New UK-Ireland network to strengthen the role of design in economic growth

How can design help shape policy, strengthen innovation and support economic growth?

These questions sit at the heart of Design Bridges, a new UK-Ireland research network co-led by Professor Anna Whicher of PDR and Professor Alex Milton of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD). Bringing together researchers, policymakers, design organisations and industry representatives, the network aims to strengthen the evidence, skills and policy capability needed to drive design-led growth across the creative economy.

Supported by Research Ireland and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Design Bridges is one of just six UK-Ireland research networks established to foster collaboration between academia, industry and policymakers. Anna is joined on the project by fellow PDR colleague Professor Andrew Walters, alongside collaborators from the Glasgow School of Art and Belfast School of Art at the University of Ulster.

The network also includes non-academic partners such as Creative Wales (Welsh Government), V&A Dundee, Government School of Design, the Public Sector Design Team in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (Government of Ireland) and the Institute of Designers in Ireland.

Professor Anna Whicher, PDR, said:
“Design Bridges gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring together expertise from across the UK and Ireland, learn from the different approaches being taken in each nation, and build a much stronger bridge between design research, policy and practice. Our ambition is to establish the relationships, evidence and shared research agenda needed for much longer-term UK–Ireland collaboration.”

Through a programme of design sprints, policy exchanges and collaborative research, the network will connect people and knowledge across the UK and Ireland. It will explore how design's contribution can be better evidenced, how policymakers can learn from approaches in different jurisdictions, and what skills and capabilities will be needed in the future.

The project will develop practical outputs including a UK-Ireland Design Evidence Platform, Design Economy Policy Learning Toolkit, Design Impact Baseline and Future Design Skills Pipeline Map, creating foundations for longer-term collaboration between design research, policy and practice.

Design Bridges builds on PDR's long-standing work demonstrating how design can help governments, businesses and communities tackle complex challenges and create economic and societal value.