Jim Dawton has recently been appointed as the Lead Specialist in Design at the Technology Strategy Board. Established by the UK Government in 2007, the agency is dedicated to driving innovation within the UK.
The Technology Strategy Board, established by the UK Government in 2007, is dedicated to driving innovation. Their role is to stimulate technology-enabled innovation in the areas that offer the greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity.
“We advise the Government on how to remove barriers to innovation and accelerate the exploitation of new technologies. And we work in areas where there is a clear potential business benefit, helping today’s emerging technologies become the growth sectors of tomorrow.”
As the Lead Specialist in Design, Jim will be responsible for setting up a pilot programme, Design Option, which is aimed at encouraging research organisations and collaborative groups who apply for funding to embed design early on in their processes. While many companies recognise the value of good design, it is often introduced at a late stage in the development cycle.
Design Option will look at the potential to help businesses involved in Technology Strategy Board programmes use design earlier and more effectively. Design mentors will be introduced to projects at a very early stage, for approximately 2 to 3 days, and demonstrate to the companies how thinking about design at such early stages can result in outstanding products and services.
If you are interested in learning more about the Technology Strategy Board’s work on design, come to Innovate’12 where Jim will be leading a workshop on the subject.
If the programme is successful, it will be rolled out more broadly across Technology Board programmes.