DESIGN INNOVATION FOR NEW GROWTH (DING): design as a strategy for growth and innovation in the creative economy of the Highlands and Islands.

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Scotland has faced longstanding economic issues with low levels of entrepreneurialism, start-ups and innovation and, due to the complex challenges faced by different regions, sectors and types of organisation, a tailored approach to policy support has been recommended. The Highlands and Islands (H&I) region faces particular innovation challenges, including the dispersed working communities and technological infrastructure of the region, which can limit opportunities in the creative economy. The crucial role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in supporting regional economic development has been emphasised, but as the recent Dowling Report (BIS, 2015) acknowledged whilst business and university collaborations are critically important in supporting innovation, collaborations are complex to initiate and sustain. This is particularly acute for the creative economy where it is common for workers to be self-employed and there is a preponderance of project-based temporary employment and 'bulimic' patterns of work.The applicants prior project Design in Action (DiA) brought together academics, entrepreneurs and designers in residential innovation events called 'Chiasma' guided by strategic design principles and enabled them to support the development of innovative products, processes and services in SMEs and micro-businesses in Scotland (http://www.designinaction.com). Chiasma provided enriching opportunities for multidisciplinary audiences to work collaboratively, co-produce knowledge and learn collectively. The DiA project highlighted the importance of developing safe spaces for knowledge exchange and promoted successful tacit knowledge exchange of skills and experience, which encouraged a sense of shared understanding and values, of reciprocity and of trust. A key finding from DiA was that the team encountered challenges in bringing together designers, academics and entrepreneurs who were often meeting for the first time, and pushing them into forming a new, risky start-up together. To ameliorate this challenge, we will engage existing networks and communities to provide a more stable starting point for any collaborations and business propositions.Working with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Design Innovation for New Growth intends to propagate design as a strategy for business growth and innovation with new audiences in the Highlands and Islands (H&I) region. The DING team, in consultation with HIE, have identified a clear opportunity for the delivery of knowledge generated in DiA within their established XpoNorth creative industries networks (http://www.hie.co.uk/growth-sectors/creative-industries/xponorth.html).