Leon Cruickshank
Director of Research ImaginationLancaster, Professor of Design and Creative Exchange
Co-Design, Open Design and Innovation, Design for the Public Sector, User Centred and User-Led Design, Interactive Design, Technology and Society, Design Methodology, Design Theory and Philosophy
Leon is Director of Research for ImaginationLancaster and principle investigator for Beyond Imaginationa 3 year £13m E3 project, awarded recognising Imagination as a nationally and internationally excellent research group. His focus is on co-design and involving a broad spectrum of stakeholders in research and creative processes. He was Director of Knowledge Exchange for the Creative Exchangethe £5million 4 year project focusing on digital public space and associate director for HighWire, the cross disciplinary EPSRC CDT looking at digital innovation. He also lead the £1.2 million Leapfrog project, transforming public sector engagement through design and the follow on ‘Extending Leapfrog: Improving a million creative conversations’. He consults for the UN on innovation in government with a focus on open design thinking.
This has led to the emergence of designing knowledge exchange as a research area. He is currently involved in 6 funded projects in this area. He is principle Investigator for the £1.2million AHRC project Leapfrog: transforming public sector engagement by design (www.leapfrog.tools). He is also Director of Knowledge Exchange for the £4 million AHRC Creative Knowledge Exchange Hub and UK lead for the €4 million PROUD project looking at knowledge exchange through co-design
Latest Updates from Leon Cruickshank
Projects from Leon Cruickshank
Innovation Theory/Practice
Understanding through challenging: Innovation and Design
G Up: Ghanaian specific design and innovation models
Working with manufacturing and high-tech company partners to co-design new, locally tailored innovation, design and training
Beyond Imagination Life Survey
ImaginationLancaster investigates major areas of modern life from health to travel to help shape the future of two local districts
Structural IDEAS Exchange
Research into the exchange of knowledge exchange structures rather than the exchange of knowledge itself
Sensors For Health And Wellbeing
Exploring internet connected sensors to improve health and wellbeing
OpTex
Open innovation for textile-like materials made on a paper machine
Brief Encounters
An AHRC Network project to explore new forms of collaborative design processes
Growing Together: a barometer to understanding and activate social wellbeing through micro-gardening
A barometer to understanding and activate social wellbeing through micro-gardening
Beyond Imagination
Providing fresh perspectives on real world issues and facilitating innovation
Working With Groups
PROUD
Working with designers, businesses, academics and the public to promote innovation through new types of Knowledge Exchange
Co-Design FaceMooc
A 5 week online course for design professionals interested in co-design
Beyond the Castle
Write a new chapter in the history of Lancaster's green space
Bank of Imagination
The Bank of Imagination: enabling academics and partner organisations to do good stuff for communities
IDEAS for Impact
A project to help Lancaster University academics undertake high impact, excellent research
IDEAS at Daresbury
Collaboration for Innovation in Knowledge Exchange
The Funding Accelerator: Co-design for Health and Wealth
a HEIF funded project led by Professor Leon Cruickshank from Lancaster University
DisCO: A distributed co-design approach
Next Generation Sustainability in Civil Engineering
Helping industry, educators and policy makers think about sustainable futures
Knowledge Exchange Tools Design
PROUD are designing tools for creative public consultation in a collaboration with Lancaster City Council aiming to improve the uptake, creativity and effectiveness of public consultations
“My Data, My Self” at Dutch Design Week
Navigate through the co-design experience of three people living with their personal data.
New IDEAS
The aim of New IDEAS is to develop, refine and disseminate highly innovative knowledge exchange approaches to local, academic, creative industries and stakeholders that are not dependent on delivery by staff from Imagination for success
Leapfrog: Improving a million creative conversations
Participants at a Leapfrog and World Design Weeks workshop at Dutch Design Week 2019
CaTalyST: Citizens Transforming Society (Tools for Change)
This £1.5 million EPSRC funded 4 year project examines the role of new technology in citizen led innovation looking specifically at Manchester and Derry as sites of innovation. The project includes innovation researchers from Computing, Design Sociology and management, all based in Lancaster University.