The Digital Economy Innovation Centre

本文件介绍了兰开斯特大学的DTC案例，目标是数字经济优先领域。最近的政府思维（如塞恩斯伯里，考克斯和德纳姆评论所见证的）强调了创新的关键作用及其对英国经济（包括数字经济）未来健康的重要性。我们通过提出一个世界级的，跨学科的和以用户为中心的DTC来应对这一挑战，将创新置于其课程和精神的核心。我们建议超越传统的多学科方法，寻求三个关键学科，即计算机科学，管理和设计之间的创造性融合。重点是培养一批新的创新人才，他们理解并能够推进技术，设计和商业创新（探索可能的，可取的和可行的）。我们还建议使中心与工业生产者和数字创新消费者的需求和目标（以用户为中心）紧密结合，以确保博士课程的相关性，并鼓励技术转让/早期采用新兴思想和知识交流。DTC将建立在InfoLab 21倡议的优势之上，该倡议是技术转让战略的公认领导者，旨在寻求从实验室到组织最终用户和生产者的更有价值和可行的技术，社会和经济途径。该投标还建立在现有的支持，包括玛丽居里培训网络在创意设计/创新。该中心的长期愿景是通过大学与组织和客户终端用户之间的合作伙伴关系实现可持续发展。投标的主要特点包括：-专注于创新的深思熟虑和独特的跨领域战略作为计划的核心，并将每个博士扎根于主题集群，以实现所需的用户焦点;- 将兰开斯特的三个英才中心，即管理学院，InfoLab 21和ImaginationLancaster，专注于由此产生的创造性融合;-由0.5 FTE总监提供强大而专注的领导力（戈登·布莱尔教授）具有丰富的领导经验和研究生培训;- 位于一个新的定制空间，具有增值功能，如Imagination Studio，总成本为1000万美元，建立在3个卓越中心3850万美元的其他投资基础上;- 与数字创新的生产者和用户接触的方案，从而通过赞助、工业实习和国际安置加强学生的经验;-重点关注中小企业的参与及其业务发展，相关结构和机制本身成为创新的重点;- 纳入了为期12个月的研究硕士课程，其中包括关于创新的核心模块，三个中心的可定制元素，以及一些支持跨学科专题组的改进以及研究硕士和博士项目定义的想法工厂;- 在1+3方案内，针对工业需求和能力，以需求为导向的可转移技能方案，并增加了由鼓舞人心的演讲者（包括Chris Bonnington爵士）主讲的大师班;- 强有力的计划和质量保证管理，包括强调招聘。这是一个独特的，大胆的，富有想象力和潜在的高影响力的建议，可以通过其对数字创新的关注，为新兴的数字经济议程做出重大贡献，甚至塑造它。还计划对创新国家，特别是激励经济和社会创新思维的机制和政策作出更多的重大贡献。

This document presents the case for a DTC at Lancaster University, targeting the Digital Economy priority area. Recent government thinking (as witnessed by the Sainsbury, Cox and Denham reviews) highlights the crucial role of innovation and its importance for the future health of the UK economy (including the Digital Economy). We rise to this challenge by proposing a world class, cross-disciplinary and user-centric DTC which places innovation at the heart of its curriculum and ethos. We propose to go beyond traditional multi-disciplinary approaches by seeking a creative fusion between three key disciplines, namely computer science, management and design. The emphasis is on producing a new breed of innovative people who understand and are able to advance the state of the art in technical, design and business innovation (exploring the possible, desirable and feasible). We further propose to align the Centre closely with the needs and goals of industrial producers and consumers of digital innovation (user focus) to ensure the relevance of the PhD programme and to encourage technology transfer/ early adoption of the emerging ideas and knowledge exchange. The DTC will build on the strengths of the InfoLab21 initiative, a recognised leader in technology transfer strategies, in order to seek more valuable and viable technical, social and economic pathways from the laboratory to organisational end-users and producers. The bid also builds on existing support including a Marie Curie Training Network in Creative Design/ Innovation. The long term vision of the centre is to achieve sustainability through partnerships between the university and organisational and customer end users.Key features of the bid include:- A deliberate and distinctive cross-cutting strategy of focusing on innovation as the core of the programme and rooting each PhD within thematic clusters to achieve the desired user focus;- The bringing together of three centres of excellence at Lancaster, namely the Management School, InfoLab21 and ImaginationLancaster with a focus on the resultant creative fusion;- Strong and dedicated leadership offered by 0.5 FTE Director (Prof. Gordon Blair) with significant experience of leadership and postgraduate training;- Location in a new customised space, with value added features such as the Imagination Studio, at a total cost of 10m, building on other investments in the 3 centres of excellence of 38.5m;- Programmes to engage with producers and users of digital innovations, thereby enhancing the student experience through sponsorship, industrial internships and international placements;- Significant focus on SME engagement and their business development, with associated structures and mechanisms becoming a focus for innovation in their own right;- The incorporation of a 12 month Masters of Research (MRes) featuring core modules on innovation, tailorable elements from the three centres, and also a number of ideas factories supporting a refinement from the cross-disciplinary thematic clusters and the definition of MRes and PhD projects; - A requirements-driven transferable skills programme within the 1+3 programme, targeted at industrial needs and capabilities, with the added feature of master classes from inspirational speakers including Sir Chris Bonnington;- Strong programme and quality assurance management, including an emphasis on recruitment.This is a distinctive, bold, imaginative and potentially high impact proposal which can contribute significantly to, and indeed shape, the emerging Digital Economy agenda through its focus on digital innovation. Significant additional contributions are also planned with respect to the Innovation Nation and in particular mechanisms and policies to stimulate innovative thinking in the economy and in society.