{"id":7960,"date":"2021-06-12T07:30:47","date_gmt":"2021-06-12T07:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=7960"},"modified":"2025-05-08T09:44:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T09:44:49","slug":"how-to-succeed-in-design-intelligence-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/how-to-succeed-in-design-intelligence-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"How to succeed in the Design Intelligence Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Mathers, Graham Hitchen and Mat Hunter share their thoughts on what makes UK design and innovation great and how design is being leveraged to create products that solve real-world problems<\/h2>\n

The Design Intelligence Awards represent an opportunity for UK entrepreneurs<\/a> to access global decision-makers, investors and commissioners, build their reputation internationally and grab a share of a \u00a3750,000 award fund. The companies that enter are reviewed and advised by a panel made up of some of the leading minds in the UK\u2019s design-led and creative industries.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s UK partners and judges come from a broad range of industries and backgrounds, with partners including Innovate UK, China Britain Business Council, Barclays Eagle Labs, Imperial College London and Plus X Accelerators, as well as previous award-winners<\/span>.<\/p>\n

FOCUS spoke to three of the 2021 DIA judges about the strengths of UK innovators and how UK businesses can succeed in the DIA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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John Mathers, Chair of British Design Fund, Co-founder Design Age Accelerator,\u00a0Chair DIA UK Judges Group<\/span><\/h4>\n

John has been working in the brand and design industry for 40 years. He was CEO of the UK Design Council for five years from 2011-16, and in 2017, he co-founded The British Design Fund, a venture capital fund supporting well-designed British start-ups. He also co-founded the Innovate UK funded Design Age Accelerator and Healthy Ageing by Design.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the four years that John has been involved in the DIA, he has seen the competition go from strength to strength, reaching over 7,000 applications last year. UK entries rose from just four in 2019 to around 100 in 2020. \u201cThe key thing I\u2019ve seen is a drive towards purpose-driven design,\u201d John says. \u201c[Companies that do well] are enterprises and innovators who are doing things because they believe there is a need\u2026 there\u2019s a problem to be solved or there\u2019s a human issue that needs to be addressed, and they\u2019ve got an idea that can actually do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n