Background

1.The total number of vehicles globally has exceeded 1 billion at present. The number of vehicles in China is 78 million, ranking the second place in the world. Bringing convenience for people, car also causes serious environmental pollution like noise, tail gas and etc.

2.Last year, China’s State Council passed the Development Plan of National Strategic Emerging Industries during the “12th Five-Year Plan” (“the Plan” for short thereinafter). The Plan presents the seven strategic emerging industries including the energy conservation and environmental protection industry, the new material industry and the new energy automobile industry and etc. It emphasizes strengthening international co-operations in these fields.

3.British Council works as Cultural and Education Section of British Embassy or Consulates in China. Internationalizing Higher Education is the council’s flagship programme in HE, which aims to provide a platform and framework for the creation of sustainable, multilateral partnerships that link the Higher Education sector, government and business communities to drive forward global, regional and national knowledge economies.  

4.Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production. According to Design Council, product and industrial design businesses account for over 10% of the UK’s design businesses. In recent years, the concept of sustainable design has become increasingly prominent in industrial and product design education in the UK.

5.The U.K. takes the lead globally in the field of industrial design. Some British colleges and universities have shown great interest in carrying out cooperative projects with Chinese colleges and universities.

Project Idea

1.This project will bring together a group of UK and Chinese university students of industrial design to attend a two-week programme in Chongqing China in March 2013. This competition is building on the one previously organized by Chongqing Industrial Service Centre and Chongqing Industrial Design Association and this year British Council is working with them to bring a segmented competition targeting universities based in  the UK and China.

2.The programme plans to recruit 6 universities from each country, with 3 students plus one leading teacher from each university (The host university, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, will select 6 students). The total of 39 students will then be mixed up and divided into groups of 3 to work in Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and Chang'an Automobile (Group) Co Ltd. The latter will present the design requirements based on its demand. During the two-week’s time, students will be able to work in teams and individually to initiate and work out design sketches and turn them into 3-D computerized modules, while they will also be given professional coaching from experts, teachers and relevant businesses. At the end of the programme, the final works made by each individual student and by each team will be exhibited in Sichuan Fine Arts Institute for a showcase and a competition event. Designers, media and interested enterprises will be invited to the event so that items with market value could have a potential of being massively produced in future.

3.All winners will be given certain amount of cash awards. In addition, the winning Chinese teams/students will have the chance to visit UK participating universities in May 2013 so that relationship could be strengthened and further cooperation could be built up.

4.All exhibits will be also showcased in one of the UK participating universities in September 2013.

Contributing Organizations

On the UK side, the project will be led by:

• British Council China which operates as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates in China
• UK universities – to be invited by British Council China

(Please refer to How to Apply to find detailed information about application procedures)

On the Chinese side, the project is:

• Organized by: Chongqing Industrial Service Centre and Chongqing Industrial Design Association
• Supported by: Chongqing Municipal Education Commission; Chongqing Intellectual Property Office; Chongqing Municipal Creative Industry Office; Chongqing Jiangbei District Creative Industry Office
• Participated by: 6 Chongqing-based universities; Chang'an Automobile (Group) Co Ltd; Lifan Group; Qingling Motors Co., Ltd.; Chongqing Hengtong Bus Co.,Ltd.; Dongfeng Xiaokang Auto Co., Ltd.

To better promote this project and participating universities, a series of media activities will be arranged with the following media:

• TV media such as CQTV and etc.
• Chongqing Daily, Chongqing Evening News, Chongqing Morning Paper, Chongqing Business News, Chongqing Times
• www.cqnews.net

Objectives

Students: by working together with students from the other country in Chinese enterprises, students will develop their language skills, team work spirit and intercultural skills, and demonstrate their creativity and improve their employability.

Universities: we hope some institutional links will be set up as the result of the activities we organise. By working with industry, their curriculum may be improved to be more practical.

Enterprises: will find more new energy auto designs and also talents of industrial design through the project.

Activities

This programme includes the following two main activities–

Activity I. UK-China Students’ Programme in China

 Duration: two weeks from Sat 9 to Sun 24 March 2013

 Country/City: China, Chongqing

 Venue: Sichuan Fine Arts Institute

 Chinese participating universities: CQIDA members, which includes:

• Sichuan Fine Arts Institute,
• Chongqing University,
• Chongqing Technology and Business University,
• Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications,
• Chongqing Jiaotong Unviersity
• Chongqing University of Technology

 UK participating universities: to be invited by British Council and selected by a Chinese and British Council panel

 Number of students and teachers: 39 students (21 from China and 18 from UK, 6 universities each country), and 12 teachers (one from each university)

 Programme content:

I.39 students will be mixed up and divided into teams by mid Dec. right after the announcement of successful university applicants.

II.A one-day training/briefing event will be held on the first day of the programme which will include:

1. Introduction of the programme
2. Specific instructions as to what types of design are expected from this programme
3. 3.Introductions of each university from professional perspective;

III.Workshop

Please note that each individual participant and team should be able to have started design ideas as soon as they are informed of being successful at the application to this project, before they have the face-to-face get-together in Chongqing in March.

For more information about how and when to work on individual and team designs, please refer to Timetable below and Competition Instructions.

IV.2–4 professional coaching/training events will be held during the programme, i.e.

1. Industrial Design in the UK;
2. Design for market – successful case studies
3. Teachers’ workshop – for universities to know each other and to discuss possible collaboration

V.Final Day Event

1. All designs will be exhibited in the host university
   Please note that all designs produced during the workshop belong to organisers and organisers can use them for any non-commercial purpose afterwards, ie. Exhibition, promotional materials. However, the student/s who design and produce the work have the copy right as well. If any business is interested in any of the designs, the IP issues should be discussed between the business and the designer/s.
2. Each team presents to introduce their designs
3. Judging panel to select winners
4. Media and businesses are invited to the event (marketing plan to be prepared)

VI.Lecturing and media activities

Visiting teachers from UK universities will be invited to give lectures in some Chinese universities, and be interviewed by some media partners.

Please note that all media promotion activities arranged for the workshop is regarded as part of the overall programme and is without any commercial purpose. Universities who apply for this project are regarded as having agreed to take part in these activities.

 Awards

- Best Design (1 team) : cash award of RMB9,000

- Excellent Design (2 teams): cash award of RMB6000/each team

- Best Design (individuals, 6 students): cash award of RMB2,000/each

- Excellent Design (individuals, 10 students) : cash award of RMB800/each

Timetable

31 August 2012
- Call for expressions of interest from UK universities starts

30 November 2012
- Deadline for application from UK

3 – 14 December 2012
- Shortlisting, selecting and grouping process

18 December 2012
- Announcement of successful applications and teams are formed (BC will inform)

Early Jan. 2013
- Individual participants and teams start to initiate ideas for design (contact details will be provided by BC)
- UK participating universities start flight booking and visa application and inform BC
- Leading teachers prepare their lectures (upon further communication with BC staff)

9 March 2013
- arrival at hosting university in Chongqing and programme starts

10 – 23 March 2013
- workshop and all other wraparound activities

24 March 2013
- End

Activity II. Chinese students/teachers visit to UK

Proposed date: September 2013

Visitors: Winning students and their teachers

Purpose and activities:

I. Deepening discussions among universities for future collaboration

 II. Strengthening links among universities

 III: Chinese winning students and teachers learn the UK expertise in industrial design area

Funding arrangements

1. UK participants, including project leaders and students, will be responsible for their own international travel and visa application fees;
2. BC China will cover the accommodation and meals of UK participants in China;
3. Chongqing Industrial Design Association and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute will cover the venue fees for the workshop and exhibition as well as costs for lectures and final event;
4. Jiangbei District Creative Industry Office will provide cash award for the competition;
5. Chongqing Industrial Service Centre will cover the venue fees for meetings and exhibition.