Designing Social Innovation in Asia-Pacific Network (DESIAP)

Timeframe: 2015 –

Design and Social Innovation in Asia-Pacific (DESIAP) is a network of researchers and change-makers co-founded by Joyce Yee (Northumbria University) and Yoko Akama (RMIT University) in 2015. The network’s aim is to enable researchers and design and social innovation practitioners in the region to share and develop their understanding and experience in design and social innovation (D&SI) practice and support collective capacity building. The network was set up in response to the growing practice of using design approaches to create and deliver novel ideas that addresses social problems. The Network has been built on a series of gatherings, workshops and public symposia supported through the DESIAP website: www.desiap.org. These activities have helped identify and raise awareness of design and social innovation practices across the Asia-Pacific, specifically in Australia, Cambodia, China, Japan, Myanmar, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Our network partners work across health, education, poverty, social justice, sustainable income and entrepreneurship, which satisfies several other SDG Goals. However, their main approach to delivering impact is through capacity building. Examples include delivering innovative teaching programmes (Point B, Myanmar), enhancing school-level learning with technology (Learn Education, Thailand), supporting the introduction of Design Thinking in schools through the DesignforChange programme (Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur) and providing access to social innovation and entrepreneurship programmes (Impact Hub Phnom Penh and Yangon).