Life in the Innovation Studio

This week has seen an exciting next step in the Studio’s future as we open applications for the new role of Innovation Studio Senior Officer (closing date 21st August). The role will expand the innovation team and work across the external engagement directorate, helping to develop AUB’s strategic activities across knowledge exchange and research.

So, what’s it like to work in an innovation team?

Working as part of the Studio offers lots of variation. From managing projects to developing our networks, rarely a week goes by when we’re doing the same thing! Activities involve designing and delivering programmes to support entrepreneurship, product innovation, upskilling, academic research and knowledge exchange project management. We do this in a number of ways:

1. Entrepreneurship

Our residency programme offers 6-9 months studio space and business support for up to 20 graduates or local entrepreneurs. The intensive ‘pre-incubation’ programme is designed to get that idea out of your head and into a meaningful, viable business concept.

Our SS’22 cohort include designers and makers who specialise in sectors as broad as marine tech, healthcare, fashion and virtual reality. We’ve already seen one of our graduates successfully secure a grant from the RCA Design Age Institute ‘Pathfinder Project’, whilst another has been appointed as a consultant at Gravity Sketch.

Applications are now open for our 2022/2023 cohort. Please email [email protected] to enquire.

Meet some of our resident entrepreneurs.

Image credit: resident business Element Creative www.elementcreative.co.uk

2. Prototyping

Our associate programme membership offers 6 months access to our ‘Lab 4 Creative Technologies’, ideal for developing 'proof of concept' and 'minimum viable prototype' innovations. In addition, membership provides your organisation's staff with access to a series of upskilling executive-level masterclasses, led by AUB tutors, these classes explore design thinking and creative technologies.

Examples of masterclasses for AW'22 include: 'Design in VR using Gravity Sketch', 'Twinmotion', 'The Happiness of Ideas', and 'Innovating using 3D Printing'.

Our partners include global companies such as Sunseeker and Lush, as well as small local businesses like Aetha Design and Shore Architecture.

Meet some of our associate members and explore the resources in our Lab 4 Creative Technologies.

3. Managing Innovation projects

Our role as an innovation team often involves securing research projects as well as facilitating knowledge exchange (KE) projects with industry, civic communities and policy networks. AUB has achieved excellent results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), with 42% of our research output being classed as 'internationally excellent' and 12% being 'world leading'. As a dynamic institute, we have also signed into the Knowledge Exchange Concordat (KEC) and operate a systems-based approach to innovation: from sharing our academic knowledge in our AUB Open lectures programme, to helping over 200 small local businesses develop new products, services and processes since 2018.

Of course, some projects have a very visible impact and we're proud to have supported the following over the past 12 months:?

3.1. The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage

In 2021, we hosted The Bridge Theatre company and master puppet maker, Barnaby Dixon, during the pre-production phase for Phillip Pullman’s ‘The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage’. AUB Modelmaking graduates (2021) were resident in the Innovation Studio working exclusively on the performance puppetry using our 3D printing lab. ?

Image credit: Manuel Harla

3.2. RNLI International

Since 2019, we have been working with the RNLI and Pamoja, a vocational institute in Zanzibar, Tanzania, on technical processes to produce low-volume drowning prevention equipment. This is a multi-year research and knowledge exchange project led by AUB's Associate Professor of textiles and participatory making, Dr Emma Shercliff, and Innovation Manager, Lucy Devall. ?

4. Innovation in Teaching and Learning

To support innovation in teaching and learning, we organise a series of ‘open challenges’ throughout the academic year. We design these to be multidisciplinary, offering students from across our subject disciplines a chance to work together in teams and respond to industry briefs. Examples of these include:

4.1. The Place Bureau and Protein Agency: Bournemouth 2072

In May 2022, we worked with the insight and cultural strategy teams from The Place Bureau and Protein Agency to reimagine Bournemouth in 2072. The project used the method of speculative design by employing tools from the multi-faceted approach of placemaking to planning, design and management of public spaces.

4.2. Lush: The Future of Packaging

We have worked with the Lush R&D packaging team since 2020 on the brief of accessibility to packaging. To-date, over 200 students from across AUB have worked on concepts that have succeeded in securing a number of unique internships with the global company. ?

5. Meet the Team!

We hope you've enjoyed reading this snapshot into life in the Innovation Studio. If you're interested in joining the team, take a look at our current vacancies! Or, if you'd like to pay us a visit and see our technologies in action, please drop us an email at: [email protected] to arrange a visit.

Meet the team from the Innovation Studio.

Dr Christian McLening, Director of Research and Development

Lucy Devall, Innovation Manager

Peter Phillips, Designer in Residence

David Speare, Senior Technician (Digital Fabrication lab)

Jordan Cutler, Technician (3D printing lab, VR suite)

Daniel Cox, Head of Open Campus

Dr Asha Ward, Post-Doctorate Researcher in Creative Technologies

Dr Jon Burgess, Post-Doctorate Research in Materials Processes

Dr Nicholas Walliman, Research Fellow

Eloise Rose, Innovation Studio coordinator