Dyson sets up innovation fellowship

The James Dyson Innovation Fellowship aims to foster innovation by supporting talented young RCA designers in protecting and commercialising their work. The award supports an annual intellectual property seminar for students and a fellowship programme for graduates with innovative ideas.

The Fellowship follows Dyson's UK High Court victory against Qualtex, a company selling copies of Dyson's spare parts and infringing Dyson's design rights. During the case, James Dyson pledged to donate any winnings from the court case to the College to help young designers protect their work. He said that it had been a struggle throughout his career to protect his own designs and inventions.

One Dyson Fellowship is awarded each year to a graduating RCA student who has developed an innovative work that is a College Selected Work. The Dyson Fellow works with InnovationRCA to protect and advance the project. The Dyson Fellow 2009 is Rombout Frieling, also on RCA Industrial Design Engineering.

The James Dyson Innovation Fellow 2008 is Adrian Westaway of RCA Industrial Design Engineering whose Magic Light innovation is a College Selected Work.

The latest James Dyson Intellectual Property seminar took place at the RCA on 19 February 2008.