Aston University
Felipe Gárate, Professor Aleks Subic, Professor Stephen Garrett.
Aston University has established the Design Factory Birmingham after the city joined a global network of design and engineering facilities.
The Design Factory Global Network consists of 39 hubs around the world that have been set up to solve real world challenges in local regions.
Design Factory Birmingham will be based at Aston University, housing 3D printing and digital software technology to enable collaboration between businesses, industry partners, entrepreneurs, staff and students. The university’s expertise in additive manufacturing, as well as artificial intelligence, data science, and web, app and graphic design, will boost the local economy, according to Professor Aleks Subic, the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University.
Professor Subic said: “The Design Factory Birmingham is another key milestone in our ambition to be a leader in science, technology, and innovation, driving socio-economic transformation in our city and region. It is important to the Midlands because it will make a direct contribution to innovation led growth in partnership with industry and businesses. However, this is not only a local launch but also a global launch as Design Factory Birmingham is a global innovation hub, and an integral part of the Design Factory Global Network involving 39 innovation hubs around the world.”
“I am delighted to welcome Aston University as our latest member,” added Felipe Gárate, the Head of the Design Factory Global Network. “We are on a mission to create change in the world of learning and research through passion-based culture and effective problem-solving. Shared understanding and common ways of working enable Design Factories in the network to collaborate efficiently across cultures, time zones and organisational boundaries fostering radical innovations.”
As a member of the global network the Birmingham Design Factory at Aston University will participate in two global design challenges - one run by McDonalds and the other run by the Ford Motor Company. Aston University’s Design Factory is the third such facility in the UK, with similar hubs based in London and Manchester.
