Conference proposals to link universities with industry and business

Design and the Creative Industries: Universities and Industries Working Together will consider proposals to establish an industry and business regional design forum, the development of a university design network, and the establishment of an agreement between universities and private-sector design providers. It is hoped that these proposals will help boost the UK creative economy.

A panel including former Design Council chairman Sir George Cox, British Design Innovation chief executive Maxine Horn and professors from The University of Brighton and Goldsmiths, University of London will question whether there is a knowledge gap in the delivery of innovation and look at how design is defined and understood.

The panel will also scrutinise the suggestion that Government schemes are fueling unfair competition against design groups by allocating public-sector funding to universities through research council schemes and the Higher Education Innovation Fund. It will consider the suggestion that universities are claiming ‘supply side knowledge’ which may be better supported by industry through knowledge-transfer partnerships in a ‘division of labour’ between universities, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and other design groups.