A half-day event to explore how you can build your innovation capabilities, using design as an integral part of that development.

In today’s dynamic market it is better to disrupt your own business and capture new value than have your competitors force disruption upon you.

The most innovative companies in the world use design, integrated across their business, to help them explore and envision better products, services, processes and business models.
Northumbria University and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), are hosting a half-day event to explore how you can build your innovation capabilities, using design as an integral part of that development.

Design in innovation can help your business to discover new solutions that offer outstanding customer experiences and generate significant added value. Good design process can help you to focus on the right problems, de-risk innovation, promote a compelling offer, and speed up your route to market. It has greatest impact when embedded from the very beginning and throughout the innovation journey. Taking the first steps in customer-centric innovation may feel like uncharted territory.

This event will help you:
– hear from companies who have created new value using early-stage design
– identify business opportunities for user-centred design interventions
– learn about potential partners to help support this type of development

Agenda:
8.30 – Arrival, Breakfast Sandwich and Registration
9.00 – Welcome and Introductions – InnovateUK/KTN
9.05 – Introduction to Design in Innovation – InnovateUK/KTN Design in Innovation Strategy – recognising the need to support the adoption and application of early stage design                          interventions in the innovation process
9.15 – Unlocking Value through Design – how companies are using early stage design intervention to increase value for their markets and themselves– Dr. Nick Spencer and an Industry                 Panel Overview of Design Thinking and how this approach can enhance and complement existing R&D approaches Interview style Industry presentations; Starting Position,                           Insights Gained, Value Created, with 3 Industry panel members describing their experience of early stage design engagement.
10.15 – Break and Networking – Opportunity to review the ‘Brokering Wall’ for companies looking for collaborations/partners
10.40 – The Design Foundation Competition, Round 2 Briefing – InnovateUK/KTN Aims, Application Process & Eligibility
11.00 – Two Parallel Sessions will be running (delegates can attend the session of their choice)
               
               1. What Designers do, and how they do it – the role of the designer and their early stage intervention in the innovation process. Dr Nick Spencer and a panel of Design and                                Innovation Consultants. This session will give you the opportunity to hear about the hands-on approaches that designers use to create customer/market insights, and how they                      translate these into high value product and service proposals. The interview style session will enable you to talk directly with a selection of design providers to better understand                    how your innovation activity would benefit from early stage design intervention.
               
               2. Parallel Breakout Surgery – Short, surgery style, 1:1’s with InnovateUK/KTN to discuss scope, fit and eligibility of early ideas for the Design Foundation Competition –                                  InnovateUK/KTN Team

12.00 – Lunch and Networking Further opportunity to review the ‘Brokering Wall’ for companies looking for collaborations/partners
13.00 – Close