TEC Growth Pilot
Aim of the Project
The project was based on a proposal to respond to the findings of research commissioned by the Design Industry Taskforce in 2002, to look into how design is currently employed successfully in ‘design-led’ product manufacturing industry in New Zealand and how prospective ‘design-led’ companies can be identified and assisted using education and collaborative research intervention initiatives.
The Growth Pilot project would provide mechanisms to introduce and engage design graduates to industry and enable collaborative design and development projects to occur. The projects would target SMEs that understand the need for good design and the contribution design can make to competitive advantage through innovation and differentiation. The experience of the collaborative case studies would provide the background to the development of a post graduate degree in design enterprise, that could expand and build the case studies into a sustainable process of research and development, not only with existing companies, but by enabling and encouraging new design enterprise start-ups.
Process
Initially it was proposed that three separate pilot case studies would be undertaken with different companies over the course of a four year period. In the end, as a result of insight into the potential increased value of running ‘design entrepreneur’ case studies, and in consultation with the TEC, we completed two industry based projects and have supported three separate ‘design graduate entrepreneur’ case studies.
Visit the TEC for further information on the pilot scheme.