15 Jun Conducting Design Research Internationally

Conducting Design Research Internationally: A Dutch-German Approach

There is increased interest in how governments can stimulate economic growth and international trade through the creative industries, and specifically through national design capabilities. This is reflected in the number of national design policy and promotion programs in existence. And here, design research can play an important role. This article describes a design research collaboration between The Netherlands and Germany, the purpose of which was to identify business opportunities for Dutch design enterprises in the German market. The collaboration resulted in an SME toolkit for design entrepreneurship.

Research and the creative industries

Current global trends identify the creative industries as one of the fastest growing sectors in the world and one of the best ways to increase competitive advantage in commercial companies, as well as national economies.
Creative businesses are idea-based in terms of their product/service development and business practices. The also seek to develop new markets and serve markets already in existence. In terms of value to the economy, the creative industries represent an annual growth rate of between 5 and 20 percent in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) … more to know here: download article