Design London takes shape

In a major strategic partnership, the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London have joined forces to create a world-class £5.8 million multidisciplinary centre called Design London.

Its purpose is to bring together the disciplines of design, engineering, technology and business to address future innovation challenges.

The initiative reflects the core strategic aims of both institutions and is in response to the recommendations for higher education described in the Cox Review of Creativity in Business (November 2005), commissioned by Gordon Brown.

The Cox Review proposed that new educational centres of excellence should be set up in the UK to give designers, engineers, technologists and business managers better understanding and broader skills to operate in tomorrow's markets.

Design London aims to create an 'innovation triangle' between design (represented by the Royal College of Art), engineering and technology (represented by Imperial College Faculty of Engineering) and the business of innovation (represented by Imperial College Business School). Its first director, Nick Leon, joined the organisation on 1 October 2007.

Within this 'innovation triangle', there are four main elements to Design London. Teaching will facilitate knowledge interchange between MA, MEng and MBA students from the RCA and Imperial. Research will explore how design can be more effectively integrated with business and technology to create world-beating products and services.

Entrepreneurial graduates from RCA and Imperial are given the opportunity to develop new business ideas in the 'Incubator'; and business partners of RCA and Imperial will be able to build innovation capacity via simulation exercises, digital tools and facilitation in the 'Simulator'.

The new centre builds on a strong track record of successful collaboration between near neighbours RCA and Imperial which dates back more than 25 years to the creation of a joint Masters course in Industrial Design Engineering. This programme sits at the heart of Design London.

Design London's Advisory Board is chaired by Sir James Dyson. The Science Museum is also engaged as a partner to develop public awareness around the initiative through exhibits and events.

Rector of the Royal College of Art, Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, explains: "This is a really important development. It takes our link in innovation and design to a new prominence, and represents the only big partnership between the art and design sector and a leading Russell Group university."

Imperial College Rector Sir Richard Sykes adds: "Our previous collaborations with the RCA have sparked some imaginative problem-solving, so I'm delighted that this partnership provides further opportunities for us all to work together to tackle design challenges in a creative and dynamic multidisciplinary environment."

The total project cost is £5.8 million, of which £3.8 million (65 per cent of the total) has been provided as seed funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) over three years (2007-2010). In addition, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) has agreed £900,000 spread over a three-year period to fund the Incubator element of the project, which will be named the NESTA Interdisciplinary Incubator.
The remainder of the funding is being sourced from within the RCA and Imperial College. It is a core objective to move to self-sustaining mode at the end of the three years.

The London Development Agency (LDA) has endorsed the initiative and is working with other partners in London, including the Design Council, to ensure the centre is incoporated into a wider strategy capitalising on design strengths to drive innovation across London businesses.

Max Broadhurst, Head of Innovation, Design and Production Industries at the LDA, comments: "Integrating design capability into other disciplines is critical to drive innovation. The centre will become an important source of competitive advantage for London."

More on Design London.