In this post, we present how Rea Consultancy collaborates with Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI) and its partners for the establishment of Istanbul Chamber of Industry Industrial Design & Prototyping Inc. (ISO ETP) to strengthen the industrial design ecosystem in Istanbul and neighboring cities. 

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‍Increase the competitiveness of the SMEs with the added value of Industrial Design

Aiming to support the creation of innovative, high value-added and globally competitive products, IDEA4ISTANBUL offers a vision that will increase the contribution of design to the national economy by strengthening the relationship between manufacturing and industrial design.

The center is expected to have a wide impact on many elements such as entrepreneurs, university-sector relations, new products and services, future investments and R&D studies, new collaborations and organizational models.

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SMEs, designers and entrepreneurs will benefit from the training and consultancy services, matching activities and acceleration programs of IDEA4ISTANBUL.

‍Supporting Manufacturing Industry through Industrial Design

According to the definition of the World Design Organization, industrial design encourages innovation; increases success; provides a better life through innovative products, systems, services and applications; it is a strategic problem solving process. The global market for creative products, which was 208 billion USD in 2002, rose to 509 billion USD in 2015 and this increase continues day by day.

Turkey also is increasing the number of patents and other intellectual property rights in the field of design and production of high value-added potential of design activity is more overrated. Turkey is the center of the creative industries in Istanbul's 171 design centers operating in various fields. The turnover of the design centers makes up 75% of the total turnover of the creative sectors. However, although not at the beginning of the industrialized cities of Turkey designer for the Istanbul industrial design ecosystem to be developed at a sufficient level, SMEs, cooperation between industry actors and university components, you can not access the level required for a competitive industry.

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Rea Consultancy and the Consortium

With the coordination of the Team Leader Ferruccio Fenoglio and the Key Expert İffet İyigün Meydanlı and the support of the Backstopping Team, Rea Consultancy assists the implementation of the IDEA4ISTANBUL project in order to support the design and prototyping ecosystem for the strengthening of the competitive power of the manufacturing industry in Turkey. Started in June 2022, the project takes on the mission to establish and operationalize the center ISO ETP. 

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Rea Consultancy is leading the Consortium of the Technical Assistance Team that is composed by:

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Leaders International (LI)

İKADA Consulting

Nova Iskra

Next Mannheim

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The Intervention: Establishing an Industrial Design and Prototyping Center

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The intervention is the establishment of a Hub, implemented by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI) and its partners: Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Industrial Designers’ Society of Turkey (ETMK), and Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA).

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The project consists of 2 sub-components:

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• Capacity building and operationalization of the Hub
• Capacity building of the entrepreneurs, SMEs, and start-ups

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The deliverables of the project are:

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• Industrial design services including product design consultancy
• Design validation services including rapid prototyping, UX laboratory, VR/AR reviews
• Technical and soft-skill training for SMEs, designers, and new entrepreneurs
• Business matchmaking and IPR consultancy
• Acceleration programs for entrepreneurs
• Events organizations like Opening and Closing events, “Design Competition and Summit”, “Creativity Europe” information days, and parallel events during the entrepreneurship programs

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Results Achieved

The first one and a half months of the project focused on the inception phase. During this period, TAT’s project office was established, and meetings were held with the project partners, consortium partners, and stakeholders. Project activities and the ecosystem were understood. The Inception Report was prepared and submitted, and the time plan of the project was reviewed with minor changes. 

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The project's primary focus was on the activities regarding the opening ceremony and the operationalization of the Hub. The following deliverables have been achieved to make it possible:

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• A collection of market opportunities and a market benchmark on prices and services were prepared.
• A preliminary Business Plan Canvas was submitted.
• Preliminary procedures to be followed by the Hub staff to run the first services such as IPR management, customer relations, contract management, administrative procedures, and upfront technical processes were prepared.

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The Opening Event of the IDEA4ISTANBUL was organised on the 15th of October 2022 with the participation of the Ministry of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank. 

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A National Study Visit to Eskişehir has been conducted. Eskişehir Design and Innovation Center (EDIC) and Advanced Prototype station (APS) were visited and the participants also attended the Closing Meeting of the The Technical Assistance Project for Establishment of Eskişehir Design and Innovation Centre. 

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A Business Plan was prepared regarding the operationalization of the ISO ETP, Service Manuals was prepared for the conduct of the Centre’s services and a Communication Strategy was developed to perform the publicity and dissemination activities of the ISO ETP. 

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In Conclusion

In conclusion, we believe that ISO ETP will be an essential component and a success story of the national policy making efforts and regional collaborations made with the purpose of realizing that transformation. IDEA4ISTANBUL (Industrial Design Ecosystem Axis for İstanbul) will serve as the much-needed interface between the academic and professional circles operating in the area of industrial design and the industry. It will address the need for university-industry cooperation and bridge the gap between the mindsets of designers and industry. 

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