20/05/2005
SEEdesign is officially launched in Wales

Andrew Davies AM, Minister for Economic Development has launched the three-year Sharing Experience on Design Support for SMEs (SEEdesign) project at a business lunch on May 16, in Cardiff.

The project is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, within the INTERREG IIIC programme and comprises of a network of six other EU design organisations: Design Flanders, Belgium; The Design Centre of the Czech Republic; Experimental Centre for Furniture and Furnishing, Italy; Design Centre Rhone-Alps, France; Danish Design Centre, Denmark, and the Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition, based at the University of Manchester.

At the SEEdesign launch event, Design Wales also celebrated the award of a further five-year contract for the delivery of its services by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). UWIC has delivered Design Wales’ services since 1994.

The launch was attended by 60 people made up of designers, local companies, representatives of the Welsh Government and the local media. Six Welsh based companies which have received advice from Design Wales attended the launch presenting their products. The exhibition was visited by Andrew Davies, Minister for Economic Development, who said: “In funding Design Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government continues to demonstrate its commitment to the importance of good design, which is increasingly becoming a strategic tool in helping companies raise their competitiveness in the marketplace. I am delighted that Wales is to lead on this important initiative which demonstrates the experience of the design support we offer here in Wales.”

Gavin Cawood, Design Wales senior advisor added: “The Welsh Assembly Government has shown a true commitment to design support and this is now paying off, with more Welsh companies finding an advantage through the use of effective design. Because of the continuity in funding, Design Wales has been able to develop a model for design support that is respected abroad”.



From left to right: Gordon Harrhy - Chairman of UWIC Board of Governors, Prof. Antony Chapman - Vice-Chancellor of UWIC, Andrew Davies AM - Minister for Economic Development, Prof. Robert Brown – UWIC Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise and Director of PDR, and Gavin Cawood – Design Wales Senior Advisor (Photo by A.Skibinski)

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