Northern Ireland Assembly : Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS)

Description

Douglas M, Fleming K, Montgomery JAI
Drivers of Economic Growth
Hide and Seek: Where is design in the creative industries network of Northern Ireland and do we really understand its power in the growth of our economy? In: Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS) 2014-2015 PROGRAMME, Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, located on Stormont Estate. NI assembly (niassembly.gov.uk). 10 pp. [Conference contribution] developed into a paper for Design Research Conference July 2018
Ms Michelle Douglas, Prof Karen Fleming and Prof Ian Montgomery (Ulster) - Hide and Seek: Where is design in the creative industries network of Northern Ireland and do we really understand its power in the growth of our economy? - In almost all the official Northern Ireland documentation highlighting statistics and reviews for the creative industries, there is very little differentiation of the sector and little recognition of design as a distinct and essential factor in success. With debate focused on end-product, digital and manufacturing sectors, there is no policy or ministerial advisory committee that promotes the value of design in Northern Ireland. Nor is there physical space or a council to advise on design policy or academic research for the creative industries. Design spans several government department remits, but is most closely aligned with the creativity industries under the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure. This presentation examines understanding of design as a sector and why the visibility of it so vague in Northern Ireland. It is based on research of the eco-systems (networks, practices, operating environments, and sustainability) of small design driven practices (SME) based in Northern Ireland. The research investigated current Northern Ireland innovation and culture policy context, while exploring the contribution of micro creative businesses to the social, cultural and economic environment. It examined: how their ripples form?; what the support mechanisms are for their initiation, maintenance and growth?; and, what sort of early stage eco-system needs to be put in place within Northern Ireland society to nurture confident risk-takers entering in to the private sector? The presentation outlines key findings of the research, highlighting how the value of design relates to the regional advantage attached to creative industries growth in Northern Ireland, which should be considered when formulating policy in this area.
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Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS)
“Promoting evidence-led policy and law-making within Northern Ireland” – that is the underlying aim of the Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS). KESS is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, formally partnering a legislative arm of government – the Assembly - with academia. Aiming to encourage debate and improve understanding, KESS provides a forum to present and disseminate research findings in a straightforward format, across the Programme for Government; making those findings easily accessible to decision-makers such as MLAs and Assembly committees, as well as the wider public sector.

KESS is jointly delivered by the Research and Information Service of the Assembly (RaISe), in partnership with all three universities located in Northern Ireland (NI) – the Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB - co-founder in 2011), Ulster University (Ulster - in 2012) and The Open University (OU - in 2013).

The Series presents networking opportunities, attracting a broad spectrum of attendees. These include: MLAs and their staff; Assembly staff; public and private sector employees; academics; voluntary and community groups; and, members of the public.

Seminars are free and are held on Wednesdays from 05 November 2014 through 24 June 2015. Each seminar starts at 1.30pm in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, located on Stormont Estate. Most seminars cover a range of themes under one broad heading – see below for relevant dates and timings (also available to download as pdf).

Period	18 Feb 2015
Event type	Other