Voxpop

Is it time for the UK to have a new national centre for design and innovation? If so, what should it include?

Scotland already has a national centre for design and innovation – The Lighthouse – and, of course, there ought to be a UK centre. Why? The frightening scale at which the Koreans, Taiwanese and Singaporeans are investing in this area, in itself, ought to be a loud enough wake-up call. A UK centre cannot be a reinvention of the old design centres. Yes, it should stage exhibitions and host events, but, to be dynamic, it also has to reach out and make connections, bringing creativity and business together in innovative and imaginative ways. It should be a world model of design entrepreneurship.

Stuart MacDonald, Director, The Lighthouse

I am not sure where the existing one is, but a new one is a great idea. Like most things, what it leaves out is as important as what it includes, and it certainly should not become a home for design organisation. As Birmingham has just been voted European City of the Future, it is an ideal venue for such a centre of innovation.

Frank Peters, Chief Executive, Chartered Society of Designers

Frank Peters, Chief executive, Chartered Society of Designers Some negatives: not a museum; not a design centre with black and white triangles; not a static display. Some positives: a centre which puts over the excitement of design and its importance to the new economy; incubators for young, up-and-coming designers; a stylish meeting place for engineers, designers and other business people; a place with a real and constantly renewed buzz about it.

Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, Rector, Royal College of Art

I believe the work of the Design Museum could be considerably expanded with Government support. Obviously, this would require a much larger space, giving the opportunity for bigger exhibitions, more training, education and conference space, and an area dedicated to innovation. It would become the world centre for design and creativity in the same way that the Tate Modern has achieved world status for the arts. With the Cox Review going to the Treasury for the UK, now is the moment to seize this opportunity.

Sir Terence Conran, founder, Design Museum