AOD joins forces with Inventors Commission to drive new inventions

Monday, 15 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Design is now gaining increasing reputation as a powerful contributor to business. A fundamental component of design is innovation; while creativity is only the component of imaginative, aesthetic sense in design, innovation becomes the more importantcomponentdriving novelty and practicality in design.

The MOU was signed between AOD Managing Director Linda Speldewinde and SLIC Commissioner Deepal Sooriyaarachchi in the presence of AOD Manager of Stakeholder Relationships Ranmal Ekanyake and SLIC CEO Dinesh Sattrukalsinghe Providing a remarkable opportunity to exercise the power of this unique relationship, AOD-an active catalyst of design, and SLIC-the national driver to promote innovationinSri Lanka recently joined forces. AOD International Design Campus and Sri Lanka Inventors’ Commission hereby opened a new chapter where design will complement new inventions and innovative entrepreneurial ventures in the country. At a private ceremony held at AOD international design campus premises, AOD founder Linda Speldewinde and Commissioner of Sri Lanka Inventor’s Commission DeepalSooriyaarachchi signed an official MOU to commence the partnership. Under this partnership, AOD hopes to work closely with SLIC in order to provide the essential design direction to new inventors’ products and ventures. Speldewinde stated that as an active design educator AOD looks to fulfil the role of design in society and business by harnessing its power to bring in creativity and innovation: “This partnership with SLIC will have AOD’s design talent providing very important components to new inventors in order to commercialise their products and give them the edge to compete in the market. For example, our first pilot project will have AOD graphic designers working with a new inventor forwarded to us by SLIC - Zacky Latheef on his new, locally made, skin healing product; for this new brand, designers will be creating the logo, brand identity and packaging to help it enter the market as a commercial product, highlighting how design can help propel inventions forward. I think even for AOD designers, it is a great opportunity to be able to provide design solutions to unique products and inventions coming from their own community.” Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, the Commissioner of Sri Lanka Inventors’ Commission, stated that SLIC’s mission of providing technical, legal, financial and market access supportto Sri Lankan inventors is completed with the MOU with AOD which enables design integration allowing inventions to enter markets and reach demographics easily. “I see design fulfilling an important role in SLIC led inventors’ projects in the future. With design, I think our inventors’ projects will get the right tools, right identities and right aesthetics to access their targeted clienteles. So, this is a very important partnership for SLIC and we’re delighted to take this forward with AOD,” he added. AOD and SLIC’s pilot joint venture is scheduled to kick off this year with the project involving the inventor Zacky Latheef, paving the way to new inventions to come into the market, strengthened with design. For more information, contact AOD International Design Campus 0115867772/3 or visit 29, Lauries road, Colombo 4 or log on to www.aod.lk. The Sri Lanka Inventors’ Commission can be reached on 0112-424964, at 46/56, Lanlib Building, NawamMawatha, Colombo 02 or on www.slic.gov.lk.