I worked with a cluster of 5 organizations that service the needs of and support a particular community in need. These are those:
That receive free dental services from the Royal Dental Hospital.
Are incarcerated in a forensic mental health facility - Forensicare.
Receive free or subsidized care from a community focussed health care organisation - CoHealth.
Have special needs and scaffolding afforded by VicRoads
Have access to Pro Bono legal services at Victoria Legal Aid.
These organisations provide critical services. Often these organisations are glad for the help afforded them by reserachers. Those that can reimagine work, services or develop solutions to challenges. Maybe just provide a listening ear to the challenges faced by the customers, the workers and the planners that are keen to see improved srveices realized.
Field of Research: Product Design, Product Service System Design
Mode of Research: Technical and material research, Prototyping and Testing, Patent Application, CoDesign
Key Methods: Practice Based Research
Theoretical Frameworks (ref Modes of research link):
FOR Code(s): 120305, 111708, 120499
Relevant literature (max 4):
Rippling: How Social Entrepreneurs Spread Innovation Throughout the World by Beverly Schwartz (and Bill Drayton)
The Penal Voluntary Sector (Routledge Frontiers of Criminal Justice) by Philippa Tomczak
Relevance
There are two key aspirations of industrial design graduates that have received a strong boost in the contemporary period; one, is the development of patent worthy technical innovation, enabled by sophisticated micro prototyping technologies, and two, is the support for commercialization and startup creation for new products. This project offers students a specific context for technology and social artefact development, and deployment. The form of the third sector in the contemporary period is unique and has demonstrated the capacity to attract researchers and include them into social entrepreneurship ventures.
This project is appropriate for an HDR student, initially PhDs and later Masters, as it offers a singular narrow and deep research program. In addition the project offers access to very specific communities, and the research program would involve a collaborative relationship between researchers and community members.
These Circile of Support partnerships have served to provide field visits, studios and projects for UG students, and intensive projects for Honours students. The partners however have not received due benefit, and impact, as the UG projects are short, exploratory and not readily commercialize.
Tying HDR research to Patent creation, and to the startup ecology offers the potential for the HDR student to get a stronger and sustainable outcome.
Forensicare, Renee Ackers
VicRoads, Jessica Bird, Simone Steele, Emma Gerard, Siobhan Cribbin, Swathi Madike
Royal Dental Hospital, Tania Ivanka
Victoria Legal Aid, Jess Bird, Sheryl de Leon
CoHealth, Alex Tatoulis, Tania Ivanka