23 May 2014 / Education and research

Visit by the Minister for Higher Education

The Minister for Higher Education and Science, Sofie Carsten Nielsen, commends Design School Kolding’s ability to create innovation and growth.
By Katrine Worsøe

Design, design, design! That’s what it’s about. And also on 22 May when the Minister visited Design School Kolding. Her first official visit to an educational institution in Southern Jutland since she became Minister for Higher Education and Science.

Rector Elsebeth Gerner Nielsen hosted a real tour de force in design and with designers at Design School Kolding. On the tour Sofie Carsten Nielsen got the chance to meet three students who are busy finishing their graduation projects.

Patrick Johansen obviously made quite an impression when he talked about his wardrobe of prostheses made for amputees; some of them former soldier buddies returned from Afghanistan. Mads Hanghøj’s new and ground-breaking eyewear technology also impressed the Minister. And Fashion Designer Kathrine Gram Hvejsel caught the Minister’s eye with her timeless collection inspired by the ten classics of fashion, including the t-shirt, sneakers and the trenchcoat.

Sofie Carsten Nielsen also had the opportunity to learn about Design School Kolding’s collaboration with the surrounding society, for instance via the project D2i – Design to innovate that has taught 150 small and medium-sized companies in the region to use design methods to develop their business.

- Design School Kolding is a great example of how design can help create innovation and growth on many levels. I was particularly fascinated by a project that focuses on design methods as a way for companies to improve their business advantages through innovative product development, process organisation and on a strategic level, says Sofie Carsten Nielsen.

“-Design School Kolding is a great example of how design can help create innovation and growth on many levels. I was particularly fascinated by a project that focuses on design methods as a way for companies to improve their business advantages through innovative product development, process organisation and on a strategic level. -Sofie Carsten Nielsen”