DesignSingapore Council signs inaugural Memorandum of Understanding with British Council
Singapore, 6 July 2018 – The DesignSingapore Council (Dsg) and the British Council yesterday announced a new cooperation agreement to foster a long-term collaborative relationship between Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) through mutual support of design activities and exchanges.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Executive Director of Dsg, Mr. Mark Wee, and Country Director of British Council Singapore, Mr. Roland Davies. The event was hosted by the British High Commissioner, and the signing of the MoU was witnessed by representatives from the design and business communities.
The agreement covers the exchange of design-related knowledge, the forging of business partnerships through networking sessions and trade missions, developing design talent through exchange programmes, as well as the joint celebration of design festivals and awards through cross-marketing efforts and partnerships.
“We are pleased to sign this agreement with the British Council Singapore which affirms the strong ties between the Singapore and UK governments. This MoU, which is the first of its kind, will open doors of opportunity for both our design industries. It will help advance our design sectors, through the sharing of knowledge, supporting business expansion and developing our design talent,” said Mr. Mark Wee, Executive Director, Dsg.
“We are very pleased to strengthen and expand the design exchange between Singapore and the UK and initiate a more structured approach towards collaborative opportunities between the UK and Singapore in what we hope will be a framework for sustained collaboration. As an organisation, the British Council is committed to supporting engagement opportunities and deepening the bilateral relationship. We see real opportunities in the design space for greater partnership and collaboration, a sharing of design excellence, talent development and new business opportunities. We look forward to a fruitful partnership,” said Mr Roland Davies, Country Director of British Council Singapore.
As a first step, both parties are working towards organising an upcoming trade and design mission from Singapore to London in September 2018, with a reciprocal visit to Singapore in April 2019. The mission to the UK will consist of Singapore design firms and practitioners who would like to learn from the best-in-class UK design companies in new emergent design practices, such as experience and service design, and explore opportunities for partnerships with their UK counterparts and businesses.