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NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY ASKS THE WORLD TO THINK DIFFERENTLY

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NORTHUMBRIA University, Newcastle is playing a central role in a four-week long international, virtual festival curated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which  runs through to 14th November 2014.

The Disruptive Innovation Festival (DIF) is a unique open access online festival that offers audiences from all over the world the chance to hear from influential thinkers, take part in design challenges, learn about business innovation and engage with like-minded people.

Northumbria University has been selected as one of only sixteen leading educational establishments taking part in the event, which also includes prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, UCL and the University of Edinburgh.

Throughout the four-week long event, Northumbria University will produce a wide variety of online content – including videos, webinars, and live streaming - which will be available to view via the DIF website. The purpose of which is to encourage virtual festival-goers to think about things differently and disrupt their established thought processes, whilst embracing new business and economic theories.

Mark Bailey, Northumbria University’s Director of Innovation Design programmes who has played an integral part in organising the University’s involvement with DIF, said: “The topics that Northumbria University will be exploring as part of DIF are broad: ranging from how designers can influence economic thinking; through to how 3D laser scanning can be used to challenge traditional approaches to building conservation.

“The scale of DIF and the aims of the festival, in terms of bringing together such a diverse range of thinkers, are unpredecented. It is an incredibly exciting thing for the University to be part of and we hope that it will further cement Northumbria’s reputation as a progressive and forward-thinking institution.”

Jules Hayward, Education Programme Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “The Disruptive Innovation Festival is about inspiring a generation to rethink how the global economy functions and discover the emerging opportunities within it. We are pleased to welcome Northumbria University as a Big Top Tent and welcome their involvement in offering education opportunities that are fit for a changing future.’

One of the topics central to DIF will be innovation through design. Northumbria University, in conjunction with Design Network North, will be hosting Design Means Business; a national conference designed to communicate and advance the value and benefits of design to business and the wider community.

The Design Means Business conference, which will be held at the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead on 13th November, will be streamed via a live video link on the DIF website.

The conference will bring together senior designers from major industrial companies, top design agencies and leading practitioners to share their experiences of design and how it has impacted their bottom line. Speakers will include Northumbria University alumnus Mark Delaney, who is now Head of Design Strategy & Foresight for Microsoft Phones; Richard Stevens, Creative Director of British Airways; and Paul Howells, Vice President of Packaging at Unilever.

ENDS

  • About the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was formed in 2010 to inspire a generation to rethink, redesign and build a positive future. The Foundation believes that the circular economy provides a coherent framework for systems level redesign and as such offers us an opportunity to harness innovation and creativity to enable a positive, regenerative economy. For more information, please visit http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

  • About the Disruptive Innovation Festival

The Disruptive Innovation Festival, launched in 2014 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is a four week online festival bringing together thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, businesses, makers, learners and doers to catalyse system-level change for a future economy. Offering a mix of online and global real world events, the festival will explore ideas such as business innovation, circular economy, remaking the city, sharing economy, systems thinking and 21stcentury science. Find out more at www.thinkdif.co. 

  • Northumbria University, Newcastle is a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence.

  • Northumbria is one of the largest universities in the UK with more than 35,000 students from 136 countries.

  • Northumbria is top 10 in the UK for the number of graduates entering professional employment.

  • 92% of students are in work or further study six months after graduation.

  • The University works with 560 employers and 60 professional bodies.

  • Northumbria University Library has been rated joint third best in the UK behind Oxford and Cambridge, boasting half a million books, 30,000 journals and 300 databases.

For more information, please contact Emma Caldwell at O PR emma.caldwell@opr.co.uk / 01912325690

Tags:

innovation design business North East Newcastle economics design strategy Ellen MacArthur Foundation Innovation Design Business Innovation Disruptive Innovation Festival top design

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