher trainers. The Design Business Association is to use a grant to collaborate with other trade bodies outside design to try and further the use of design.

The Materials Information Service is to produce a guide on toxicology relating to materials and their uses in the medical and food sectors. New Designers In Business is to launch a mentoring service to educate young designers in business skills.

Brunel University and the University of Central England are to collaborate on engineering design case studies, the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Clothing and Textile Association is to raise awareness of textile design in schools, while London’s Business Link is to pilot a television network for distributing programmes.

Finally, London Open House is to create Passport to Design, a toolkit of activities to involve schoolchildren in visiting and studying local buildings from a design angle.

A “delighted” James Dyson has joined the council of the Design Council. Chairman John Sorrell says: “James is a living demonstration of the power of design to contribute to business success.”