Queensland Design Policy Summit

Thursday, 9 June 2016, 9am – 5pm
Room360, Y Block, QUT Gardens Point Campus

The QUT School of Design will host the inaugural Queensland Design Policy Summit on Thursday, 9 June 2016, in conjunction with the international ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS’16) conference in Brisbane.

The summit will bring together thought leaders and policy makers across design, business, science, education, and citymaking in a dialogue to canvass the merits of resurrecting a revised, fresh, and bold Queensland Design Policy.

Design is not just a noun: the object or artefact. Design these days has to be recognised as a verb: an approach, a designerly way of thinking that has to become a key driver of Australia’s National Innovation agenda and Queensland’s Advance Queensland initiative. The Queensland Design Policy Summit comprises four panel discussions focussing on Business, Science, Education, and Cities. With a view to inform policy, invited panellists will discuss the role of design in the context of digital disruption, STEM research, creative industries, education, startups and entrepreneurship, smart cities, and innovation.

Registration: $220, includes morning and afternoon tea breaks and lunch

Views over Brisbane from Room360

09.00 – 09.30 Opening Remarks

Possible questions:

• Design these days has to be recognised as a verb – what does that mean?
• What did the Queensland Design Strategy 2020 set out to achieve at the time?
• What role should design play in Advance Queensland and for innovation more broadly?

09.30 – 10.30 I. Design & Business

Themes: digital economy, disruption, design-led innovation, social enterprises, indigenous enterprises

Possible questions:

• Is design the enabler of the new economy?
• What are the merits of radical vs incremental design in corporate and government strategy?
• Can design-led businesses be both commercially successful and contributing to public good?

10.30 – 11.00 Morning Tea

11.00 – 12.00 II. Design & Science

Themes: STEM, STEAM, STEAMED – the role of design in science, research and development, and innovation

Possible questions:

• What do design and science have in common?
• What is the role of design in the STEM agenda? Is design the silent partner?
• What examples are there for design-led inquiries advancing science to new discoveries?

12.00 – 13.00 Lunch

13.00 – 14.00 III. Design & Education

Themes: role of secondary and tertiary institutions in design education, connected learning, cross-generational education and innovation

Possible questions:

• What is the unique value of a design education?
• How do we prepare graduates for careers that will extend beyond 2050?
• How, where, and when should design be taught in schools and universities?
• What are the challenges facing design education?

14.00 – 14.30 Afternoon Tea

14.30 – 15.30 IV. Design & Cities

Themes: innovation hubs, startup spaces, coworking spaces, maker spaces, design precincts, skunkworks, regional innovation across Queensland, placemaking

Possible questions:

• Where does and where should design take place these days?
• What does a best practice design precinct look like?
• What is the role of design in the narrative about Brisbane as a smart, connected, new world capital?

15.30 – 16.00 Closing Remarks