What can design do for your business? It can be the key to unlock your business problems; the tool to attract new customers; and the route to earn bigger market share. To tap on the fundamentals of design is to be able to fuse creativity with practicality. Business, together with design, can give you a competitive advantage – one that is rooted in practical problem solving through innovative strategy, process and product development.
Design Engage is for enterprises that understand the value of design, and are ready to invest effort and resources to build up the company’s design capabilities. With Design Engage, businesses can learn how to integrate strategic design thinking into every step of their business process.
Discover, Develop, and Do
Design Engage consists of three phases :
1. Discover what design holds for your business. Learn how design can be effectively deployed to add value to businesses, and whether your company is ready for the next step in adopting design strategies. Contact Design for Enterprises Centre for more information.
2. Develop design strategies that you can deploy to add value to your business. Phase 1 – Design Strategy Integration is an intensive programme to help design-ready enterprises integrate strategic design into their business operations and strategies. Guided by Design Facilitators, you will gain a deeper understanding of the role of design in business and how it can create value for competitive advantage, acquire key design principles and tools applicable to your business, and develop design strategies critical in unlocking new business-building opportunities.
To embark on Design Engage, you need to be ready to invest effort and resources on a mid to long term, and be committed to sustain the outcomes that result from adopting strategic business design. Enterprises participating in Phase 1 could receive funding support from SPRING.
3. Do, to implement the design strategies identified to produce tangible output and solutions. Phase 2 – Project Implementation - You now have a full understanding of design and are ready to invest resources to implement the recommendations and strategies identified in Phase 1. You can create new or improved products, processes and services with the design capabilities acquired in Phase 1, and use design as a strategic differentiator to create real and sustainable value, and to produce tangible outputs and solutions.
Enterprises participating in Phase 2 could receive funding support from SPRING for qualifying costs, which include manpower, equipment, materials, consultancy and acquistion of IP rights, registration and related costs of trademarks and registered design.
Before you apply
1. Ensure that your business and project qualifies for the Design Engage Programme. Contact the Design for Enterprises Centre if you need help.
Applying for Design Engage Programme
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DEVELOP (Phase 1)
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DO (Phase 2)
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2. Contact the Design for Enterprises Centre. The Centre does not process any applications but will assess if your company is eligible and provide you with information on Design Facilitators and upcoming Design Engage Awareness Workshops.
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2. Ensure that you have completed Phase 1, as it is a pre-requisite for Phase 2.
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| 3. Select your preferred Design Facilitator or attend one of the Design Engage Awareness Workshops to find out more. |
3. Contact officers from SPRING or International Enterprise (IE) Singapore to discuss your project.
You must work closely with SPRING or IE Singapore to ensure that your project meets approval guidelines.
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4. If you are eligible, the Design for Enterprises Centre will refer you to SPRING or IE Singapore to apply for your project.
You must work closely with SPRING or IE Singapore to discuss your business plan.
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4. If your project qualifies, you will be given the application form. |
5. Submit your application form with all supporting documents to SPRING or IE Singapore.
6. Wait 4 weeks for SPRING or IE Singapore to reply. They will let you know if your application is successful. Do not start your project until you have received approval from SPRING or IE Singapore.
Upon successful application
7. Receive Letter of Offer from SPRING. The terms and conditions as well as the grant amount are stated in the Letter of Offer. They are non-negotiable.
8. Accept the Letter of Offer within 4 weeks from the date of the Letter.
9. Start on your design project
10. Keep proper financial records. E.g. expenses, invoices, receipts.
11. Keep proper project records. E.g. scope, timeline, deliverables, progress reports, project sign-offs, and evaluation reports.
12. Complete your project and pay for all project costs first. The grant is given on a reimbursement basis.
Claiming for funds
13. Submit your claim form with your financial and project records. SPRING or IE Singapore will inform you on the claim procedure.
14. Your claims will be audited by SPRING or IE Singapore.
15. Wait for your claims to be approved and the reimbursement funds to be sent to you.
Design Perspectives for the business world
These features will help you to understand better the benefits and value of design for your company.