Dyson sets up innovation fellowship

The James Dyson Innovation Fellowship aims to foster innovation by supporting talented young RCA designers in protecting and commercialising their work. The award supports an annual intellectual property seminar for students and a fellowship programme for graduates with innovative ideas.

The Fellowship follows Dyson's UK High Court victory against Qualtex, a company selling copies of Dyson's spare parts and infringing Dyson's design rights. During the case, James Dyson pledged to donate any winnings from the court case to the College to help young designers protect their work. He said that it had been a struggle throughout his career to protect his own designs and inventions.

One Dyson Fellowship is awarded each year to a graduating RCA student who has developed an innovative work that is a College Selected Work. The Dyson Fellow works with InnovationRCA to protect and advance the project.

The Dyson Fellow for 2010 is Duncan Fitzsimmons, for 2009 it was Rombout Frieling, and in 2008 Adrian Westaway, all from RCA Industrial Design Engineering.