Abstract
Design is increasingly recognized as a strategy adopted by companies and governments to improve competitiveness and economic development. This paper investigates how the value of industrial design is maximized within an R&D organization through an in-depth study of five collaborative projects between the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan and a design firm. An investigation of relevant case studies has provided insight into the combined value of Research and Development (R&D) and industrial design. The facilitating factors in the product development process were identified. Innovation outcomes from the collaboration are based on knowledge exchange between the R&D organization and the design firm. Technological innovation can be seen under two design service modes. One mode seeks to find applications and opportunities for existing technologies whilst the other seeks to propose design concepts as stimuli for further technology research. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group.