Innovative speaker to open Festival of Design and Innovation

22 June 2011

Simon Vaitkevicius to open the 2011 Festival of Design and Innovation at Bournemouth University.

Simon Vaitkevicius will provide a glimpse into the future of mobile phone technology during his keynote address to open the 2011 Festival of Design and Innovation at Bournemouth University.

Simon, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Nokia UK, will speak as part of the 19th annual Festival’s preview evening on Thursday, 23 June. The Festival – sponsored by B&Q, the UK’s leading home improvement retailer – will showcase over 170 designs and prototypes created by talented final year students completing a wide range of undergraduate degrees.

At Nokia, Simon has been involved in the research and development of new mobile telephones - from the concept and architecture stage through to handover to Product Maintenance. In his current role, Simon provides support, mentoring and training for fellow Engineers. A member of the Council for the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and an Engineering Ambassador through the STEMNET organisation, Simon is keen to promote Engineering through Schools and Universities to foster the next generation of up and coming engineers.

“There are many definitions of innovation and a difference between this and design evolution in a design context,” says Simon who will reflect on the history of Nokia highlighting key innovations and evolutions in the company’s history before concentrating on his experience as a mobile phone designer and providing a preview of the next generation of mobile phone design for 2020.

“A lot of things I have designed in the past have been used by millions of people around the world,” says Simon. “It is quite satisfying as a designer to think about and realise this.”

BU’s Festival of Design and Innovation is open free to the general public from Friday, 24 June to Monday, 27 June on the University’s Talbot Campus. The festival features final year projects by students in Product Design, Industrial Design, Design Engineering, Fashion & Textiles (from BU’s partner institution, Wiltshire College, Salisbury), Interior Design, Computer Aided Product Design, Sustainable Graphics & Packaging (from BU’s partner institution, University College Yeovil), Music and Audio Technology and Media Technology.

Further information on the 2011 Festival of Design and Innovation at BU - including opening times, exhibits and travel directions - are available on the Festival website.