Educating to Innovate: Fostering Innovation Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between Design and Engineering Students

Abstract

Until recently, research and development (R&D) of new technologies and products was broadly based on a division between engineering and design. Engineers were involved in different stages of the R&D processes that were either technical or functional in essence, while designers were mostly in charge of the visual, esthetic, and usability aspects of new products, prior to their production and introduction in the markets. The experiences and methodology described in this chapter has shed light on academia-industry collaboration. In this model, academia can be used as an innovation laboratory that facilitates broader and deeper research themes. This chapter assesses this form of collaboration by examining the education and innovation processes conducted in an interdisciplinary workshop that involved design and engineering students, practitioners, and researchers. The conclusions provide insights into methods of fostering the implementation of similar methodologies based on joint design-engineering work throughout the complete R&D process, as a vehicle for enhancing innovative output.