How Do We Approach and Involve Companies in Design Fields? Lessons Learned from Surveys and Participative Workshops

Abstract

In the last few years, both materials and technologies are becoming one of the leading elements of product design practice as a lever to foster innovation and add value to final products. Despite the relevance of materials and technologies for advances in many fields, and particularly its importance to the success of the creative industries, there is a gap between the innovative design of products that meet the needs of the market and the research and development of new materials and technologies to be used in these products. The lack of collaboration between researchers and creative industries is at the heart of this issue (Innovamatnet, February 2013). Building on this ground the chapter shows the results of a survey submitted to more than one hundred companies in five different countries (Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark). It was generated with the aim of collecting information regarding their specific interests and needs related to the four exemplified EM&T (ICS Materials, Nanomaterials, Advanced Growing Materials, Experimental Wood-based Materials) and the internal methods to manage knowledge related to them and the way they use to collaborate with academia and the channels they would prefer to use. The chapter also depicts the findings derived from a qualitative analysis done with academia and performed to identify their preferred channels to transfer knowledge. It finally describes the Company Manifesto, considered an engaging way to enhance and support the collaboration between Academia and the industrial sector.