UK-China Design Policy Network

Lead Research Organisation: Royal College of Art
Department Name: School of Design

Abstract

Driven by the growing recognition of the importance of design in national innovation, design policy is an emerging subject of research interest. Design policies are 'sets of rules, activities, and processes to support design through the reinforcement of design capabilities at all levels of the policy cycle' by DeEP. Governments in countries where design and innovation are considered core competitive advantage actively seek to implement policies to create encouraging environments for the prosperity of design innovation. Research into design policy in this context will focus on the relevance and effectiveness of government intervention within the design industry. There is an imperative to advance thinking through collaboration and to share experience. Networking and research in this subject has attracted growing investment. However, collaboration with partners outside of the EU is underdeveloped. A fast changing technology base and novel innovation models allows 'underdeveloped' countries to leap-frog conventional development patterns, with significant impact on the global innovation landscape. Each region can no longer consider its innovation policies in isolation. Collaboration with these countries is as important as with EU partners.

This is especially relevant in the case of China, one of the biggest trade partners with EU and the largest R&D investor after the US. China now aims to transform its economy away from a reliance on low-skill and resource-intensive manufacturing, and has recognised the necessity of design innovation in achieving structural transformation of industries. However, these policies and their execution remain unclear outside of China and research in this field is still scarce.

In the UK, design is viewed as an important and integral dimension of innovation policy. As one of the largest innovation exporters, it is strategically important for the UK's policy makers to gain knowledge of China, thus enabling them to contextualise their relevance to the UK's design industry and economy, and capture opportunities afforded by transformation in China. Moreover, no consideration has been given to how the UK might best develop policies which capitalise on the opportunities.

The study aims to develop a UK-China network in design policy to facilitate interactions between UK and China, and between researchers and policy makers. This network is aimed at professional, educational, and government organizations which might contribute to the development and management of initiatives to either grow business or design capability and capacity. Through a series of workshops and seminars, the project will develop partnerships to share good practices in design policy development and to stimulate discussions on this topic. This project will also help build capacity in design policy research, and will inform the future development of the research networking theme. The project will conclude by undertaking a mapping exercise to understand the focuses and principles of policy making in each country; and from this, identify differences and similarities in the approaches taken by each country in supporting design innovation. This will in turn provide the basis for a generic model of design policy which will be disseminated at a final event to be held in London, and will be used to inform national and regional policies supporting the design sector.

Planned Impact

The proposal will be of significant benefit to industry/commercial organisations, business support agencies and trade associations, policy makers, and academics, in identifying design policies which stimulate and cultivate innovation activity within both China and the UK, and the means by which each region may cross engage with these.
There are a number of key stakeholders and beneficiaries within this project outwith the academic community:

1. The UK and Chinese governments, and other countries involved in an extended network beyond the lifespan of the project. The research will inform innovation policy and strategy in the context of global innovation - at both national and regional levels through government agencies, regional authorities and local enterprise partnerships - leading towards the development of new models/thinking on government intervention.

2. Organisations directly involved in the delivery and exploitation of design; these include freelancers/designers/design agencies and regional private and public sector design clients/users. These organisations will be afforded the opportunity to discuss policy implications and how they relate to their business through a series of consultation events, and their experiences fed through to better model policy impact and outcomes. These organisations will benefit from increased insight into current and prospective policies, and the development of business models which capitalise on these, in terms of either design supply or demand.

3. Representative trade bodies and professional practitioner groups, such as the Design Council, BDI (British Design Innovation), NESTA, & DBA (Design Business Association).

4. Funding bodies, including: the Research Councils (AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC and RCUK), the TSB, the EU (through the Horizon 2020 programme) and further afield, the Research Councils of China (National Natural Science Fund, National Social Science Fund and Ministry of Education Social Science Fund) and regional funding bodies in China (Shanghai Philosophy Social Science Fund, and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission Research Innovation Fund). These organisations will be encouraged to develop programmes in supporting research into design and innovation.
The form of intervention and means of dissemination have been designed to maximally engage each of these beneficiary types in terms of location, timing, format and accessibility, and each will be represented on the Steering Committee to ensure their voices are captured.

The final dissemination event will be held in London, and engage a wide audience, including second tier beneficiaries. This will be promoted through the Design Council, NESTA, the DBA (Design Business Association), and other sector trade associations, and targeted at BIS, regional LEPs and relevant client sector associations.

A sector specific policy report will provide an executive summary of findings from each of the consultation events, provide rudimentary theoretical frameworks and reflect on new thinking. This will be posted to key policy makers and wider stakeholders, major libraries and an electronic version made available online. Project datasets, findings and summaries will be promoted and made available via an online repository, developed as part of the project; a mirror Chinese language site will be jointly hosted and funded by Shanghai Jiao Tong and Beijing Union Universities. In addition, a minimum of two papers will be presented at international design conferences across Europe and Asia.

It is anticipated that 20 organisations will attend each of the consultation events (totalling 80 across the project), with a further 40 attending the dissemination event. In addition to the 120 organisations participating in the activities, an estimated 80 organisations will benefit indirectly through awareness raising activities and use of the online resource.
 
Description The project team has conducted desk research to review literature and documents in the area of design policy in China and the UK. The desk research has developed a good understanding of the landscapes of design policy in both countries and resulted in a list of emerging trends, indicating research opportunities for future studies.

Further to this, six workshops (3 in the UK and 3 in China) and nine seminars have been delivered to facilitate knowledge exchange between industry, policy and research. These workshops have identified gaps in perception, with implications re the effectiveness of design policies. Steering committee meetings have been conducted to engage policy agencies in steering the project and in interpreting the initial findings. The final event has disseminated findings of the project, which further facilitated discussion resulted in a range of research opportunities.

These research activities have resulted in the key findings summarized as:
• Finding 1: Design Policy Landscape in China and the UK
• Finding 2: Challenges and Opportunities for the Design Industries in the UK and China
• Finding 3: Policy Awareness and Expectations in the UK and China
• Finding 4: Perceived Opportunities and Barriers in International Collaboration
• Finding 5: Emerging Trends in Design Policy in the UK

These findings lead to the identification of knowledge gaps for future research.

Finding 1: Design Policy Landscape in China and the UK

Based on literature review and knowledge exchange activities between the two countries, the project has developed a good understanding of the context of design policy in each country. These include the identification of key stakeholders, their relationships and driving forces within the industry, providing an overall review of the context of design policy in each country. The project has also identified and understood the presence of design policies at national and local levels of each country, providing a digest of current UK and Chinese Government design policies. This includes government guidelines, programmes and initiatives, which are currently deployed to support and nurture design capacity.

Design Policy in China
In China, design has gained recognition in government polices since 2007. In China's 11th five-year-plan by the Central Government of the People's Republic of China 2007, design was considered a strategic tool for economic development for the first time. In this policy document, design (the term 'industrial design' was used) was considered to have an important role, together with research, in supporting the upgrading of the industry structure, balancing the regional development, and internationalization. In supporting this vision, a range of policies and implementation plans have been proposed since then. For example, the State Council of the Central Government's proposal in 2009 specifically promoted the adoption of 'industrial design' in SMEs; and in 2012, the National Development and Reform Commission established a funding programme to implement the strategy. One of the key documents is the report 'On the promotion of the development of industrial design' jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 11 other departments in 2010, which defines industrial design and its perceived role in economic development with a strong focus on manufacturing. It also identified a range of barriers and challenges for the effective adoption of design in wider industries, such as a lack of awareness and understanding of design amongst industries and the general public, lack of highly professionalized capabilities, and weaknesses in indigenous capacity in innovation, IP infrastructures and other support from government and trade unions.

Design Policy in the UK
Historically, the British government was the first government in the world to recognise the power of design. The Design Council and its work over the past 70 years have played an important role in implementing the political vision of the UK government (the Design Council is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2015); and have since pioneered a wide variety of approaches to create environments conducive to design through design education, infrastructure, funding and IP exploitation. In the UK, a number of public sector bodies are involved in promoting and developing design. The key governance departments relevant to design are: DBIS (the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), and DCMS (the Department for Culture, Media & Sport). Other agencies include UKTI (UK Trade and Investment), NESTA, Innovate UK, AHRC (Arts and Humanity Research Council), HEFCE (The Higher Education Funding Council for England), and the Design Commission. There are also trade associations and professional bodies, e.g. DBA (Design Business Association), D&AD (Global Association for Creative Advertising and Design), and Chartered Society of Designers, which also play a key role in the promotion of design in the UK. Although this is not an inclusive list of organisations, it is representative of the political landscape of UK design policy. Policy thinking within the UK can be marked by the shift from a market to system(ic) failure approach. The UK has historically demonstrated an emphasis on the design profession (referred to as 'design-centric'), leading to an imbalance between supply and demand, and creating to some extent a culture of dependence within the design sector. This has been compounded by the widening and diffusion of design thinking, through strategy, into the arenas of experience and services. Current thinking is now focused on not just supporting design and the creative industries, but all industries to be creative, and recognition of the role of all stakeholders in achieving this. Shifting from a design to an innovation agenda benefitting the whole economy, with growing government interest in public challenges around efficiencies in sustainability, health and ageing, conflict and security.

Finding 2: Challenges and Opportunities for the Design Industries in the UK and China
UK
The project (especially based on the results from the workshops and industry consultations in the UK) has reported that the UK design industry has changed over the past 10 years. Design has gained much wider recognition in general. It is observed that more organisations have integrated design at board level, and more companies have embedded design in their culture. Driven by the shift in the economic structure towards a more service economy, and a shift in customer awareness and expectations, the discipline is evolving. This includes a rapid growth in service design. A tendency is also observed that design consultancies and business/strategic consultants are merging in many aspects. The design sectors are encouraged by the fact that some management consultancies are buying up design agencies. The proliferation of design roles however has raised the concern about the professionalism of design, particularly as to how to professionalise a sector which is continuously redefining itself. Some have concerns over the fact that design is further fragmenting. There is therefore a shared demand for leadership of the design industry, but uncertainty as to who leads these changes - design associations, leading edge agencies, the talent pipeline, or HEIs?

China
Similarly, the project (based on the workshops in China) has reported that the lack of a shared definition of the design discipline has led to low uptake from business. Design is confused with engineering, and/or craft based art practice. There are general concerns that the status of designers is yet to be raised and that public awareness of design is still low; the entry barrier is low; and unqualified designers occupy many positions. Further to these, the project has reported a range of challenges that are more related to systems at a national level. These include concerns over the rigid education system and lack of innovation in design curriculum resulting in: low relevance to the real needs of the industry; lack of motivation for innovation in general due a lack of IP awareness, regulation and policies; and tension between the need for design innovation, and the ability and capability to deliver. Given these, a majority of the participants believe the need for design innovation to be vast and that design plays an important role in supporting the upgrading of China's economic structure. This has raised expectations re government intervention.

Finding 3: Policy Awareness and Expectations
Given the difference in the challenges faced by the two design industries, it is perhaps surprising that the workshops in both countries reported a low awareness of current polices amongst both the design communities and wider industries that use design. These include: poor knowledge of intervention mechanisms, areas of restrictive and open practice, sources and levels of funding/investment, promotional strategies, and approaches to IP regulation.

UK
Reflected in the UK workshops, it is believed that government strategy has an exclusive focus on large businesses, and that accessibility is low to most design consultancies given their small size. The significant growth in the use of design in public procurement has led to an expectation that the UK government should lower its procurement hurdles and simplify the process, making it more accessible to small design consultancies. There is also an expectation of a government mandate to regulate and accredit the sector and to evidence the value of design, whilst recognizing the challenge in measuring social and cultural value - an important area that design believes it contributes to. A need to embed design skills in schools is also considered important in the long-term development of design in the UK.

China
The policy expectations discussed in the workshops in China focused on the development of infrastructures in legislation (especially IP), education, and resources, with more investment in education. The latter builds on a desire to change the government's focus to developing design capability and skills: to increase investment in education and to promote design education; and to reduce the gap between skills & needs. Design education in particular is seen as educating the general public about good design, as well as develop high quality design professionals. In terms of government support, the participants were keen for the government to develop vision, strategy, and financial investment, and to promote the sector internationally. Current investment is seen as unbalanced, with high levels of support for infrastructure development e.g. high speed railways and aviation, and not for fashion and other consumer goods sectors which contribute significantly to the economy. As in the UK, there is also an expectation that the government opens its resources and procurement processes to the design sector to enable collaborative opportunities.

Finding 4: Perceived Opportunities and Barriers in International Collaboration
UK
Looking into the future of the design industry, the project has explored the potential for exporting design capacities to overseas in the workshops and industry consultations. However, there are clear logistical challenges, such as marketing and contracts, etc. These are especially barriers for small businesses, due to a lack of resources to invest. Further, it is considered that designers are not equipped with relevant skills and knowledge, such as management skills and an understanding of international trade. It is suggested that as the UK has a strong design leadership model, exporting design talent through international students could be the way forward; and thus, export incubation (with a focus on postgraduates) and joint programmes with oversea's HEIs could be more fruitful. Others considered that revitalisation of UK manufacturing regionally, via digital manufacturing capitalising on long tail demand could be relevant to the future of the UK design industry. Thus, cottage industries are not necessarily bad as the model allows for specialisms.

The discussion in the workshops in China however has shown a more positive attitude towards international collaboration. There is a clear need from industry to be involved in knowledge exchange activities internationally, with a willingness 'to learn' from other countries; whilst, the challenge to adapt what is learnt to the unique condition in China (Guoqing) is also recognized. The development of MNCs, such as GM, and Huawei is considered one of the most effective ways to engage on the international design stage and to raise the awareness of China's indigenous design capacities.

Finding 5: Emerging Trends in Design Policy in the UK
The project has identified key trends and issues emerging in the landscape of design policy in the UK.
• The importance of leadership in championing design nation-wide
The research has revealed that the government and its intervention play a significant role in shaping the dynamic of design landscape in the UK, as demonstrated by the influence of the Design Council over the past 70 years. However, the nature of the Design Council has changed and it is unclear what the leadership of design should be in the UK, and what impact it will have on UK design in the future.
• Moving away from a 'design centric' model
Many of the design policy proposals were criticised for the sole emphasis on design professionals, instead of on the wider social and economic development. To avoid developing 'design centric' policies and programmes, it is important to acknowledge the supporting role of design in the wider economy. This allows the intention of any proposals to shift from 'design professions' to wider beneficiaries, and to use less intervention into market failures and to focus on the areas of design activity that are eminently worthy of support from public funding, such as creating national design assets, design for complex systems and standards for design, and strengthening the design profession.
• A stronger need to integrate design with innovation policy
With the shift away from the 'design centric' approach, there is a need to integrate design into the wider innovation systems. However, because of the ambiguity over the relationship between design and innovation, it is challenging for the government to develop clear and consistent policies to support the use of design in a wider innovation system.
• A substantially growing interest in design for social and public challenges
Design for social and public challenges has a substantial and growing interest base in the UK. There is an expectation to normalising design practice in public sector. The concept of 'design for policy' emerged in this context, pushing for stronger design leadership in central government.
• A need for an evidence-based approach to inform policy
The urgency to develop a clear evidence base to support design has been widely shared. In evidencing the value of design, it is challenging to shift from evidencing economic value towards evidencing the impact of design on wider societal and environmental issues.
Exploitation Route Each of these trends identified through the project implies a distinct area of research in design policy. Given that design policy is an important yet emerging field in the design research literature, this encourages the research community to further explore gaps in our knowledge.

Further to these, a comparison of these two contexts reveals that design policy is highly contingent to wider economic, social, and political contexts, which further dictates how design is perceived and used in these contexts. In the UK, design is considered an important and integral dimension of innovation policy. The UK's move from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy has reinforced the importance of innovation and value-added design in the UK. Together with the growth of the public sector (which takes 53% of UK economy), this leads to substantially growing interest and demand for design in addressing social and public challenges. The UK case demonstrates the extension of the upper rungs of the (Danish) Design Ladder, with engagement in the policy agenda, addressing social and public service challenges. The shift from 'Policy for Design' (commonly referred as design policy) to 'Design for Policy', is evidenced by the establishment of Policy Lab in the UK in seeking to embed design in the central government. On the other hand, in China, design is considered as a service sector that supports economic development. Given its economy still heavily relies on manufacturing, design is promoted mainly to businesses, SMEs, and enterprises. The Government's agenda is focused on developing policies for the wider adoption of design in business.

This implies a research gap in our knowledge as to how design policy is related to the wider contexts of each country. The importance of government intervention could be evidenced by unpacking the relationship between how design is applied and promoted at a national level and its conditions. This understanding further helps to develop models of policy intervention based on key characteristics including: sector, maturity, networks, and potential for engagement across a broad spectrum of industry. This could results in a broaching of theories of design policy within the context of different economies. Multidisciplinary research is therefore essential in achieving this.

Another significant area of research identified here is the concept of 'design for policy'which suggests the use of collaborative design approaches to innovation in public policy. As Bason (2014) suggests that 'from challenging current problem spaces to driving the creative quest for new solutions and shaping the physical and virtual artefacts of policy implementation, design holds a significant yet largely unexplored potential.' There is significant interest in both the design communities and the political circle in the western counties and most OECD countries. The proliferation of networks, e.g. politics for tomorrow, signifies the growing interest. The project with Chilean Government has demonstrated its potential in practice. However, research in this field is still emerging. It is therefore timely for future research to develop an understanding of the practice. This also relates to the questions like: what policy intervention might result in the effective use of design in public policy? What are the conditions for its proliferation? How design could be engaged in a dictated/less democratic political environment?

The team is still reflecting on the findings at this stage and will develop these findings into reports for dissemination and bids for future projects.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other
 
Description Impact Summary Design workshops held in Shanghai and Beijing in March 2015 with design practitioners and agencies, design managers, design associations and academics have had a noteworthy effect on policy engagement. Total attendance was restricted to 8 representatives at each of the workshops, respectively recruited through SJT and Beijing Union Universities, with each session using a facilitated round-table focus group approach to explore key issues within the design and wider innovation sectors. The Chinese partner, SJTU, subsequently established a SIG discussion group on design policy on WeChat (a social media platform in China) with participants at the Chinese workshops to facilitate continued engagement. This combined activity identified policy recommendations which have since formed the basis for a series of high level discussions referred to later. This was accompanied by a presentation at Gehua (organisers of Beijing Design Week) in Beijing, resulting in the development of the Beijing Design Festival case study by Beijing Union University. Similar UK workshops held in the London in June adopted the same format, with attendances of between 6-8 representatives for each of the design practitioner/agency, design manager, and design association target groups. The results of these consultations, together with an extensive literature review conducted by both the UK and Chinese partners, have informed a number of publications: Chinese publications • Editorship of the 'Design Policy Blue Book' (2015) informing policymakers within Chinese trade organisations • One chapter contributed to the 'World Design Capital City Report' 4th Ed (2015). UK publications: • 'Emerging Trends in Design Policy in the UK', Design Research Society (2016) targeted at an academic audience. The Blue Book is of particular significance, reporting on trends in design innovation both in China and internationally, and targeting government policy makers, professional practitioners and design research communities. Other influences in China have been notable, in part due to active institutional engagement with Shanghai Design Week. Specific outcomes include: • Representation on the Shanghai Smart City Policy Advisory Board • Representation on the Shanghai Design Week organisation committee • 3 high level discussions with Shanghai local government agencies re design policy initiatives. These include: consultancy to a range of organisations (including Global Creative Technology and AURORA) to support them in applying for special funds for the creative and cultural industry; supporting the Jiaxing Government to develop a policy framework underpinning its SmartCity development through design innovation as a key enabler; and training provision for the Wujiang Government in facilitating creative industry clusters through the development of appropriate infrastructures and policies. In the UK, the opportunity to influence has been less pronounced, with Steering Group discussions (held in September 2015) indicating that governmental agencies (the Design Council and InnovateUK) are already committed to strategies, each negotiating the funding space and needing to demonstrate the value of design afforded by the shift to public innovation policy identified by the Design Commission. However, the Final Dissemination Event in November brought together a broad range of more than 70 academics, researchers, trade associations, policy bodies, design practitioners and private and public sector organisations to debate issues around 3 themes: 1: International Collaboration: facilitated discussion of design policy in an international context that brought together Chinese, UK and European perspectives. Three keynotes were included in this track: Jing Zhong (Beijing Union University) on 'Cultural Industry in Beijing'; Tom Saunders (Nesta) on 'Makerspaces in China'; and Sarah Teasley (RCA) on 'Design policy across borders'. Bingfang Shen (Great Britain China Centre) and Prof Guo He (Ren Min University) joined these to discuss the implications of introducing an IP regulatory framework on innovation culture in China. 2: UK Perspectives: showcased research critically examining national and regional design policies in the UK, and looked into how policy-makers and the private sector have adapted and implemented other countries' design policies for their own national contexts; and how we might combine local knowledge with global best practice. Keynotes included: Benjamin Brown (Design Council) on 'The value of design'; Qian Sun (RCA) on 'The landscape of design policy in the UK'; and Anna Whicher (SEE) on 'Research and practice in design and innovation policy in Europe'. 3: The Value of Design: addressed design's role in the development of economies, societies and cultures worldwide. Keynote talks included: Mikko Koria (Alto University and Loughborough University London) on 'How to translate design policy into citizen value'; Leonardo Lee (LG) on 'LG's Design Strategy in Globalisation'; and Nicolás Rebolledo (RCA) on 'Design in Public Sector Innovation: The Case of Chile'. In terms of network development, the project's Key Findings indicate a clear bifurcation in policy between 'policy for design' within China and 'design for policy' within the UK and wider Europe. Beyond these countries, the emergence of 'Design for Policy' as a key thread in the design policy literature has provided the project team an opportunity to explore DfP initiatives in emergent economies, where its findings may be more influential and address the project's ambition to extend the Design Policy Network. The initial steps towards this have been afforded through the RCA's relationship with innovation advisors to the Chilean Government, resulting in a partnership with the Public Innovation Lab in Chile, which offers a clear opportunity for early stage influence. Building on the DPN's findings, Nicolas Rebolledo (RCA) has worked closely with the Laboratorio de Gobierno to enable and promote citizen centred innovation processes by bringing together multiple stakeholders (including the General Secretariat of the Presidency, the Chilean Economic Development Agency and the Civil Service) in the co-creation of solutions to complex public problems. A direct result of this collaboration has been the development and delivery of a programme of four knowledge exchange seminars on public service innovation delivered across Europe (and funded by the project) to practitioners, policy makers and the general public between September and November 2015. Locations included: London (6th Digital Economy All Hands meeting), Berlin (The Politics of Tomorrow: Innovative approaches in Policy-making'), Helsinki (Design Driven Society in Helsinki Design Week) and Paris (Immersion in Pubic Design, MindLab). Here, keynotes have been delivered to in excess of 60 OECD member delegates, representatives of civil services and NGOs; the speech providing case illustrations re the Chilean Public Innovation Lab. This has prompted further discussion with NESTA re 'design for policy and public services', and has led to a collaboration between the Chilean Government and NESTA re the impact of the Policy Lab using NESTA's evaluation framework. Similarly, the Helsinki Design Week event was delivered to 100 researchers, policy labs and design practitioners working for government in policy innovation, using case illustrations from the Chilean Public Innovation Lab. In addition, the project findings have been disseminated to design professionals at the Service Design Global Conference in New York by Dr Nick de Leon from the RCA. Interest has been expressed by many of the delegates re downstream engagement with the project/DPN, specifically in the areas of public innovation and service design. Discussions have since taken place with representatives from the US and Europe re the delivery of more regional workshops. The research network has also influenced a variety of additional stakeholders, resulting in the: • Launch of a dedicated track focusing on Design Policy at the Design Research Society conference to be held in June 2016, based on a proposal submitted by Qian Sun and Alex Williams. Design Policy is considered a longstanding interest for the DRS, originating from a conference at the RCA in 1980, and it is keen to give the area prominence. A range of international papers have been submitted, varying in content from overviews and contextualisation of national policy to reviews of specific policy interventions. • Kingston University* participation in British Council/AHRC-funded NESTA organised 'Living Research: Making in China' undertaken by Dr Cat Rossi. In terms of follow-on activity and future funding: • Profs Williams and Zhang at Kingston* and SJTU have been granted £76k from the British Council China Challenge Fund to support a design intern exchange programme which will facilitate knowledge transfer between Chinese and UK design students and host organisations, and will directly inform skills and practice agendas in both countries. This addresses a key finding from the China workshops re lack of relevance in the curriculum to industry practice. • A presentation to and participation in a panel forum on, 'Coming to Terms with Creative Hubs', explored the policy implications re creative hubs in stimulating public-innovation partnerships. The audience comprised 120 policy makers, local authorities, creative entrepreneurs and development agencies, and has led to a Kingston* led application to the European Regional Development Fund to subsidise the delivery of a public innovation incubator in London, based on a regional consortium. • Dr Sun is collaborating with Prof Guo He from RMU on the implications of introducing an IP framework on innovation culture in China. • SJTU has applied for a Design Policy grant from the Chinese Arts Research Committee (China's AHRC equivalent) * (The CI, Prof Williams, moved to Kingston University from Northumbria in February 2015)
First Year Of Impact 2014
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services
 
Description Creative Cluster Building in Wujiang City
Geographic Reach Local/Municipal/Regional 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Training provision for the Wujiang Government in facilitating creative industry clusters through the development of appropriate infrastructures & policies
 
Description Global Creative Technology / AURORA
Geographic Reach Local/Municipal/Regional 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Provided consultation to a range of organisations (including Global Creative Technology and AURORA) to support them in applying for special funds for the creative and cultural industry.
 
Description Jiaxing Local Government Capacity Building
Geographic Reach Local/Municipal/Regional 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact This intervention is supporting the Jiaxing Government to develop a policy framework underpinning its SmartCity development through the design innovation as a key enabler. As part of this initiative, the project is working with both public logistics & creative practitioners to address capacity issues.
 
Description LabGov Chile
Geographic Reach South America 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
Impact Nicolas Rebolledo at the RCA is working closely with the Chilean government and has developed a design driven public innovation model for the recently created Government Laboratory of Chile, the "Laboratorio de Gobierno". The Chilean government is committed to drive major processes of transformation and reform but recognises its lack of innovative capacity, aversion to risk and scarce resources. Building on the DPN's initial findings, the public innovation laboratory will enable and promote citizen centred innovation processes by bringing together multiple stakeholders in the co-creation of solutions to complex public problems in association with the following Ministries and Public Services: Interior, Finance, General Secretariat of the Presidency, Economy, Social Development, Corfo (Chilean Economic Development Agency) and the Civil Service.
 
Description Membership of All Party Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
 
Description British Council China Challenge Fund
Amount £76,000 (GBP)
Organisation British Council 
Department British Council in China
Sector Public
Country China
Start 01/2016 
End 12/2018
 
Description The Hidden Story: Mapping knowledge exchange partnerships for the Creative Economy
Amount £226,720 (GBP)
Funding ID AH/P008992/1 
Organisation Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2016 
End 11/2017
 
Description Beijing Union University 
Organisation Beijing Union University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution By participating in this research network, the academics involved in the project have been exposed to new research opportunities. The network provides opportunities for the researchers to broaden their views and knowledge on an international research project. This presents a chance for BUU to collaborate with international researchers and to promote deeper collaboration with industry and government. Apart from the engagement activities outlined in the relevant part, two talks were delivered to the faculty at Beijing Union University by Qian Sun from the RCA. One was on 'design policy' and the other, 'service design and design for public services'.
Collaborator Contribution As an academic partner of the project, Beijing Union University has taken part in research and networking activities, attended project meetings, promoted the project both internally and to the wider audience in Beijing, taken part in dissemination activities, and been a member of the steering committee. In particular, BUU has - organised two partner meetings in Beijing - facilitated workshops in Shanghai - disseminated research at the final event in the UK
Impact - A case study on 'The Creative Industry in Beijing' was developed and disseminated at the final event in London
Start Year 2010
 
Description DBA 
Organisation Design Business Association
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution NA
Collaborator Contribution - Sally Lukins, Strategy and Development Director, attended the London workshop June 2015 - Deborah Dawton, Chief Executive, attended the committee meeting August 2015 - Promoted the London workshop to the members
Impact NA
Start Year 2015
 
Description Design Council 
Organisation Design Council
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The UK-China Design Policy Network represents an opportunity for the Design Council to collaborate and share experiences with partners outside of the EU, and further to advance the understanding of how to develop effective policies to support design. In particular, the project provides a dissemination platform for a research report 'The Value of Design'.
Collaborator Contribution Design Council has contributed to project promotion and dissemination, and been a member of the steering committee. In particular, the Design Council has -attended steering committee meetings -delivered a keynote talk at the final event -promoted the project
Impact - Camilla Buchanan, Senior Researcher in the Policy Research team attended Steering Committee Meeting 1, on 4th November 2014 - Yvonne Harris, Senior Researcher in the Policy Research team attended the Consultation Workshop on 26th June 2015 - Benjamin Brown, Senior Researcher in the Policy Research team, attended Steering Committee Meeting 2 on 25th August 2015 - Benjamin Brown, Senior Researcher in the Policy Research team delivered a keynote speech in the event on 25th November 2015, on 'The Value of Design'
Start Year 2014
 
Description GBCC 
Organisation Great Britain China Centre
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution GBCC is interested in developing collaboration with Chinese partners in design policy, especially intellectual property related policies. This project provides a networking opportunity for GBCC, to increase the awareness of it's activities and to identify collaboration opportunities.
Collaborator Contribution Bingfang Shen, Project Manager, presented in the panel discussion in the final event of the project on the 25th November 2015
Impact Bingfang Shen, in 'International Collaboration' panel, 25th November 2015 It's multidisciplinary: IP policy and design policy
Start Year 2015
 
Description Innovate UK 
Organisation Innovate UK
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution NA
Collaborator Contribution - Tom Fiddian, Lead Technologist (Digital Experience) at Innovate UK, attended the committee meeting in August 2015
Impact NA
Start Year 2015
 
Description Nesta 
Organisation Nesta
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution The Design Policy Network enables Nesta to build on influential recent work on Chinese innovation system and opportunities for UK-China collaboration between UK and China in the area of creative industries and design. In particular, the final event of the project provided a dissemination platform for Nesta's recent research on 'Makerspaces in China'.
Collaborator Contribution As project partner, Nesta has taken part in networking activities; contributed to project promotion and dissemination; and been member of the steering committee. In particular, Nesta has 1. attended steering committee meetings 2. delivered a keynote talk at the final dissemination event 3. promoted the project
Impact - Kristen Bound, Head of International Innovation attended Steering Committee Meetings, on 4th November 2014 and on 25th August 2015 - Tom Saunders, Senior Researcher in the Policy & Research team attended Steering Committee Meetings, on 4th November 2014 and on 25th August 2015 - Tom Saunders, Senior Researcher in the Policy & Research team delivered a keynote speech in the event on 25th November 2015, on 'Makespaces in China'
Start Year 2014
 
Description OECD 
Organisation Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD
Country France 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution TA
Collaborator Contribution TA
Impact ta
Start Year 2010
 
Description SEE / PDR Cardiff Metropolitan 
Organisation Cardiff Metropolitan University
Department SEE Platform
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution The project provided a platform for SEE to share and disseminate its research, and to expand the network SEE is developing. The project team at the RCA took part in the 'SEE Design, Innovation and Policy Conference' on the 10 February 2015, at the Flemish Parliament, Brussels.
Collaborator Contribution Anna Whicher, Head of Design Policy at PDR, delivered a keynote talk on 'Research and practice in design and innovation policy in Europe'
Impact - Anna Whicher 'Research and practice in design and innovation policy in Europe' in the final event, 25th November, 2015
Start Year 2010
 
Description Shanghai Jiao Tong University 
Organisation Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Country China 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution SJTU plays an advisory role to the Chinese Government in developing design policies in China. This project provides the team in SJTU a platform to share knowledge and experience in design policy research internationally. Opportunities for future collaboration with international partners in the field of design and design policy is also important to SJTU. In particular, Qian Sun contributed a paper to the 'Design Policy Bluebook' SJTU (Liqun Zhang) edited (see publications)
Collaborator Contribution As an academic partner of the project, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has taken part in research and networking activities, attended project meetings, promoted the project both internally and to wider audience in Shanghai, taken part in the dissemination activities, and been a member of the steering committee. In particular, SJTU has - organised two partner meetings in Shanghai - organised 3 workshops in Shanghai - disseminated research at the events in Shanghai
Impact - Organised 3 workshops, March 2015, Shanghai - Delivered a keynote talk 'An overview of Design Policy in China', March 2015, Shanghai - Published an edited book 'Design Policy Bluebook' - Established a SIG discussion group (Design Policy) on social
 
Description China Workshops 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The project delivered an event in China comprising three workshops, aimed at engaging design agencies, client industries, government bodies and HEIs. They were hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and attended by delegates from three partner institutes: RCA (Qian Sun), Northumbria (Alex Williams), and Beijing Union University (Jing Zhong, Guanlan Cheng and Rui Liu). A total of 30 people participated in the event from 17 organisations, including design consultancies, industries, policy makers and academics.
The three workshops respectively explored the following issues:
1. challenges and opportunities of the design industry in China
2. design policy expectations from the stakeholders in China
3. international collaboration

Two keynote presentations were given by Liqun Zhang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Alex Williams from Northumbria. In Liqun Zhang's talk, he reviewed the current status of design policy development in China and key issues embedded in its implementation. Alex Williams' talk explored a systemic approach to design policy and developed a range of policy scenarios for further exploration.

As a direct output a of this event, an social media group on WeChat has been established to continue the discussion on design and design policy in China. The experience also fed into workshops in the UK in June, allowing a comparative analysis of project findings.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Gehua visit 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact A visit was made to Gehua (one of the partners working with Beijing Union University) by Qian Sun from RCA, together with three colleagues from Beijing Union University. Gehua introduced their projects and vision on government's support in these projects. Qian Sun delivered a talk to introduce the concept of design policy and design for public services. The partnership enabled the development of the case study by Jing Zhong from Beijing Union University.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description RCA Seminars 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact A range of seminars were organised to debate on a range of topics key to design. The keynote talks were delivered by both professional practitioners and lead academics. The seminars include:
1. Design Industry, 5 NOVEMBER 2014
2. Social and Public Innovation, 19 NOVEMBER 2014
3. Experience economy, 3 DECEMBER 2014
4. Design and Service Innovation, 28 JANUARY 2015
5. Value and Co-Creation, 11 FEBRUARY 2015
6. Systems thinking and systemic design, 29 APRIL 2015
7. Social and cultural systems: 13 MAY 2015
8. Design and design thinking: 20 OCTOBER 2015
9. The value of design: 25 NOVEMBER 2015
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014,2015,2016
 
Description Sounding Board Meetings 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Sounding board meetings have taken place respectively at the beginning, midpoint and the end of the project. The meetings comprised representatives from each of the academic partners and NESTA, Design Council, DBA, and Innovate UK. Chinese Partners were connected through Skype to the meetings taking place in the UK. As outcomes of these meetings, the suggestions and comments have been taken into account in shaping the project's direction.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014,2015
 
Description UK Final Event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The project delivered a final dissemination event comprising three distinct themes:

Theme 1: International Collaboration: This event facilitated discussion of design policy in an international context that brought together the perspectives of China, UK and Europe. In the UK, design is considered as one of the key pillars of the knowledge economy that help to set the UK apart from global competition.
Three keynotes were included in this track:Jing Zhong (Beijing Union University) 'Cultural Industry in Beijing', Tom Saunders (Nesta) 'Makerspaces in China', Sarah Teasley (RCA) 'Design policy across borders'. Bingfang Shen (GBCC) joined these speakers for the discussion: how can we best seize the opportunity of international collaboration? and what are the challenges?

Theme 2: UK Perspectives: This session sought to showcase the research that critically examines national and regional design policies in the UK. It looked into how policy-makers and the private sector have adapted and implemented other countries' design policies for their own national contexts; and how we might combine local knowledge with global best practice. The speakers included Benjamin Brown (Design Council) 'The value of design', Qian Sun (RCA) 'The landscape of design policy in the UK', and Anna Whicher (SEE) 'Research and practice in design and innovation policy in Europe'.

Theme 3: The Value of Design Design has played a vital role in the development of economies, societies and cultures worldwide. The keynote talks included Mikko Koria (Alto University and Loughborough University London) 'How to translate design policy into citizen value?', Leonardo Lee (LG) 'LG's Design Strategy in Globalisation', and Nicolás Rebolledo (RCA) 'Design in Public Sector Innovation: Case of Chile'.

The event engaged a wide range of participants:
• Academics and researchers who are interested in design and innovation policy
• Trade associations, policy bodies and those who are involved in policy development and delivery in the field of design and innovation
• Postgraduate students who study and research on the topics of design, design innovation, design management and design policy
• Design practitioners who are interested in international collaboration and are involved in or interested in government's initiatives in design and innovation
• Public and private sector organisations using design and innovation: The event disseminated key findings from the project by DPN team members (Qian Sun, Jing Zhong, and Nicolas Rebolledo). It also engaged a wide range of audiences, future collaboration opportunities were explored in the event.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description UK Workshops 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The project delivered three workshops in June 2015, hosted by the Royal College of Art. Three topics were discussed:
1. what challenges and opportunities exist for the UK design industry;
2. what the government should be doing to support the use of design; and
3. what value and practical challenges exist for international collaborations in design

A total of 23 people took part in the workshops, including design consultancies, policy makers in the field of design, academics and research students, and industry and business.

Apart from engagement purposes, the workshops also informed the project report which identified opportunities for policy intervention to promote design to both home and international markets.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Wechat discussion group 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A close discussion group has been established on Wechat (a social media platform in China) following the workshops in Shanghai in March 2015. This has enabled continuous engagement of participants from the workshops.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015,2016