Fast Forward -- but how can we tell?

Although it does not specifically target the design community, this media release from the UK's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills clearly has designs in mind. It announces the Fast Forward Competition, which encourages Higher Education Institutions and Public Sector Research Establishments to work together with businesses and local communities to share research, innovation and intellectual property. As the media release explains:

"The aim is to invest in research and knowledge transfer projects that have the potential to create new companies or services which benefit both the UK economy and society. A total prize fund of £760,000 has been allocated. Applicants can bid for funding ranging from £10,000 to £100,000 for proposals that will improve the way in which their intellectual property and knowledge exchange is managed ...".

So how does this concern designs? The media release continues:

“... One of the previous winners, The University of Nottingham, is working with the Design Council to develop a national programme helping universities use design to commercialise technology and other intellectual property. They jointly won the top Fast Forward grant of £100,000. Dr George Rice, Manager of the University’s Technology Demonstrator said: 

"Sharing what we continue to discover about the use of design in technology transfer will benefit commercialisation of high quality research outputs not only at universities like Nottingham, but also other universities and colleges throughout the UK. A continually refreshed cohort of design-savvy technology transfer practitioners might then begin to uncover new and exciting opportunities that they had not previously considered." 

The London College of Fashion also benefited from the competition and were awarded £80,000. The fashion industry is essential to the UK economy, generating £6.6 billion of GVA to the UK in 2009/10. Their ‘Protecting the Fashion Economy’ project will help to build a knowledge bank and tools for students to ensure that their IP is protected and prevent any potential economic loses. Wendy Malem, Dean of Enterprise and International Development at the college said:

“The IPO award has enabled the London College of Fashion to undertake action research to uncover improvements and recommendations that will benefit the fashion economy, enhance student entrepreneurial skills and further develop the interface between the college and industry."

The closing date for competition proposals to be received is 30 December 2011 and the details can be found on the Fast Forward web page here.

This blogger is intrigued at the statement above that "a continually refreshed cohort of design-savvy technology transfer practitioners might then begin to uncover new and exciting opportunities that they had not previously considered". He's not sure that he's ever even met a design-savvy technology transfer practitioner, and outside of the occasional Licensing Executives Society meeting he hasn't come across that many serious technology transfer practitioners even of the non-design-savvy kind. He would love to know how the winning entries described above are actually evaluated and how their impact is measured. Can anyone advise him?