News and Events

Festival of Design & Innovation

The annual Festival of Design & Innovation is back, bigger and better than ever.

The School of Design, Engineering and Computing will host its 16th annual Festival of Design & Innovation at the end of June.

The event will showcase the work of talented final year students on design courses, including Product Design, Fashion & Textiles, Interior Design and Computer Aided Product Design.

Throughout the Festival, over 170 designs with the potential to make a real impact on our everyday life will be displayed publicly for the first time.

Previous Festivals have helped design students to gain commercial funding. Franziska Conrad designed The Quick Pitch, a pop-up tent that is now being manufactured under license by Gelert – one of the UK’s favourite camping brands. The tent sold over 40,000 units in 2007 and BU now supports Franziska in developing an innovative range of tents in partnership with Gelert.

Product Design graduate Philip Robinson sold The BioLogicTM ZorinPump to Dahon Incorporated, the world’s largest manufacturer of folding bicycles. It is now available in over 30 countries, and has sold more than 100,000 units to date.

Philip said: “The Festival of Design & Innovation changed my life – quite literally. My prototype bike pump attracted huge interest and as a result I set up my own company to market the idea, which was a real buzz. I’ve now joined BU to help other students to realise the commercial value of their ideas.”

Philip has also recently put his experiences and top tips for success down on paper by co-authoring a new book, ‘Inventing For Dummies’, part of the world-famous ‘Dummies’ book-brand series.

This year’s event is sponsored by Tesco, Grid Law Solicitors, international manufacturing company DEK and Poole-based Iracroft.

President of The Institution of Engineering Designers, Professor Geoff Kirk, will be making the keynote speech on the preview evening on Thursday 26 June.

The Festival is free, and offers the opportunity for future design students and businesses to meet and chat with the designers face-to-face.

> Register now

Event details:

Where: Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB
When: Friday 27 and Saturday 28 June, 10am - 4pm, and Monday 30 June, 10am - 2pm.
Price: Free
Further information: More information is available on the Festival Website. For press enquiries please contact: 01202 961421 or email: press@bournemouth.ac.uk.