Designer in Residence scheme (DiR)
Following on from our successful Knowledge Transfer Account (KTA), the EPSRC has awarded the University a £2.4m Impact Acceleration Account (IAA). The IAA will fund activities that support the movement of people, the pull of technology and changes in the culture surrounding Knowledge Exchange; the emphasis is on delivering impact in ways that work. It will provide funding that can be deployed rapidly to seize opportunities as they arise, and support the delivery of the University’s Impact, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (IIKE) strategy.
As one of Britain’s leading product designers, Sebastian Conran has spent the last two years as the University’s Designer in Residence. Working alongside our academics, he has helped turn their ideas and research into real world solutions and applications. As part of our IAA activities we will be running another DiR scheme. This two-way mutual relationship gives academics and researchers a new way of seeing things and approaching problems. Sebastian will continue to work alongside EPSRC researchers to promote and embed best-practice in design and production of high quality prototypes, enabling investors and industrial partners to conceptualise a market ready product and give an insight into potential manufacturing processes.
For an informal discussion about the scheme please contact your Gateway Business Development Manager (BDM) or speak directly with the Research Partnerships & Engagement (RPE) team (Lucy Martinez – T: 24017 E: l.martinez@sheffield.ac.uk or Laura Clark – T: 21332 E: l.clark@sheffield.ac.uk).
To submit a formal expression of interest please click here.
Examples of the varied ways our academics have collaborated with Sebastian Conran Associates include:
"The involvement of my close colleagues and myself with Sebastian Conran Associates (SCA) has evolved from an initial scoping meeting to an initial project and then to a fruitful on-going relationship. Through the DiR scheme we really established common ground and opportunities for mutual benefit/interest. Our initial discussions raised a number of possible projects but we finally decided to work together on “The Studio Sound Chair” bringing together Sebastian’s expertise in product design and my own in Additive Manufacturing (aka 3D Printing) technology. Our next project involved Sebastian supporting our branding activities for our new Centre for Advanced Additive Manufacturing (AdAM) including the design of our logo; that has been very successful. Since then, Sebastian Conran Associates has become a core member of a large industry consortium that we have assembled, applying for substantial project funds from public sources. I have no doubt that this relationship has been, and will continue to be, very successful and that this success has been driven by considerable joint effort and energy from both Sebastian and his team at SCA and from me and my colleagues here at the University."
Professor Neil Hopkinson (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
"Sebastian Conran and I have collaborated on several projects related to the development of future robotic systems. After meeting through the DiR scheme, we worked together within the "Robot Companions for Citizens" FET-Flagship pilot for which we developed several robot use-cases and created robot designs that were included in the final flagship proposal. We have also collaborated on two robotics research proposals, one on domestic robots for future smart homes and another for a Technology Strategy Board competition. More generally, we are developing a long-term collaboration between Sebastian Conran Associates and Sheffield Centre for Robotics to develop next generation assistive robots."
Professor Tony Prescott (Department of Psychology)
"Sebastian presents an invited lecture as part of COM2002 ‘Human Centred Systems Design’. This course aims to provide our 2nd-year software engineering students with the psychological foundations of human-centred design, including abstraction, ergonomics and developer-customer communication; to develop group-working skills in applying software analysis and design methods to create software systems for target customer groups; to develop technical software development skills, including heterogeneous systems with graphical or web-based interfaces and databases; and to develop analytical skills for measuring the usability and ergonomics of software systems. Sebastian’s lecture – “Enhancing Experience of Life” – provides our students with valuable insights into the reality of current human-centred product design (including the success of technological design innovators such as Apple) and enthuses them with the potential they have in impacting software-based products and markets in their future careers."
Professor Roger Moore (Department of Computer Science)