To Help Foster Innovation, Jefferson Hosts Design Factory Global Network

Hailing from 22 institutions from around the world, nearly 50 members of the Design Factory Global Network (DFGN) traveled to Jefferson for International Design Factory Week (IDFW). They met for five days of brainstorming, sharing best practices and problem solving aimed at fostering innovation.

“The week’s most important goal is to plan for concrete collaborative projects,” explains Viljami Lyytikäinen, DFGN representative. “The network is defined by the collaboration that takes place among the Design Factories.”

Design Factories are innovation hubs associated with prestigious global universities, such as Yonsei University in South Korea, Swinburne University in Australia and Warsaw University of Technology in Poland. A new location hosts IDFW each year, offering both DFGN attendees and the home Design Factory the chance to better learn from each other, Lyytikäinen says.

Jefferson opened its Nexus Design Factory in 2015 and became the first institution in North America admitted to the network. This year’s event on both the Center City and East Falls campuses marks the first time IDFW has taken place on this continent.

“Being a part of the DFGN gives us insider access to universities that share our focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and ones with expertise that complement ours,” says Tod Corlett, Jefferson’s industrial design program director and member of the Nexus Design Factory team. “Hosting IDFW is an honor and a fantastic opportunity to introduce our global partners to all that the new Jefferson has to offer.”

From October 7-11, network participants attended seminars and worked on projects that explored topics like campus sustainability, the Internet of Things and how to do PhD work across Design Factories.

“In the pursuit of making a difference in the world, the complex challenges we face can no longer be addressed in a siloed manner,” stresses Anita Kocsis, director of Design Factory Melbourne in Australia. “IDFW celebrates the heavy lifting of working together, when we look to expertise beyond our own patch and toward other Design Factories. Co-creation culture is the only way to go.”

Network members also will contribute their expertise and mentor students in the upcoming Nexus Maximus. Jefferson’s signature Nexus Learning event from October 11-14 tasks student teams to collaborate, problem solve and innovate. The theme this year revolves around civility.

Beyond diving into projects and assisting student work, participants spent their time visiting local sights. Piotr Palka, from Poland’s Warsaw Design Factory, made it a priority to see the Philadelphia Museum of Art on his first trip to the city. “It’s great to be here,” he says. “I want to take in as much as I can.”

Lyytikäinen, too, loved his time in Philly and working with the University. The opportunity “to live and breathe” campus life let him see firsthand how dedication to transdisciplinary studies and improved learning outcomes are ingrained into Jefferson’s DNA.

“These both are also in the core of the DFGN,” he says, “and I hope this week will lead to more meaningful collaboration between the Nexus Design Factory and the other Design Factories.”