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Designing Toys, Gifts and Games: Learning through Knowledge Partnerships

The research focuses on particular mechanims of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) in reference to design management. Through critically analysing several KTPs as case studies, this research sheds light on how the expertise of academics provides a solution for a particular problem that companies are experiencing in terms of their competitiveness and productivity.

This investigation hightlights some of the strenghts and pitfalls of certain types of Knowldege Transfer in the context of the gobal toy, games and gift market. The authors describe in detail the experiences of the associates in each study, explore the reasons for success and failure, and discuss the accommodations and improvements made by the university over the years as the program has grown and developed. The authors conclude that the UK economy gains through its backing of KTP programs, with greater business turnover and a rising UK design management skills base, and that the government promotion is proving successful in terms of knowledge transfer and increased trade.

A substantial body of work has been resulted in the form of peer reviewed papers as well as journal and book chapter publications. The book chapter was published alongside distinguished authors and editorial team within an academic book on design and technology management. This book has been listed as a key text at various academic institutions, such as Nanyang Technical University, Singapore, Belarussian State University and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

Our decade-long engagement with the KTP programme has generated £840.000 income for the University of Northampton, improved sales and competitiveness of our partner companies, has been showcased as exemplary business interaction by the university and led to invitations to join the Institute of Knowledge Transfer and the Business Leader of the Future 2008 Award at Westminster.