Design for Business & Business for Design: An E-Learning Platform for Collaborative Innovation

E-learning, knowledge sharing, creativity design and collaborative innovation are all concepts that are key elements of this case study. There is a particular focus here on the question of what role design should play in innovation. Other key topics include the role of e-learning and of long life learning. Such roles are not always easy to explain, since they differ from case to case, but Design in Italy is – and will increasingly become – a definite value and a competitive tool. Design can and must be a fundamental part of every single company's production, communication and distribution strategy. Every e-learning platform launched by Università Telematica San Raffaele Roma's “Design for Business & Business for Design” is intended to demonstrate that design is neither a sole interest nor an exclusive prerogative of large companies or those operating in sectors that have traditionally been design oriented. In fact, design-driven education and innovation is a basic lever for competitiveness and internationalization that is available in every sector. Creating an e-learning platform is an important way of building a designing and community identity; a significant chance to meet and a landmark not only for professionals, but also for creative people working outside established enterprises.