In a partnership that will provide an in-depth cultural exchange between the United States and Singapore, multidisciplinary teams of design educators from the SUTD – MIT International Design Centre, based at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) Comcast Media and Technology Center will work together to transform the learning experience in design innovation (DI) workshops.

The Cross-Cultural Design Innovation Project, supported by the U.S. Embassy Singapore Small Grants Program, facilitates the co-creation of custom modules and materials for online DI workshops by faculty, students, and teams from SUTD and CU Denver.  A range of hands-on, interactive activities will be distributed to hundreds of participants for all types of industries and professions. Through this program, participants trained in DI will bring innovation, entrepreneurship, and intrapreneurship to many organizations in new and exciting ways.  Expected results for small- to mid-sized businesses include enhanced business offerings, novel DI-informed projects, and possibly even a new start-up or two.

We are proud to have the U.S. Embassy Singapore as a supporter of this innovative cross-cultural program, enabling Singaporeans and Americans to learn more about other societies, co-create, and transform how we learn and teach design innovation together. Teams from both SUTD and CU Denver have already begun to co-create and innovate together, and everyone involved is looking forward to continuing their work throughout 2021.