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Funding For British Innovators

The British Design Fund (the “Fund”) is an early stage investment fund that specifically invests in, and provides support for, early stage UK product design and manufacturing companies. ​The Fund seeks to work with extraordinary entrepreneurs, with scalable products, who are ready to accelerate growth into the retail space and build long term value and thriving stand-out businesses. The British Design Fund is driven by a team with strong retail product and investment experience. The Fund’s partnership with ​Sapphire Capital Partners LLP and ​Twenty20 Mentoring Limited gives it unique access to valuable sector specific expertise in order to successfully research, identify, invest in and accelerate early stage UK based companies in the product design and manufacturing sector. Read more

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My Jobs Growth Wales Journey

The Jobs Growth Wales program is a great opportunity for those who are potentially struggling to find a job or more importantly start a meaningful career. This program does exactly that, allowing people to apply for a six month position. From an employee perspective this is a great opportunity to gain vital experience, and from the employers perspective it is a great opportunity to put someone through their paces. At the end of my six month stint at ITERATE, I can safely say this has been the most valuable learning experience I have had to-date. Written by: Ross Johnson, Product Design Engineer. Read more

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The Intelligence of Biomimicry in Engineering Design

Biomimicry is an innovation technique that draws inspiration from the natural world to create sustainable solutions by emulating natures tried and tested methods. As our world becomes more advanced and we face ever increasing challenges, from climate change to crippling traffic; how has the natural world managed to survive since life first arose 3.8 billion years ago? As we strive for more technological breakthroughs how can this natural world influence us and provide solutions to our problems? In the past we have taken advantage of the natural world to create highly effective technologies. For example, sonar was developed in the early 1900s – this has been used in the natural world for thousands of years by creatures such as bats and dolphins. Some other fascinating examples of biomimicry include: Read more

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Evolve Your Business Through Innovation & Intellectual Property

On Thursday 2nd March 2017, our Managing Director will be speaking at an event focussed on helping businesses evolve through innovation and intellectual property. The series of informative seminars will be held at Ladywell House, a Welsh Government building based in Newtown (Mid Wales). The morning will feature talks from the following:

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Refugee Shelter Wins Design Award

This week our design team visited the new Design Museum in Kensington to see the ‘Beazley Designs of the Year’ exhibition (24th November ’16 – 19th February ’17). The exhibition showcased some of the best design work created during 2016 across disciplines such as: product, architecture, fashion, graphic and transport design. The Beazley Design of the Year Award was given to IKEA for Better Shelter, a flat-pack refugee shelter. Winners in the other design categories included:

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The Importance of Human Centred Design

As humans, we come in to contact with thousands of products throughout our life-time. Some products have a bigger impact on the world than others; good products effectively overcome problems experienced by the user, whilst poorly designed products can hinder the user. So, how do Product Designers ensure that the user gains the maximum benefit from the products they develop? This is achieved by taking a human centred approach and creating a holistic experience for users to engage with.

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Finalists at Monmouthshire Business Awards

This month, ITERATE were finalists in two categories at the Monmouthshire Business Awards (MBAs): ‘Excellence in Technology Innovation’ and ‘Innovation in Business’. The MBAs recognise business excellence across the county; culminating with a Gala Dinner at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

A total of thirty businesses making the shortlists ranged from a rural village store, a vineyard on the slopes of the Black Mountains and a registered childcare provider to large established hotels, a transportation company and a property maintenance enterprise – reflecting the diversity and variety of firms within Monmouthshire’s business community.   Read more

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ITERATE Welcomes Ross Johnson

Ross Johnson joins the team at ITERATE Design + Innovation on the Jobs Growth Wales (JGW) programme. The Welsh Government has recently secured £25m of European funding to enable 16-24 year olds to kick-start their career, which  is intended to support the creation of 8,955 new job opportunities over the next 3 years.

Ross joins the team after previously studying a BA in Industrial Product Design and an MA in Product Design and Innovation. Even though Ross is a recent graduate from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), he has expert knowledge of innovation management and creative thinking processes. Read more

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How Wearable Tech Could Influence Medical Services

‘Wearables’ have exploded over the last 10 years with many companies realising success by integrating off-the-shelf technologies in to their service or product range. These have tended to focus on monitoring personal health and wellbeing; however, wearable technologies could solve many of the problems that currently existing within the public health sector. Read more

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My Internship with ITERATE

In April, I started work as a Junior Design Engineer at ITERATE Design + Innovation in order to complete a 5 month industrial placement. This is part of the MSc in Advanced Product Design that I am currently studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

At the beginning of the internship, I attended a number of networking events where I had the opportunity to introduce myself and explain my role as a Product Designer. This helped me develop my confidence by talking in front of a large group of people in English, as French is my first language.

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