Sir James has long been a generous supporter of the RCA, and his educational charity, The James Dyson Foundation, has a close relationship with the College. For the past two years, the JDF has run workshops at the College where Industrial Design Engineering students are challenged by Dyson engineers to design and prototype new products within a matter of hours. This year marks the fifth year where the JDF has given £12,000 worth of bursaries to the Industrial Design Engineering department at the RCA.
In addition to the bursaries given to individual students, Sir James has been very aware of the issues faced by young designers in protecting their Intellectual Property, and in 2006, the JDF donated £100,000 to the RCA, following the win of a court case with Qualtex. This money is being used to help young designers protect their designs, as well as funding a yearly intellectual property seminar.
Sir James Dyson, an RCA alumnus and one of the UK’s greatest designers and inventors, said he was delighted that the Royal College is continuing its quest to encourage more young people into careers in art, design and engineering.
Sir James added: “In particular, these incubator units will act as a springboard for those looking to start their own ventures and shape the future of design and engineering in the UK.”
Sir Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art, hailed the The James Dyson Foundation’s donation of £5 million towards the new campus in Battersea as the largest single donation the Royal College of Art has ever received.
He said: “The Royal College of Art – staff, students, graduates – is deeply grateful for this great act of generosity, which will release match-funding from the government and encourage other donor involvement and overall contributions. This is very much about investing in our future.”
More about the James Dyson Foundation
The James Dyson Foundation is committed to encouraging young people into careers in design engineering. The registered charity provides free resources for design and technology teachers, as well as working in universities and schools throughout the country. It’s also behind the James Dyson Award, a student design and engineering award running in 21 countries.