Dr Nick Spencer

My research relates to Design for Social Innovation. Specifically, my work engages with the complexities of transition; the conflicting views and influence of different people and organisations and their collective roles in realising fairer, responsible and more rewarding futures. Through a practice based approach my research explores how capabilities can be developed and embedded that initiate desirable transition and help non-design experts to continue an appropriate design practice within their professional or community setting.

I have expertise in Design Thinking and Design Innovation, topics I am invited to speak about to academic, corporate and public sector audiences. I am often commissioned to lead projects that bring the public and multiple organisations together to examine and respond creatively and strategically to complex situations. I am part of a range of significant European networks interested in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship and leverage these to support the scaling and dissemination of new practice and exciting initiatives.

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Creative and collaborative reflective thinking to support policy deliberation and decision making, Spaa, A., Spencer, N., Durrant, A., Vines, J. 1 May 2022, In: Evidence and Policy
• Design-led Innovation Readiness: priming small to medium-sized enterprises for strategic innovation, Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Carrion-Weiss, J., Arakelyan, A., Carter, A. 25 Apr 2022, 23rd DMI: Academic Design Management Conference
• Introduction: An Overview of the Research, Păunescu, C., Lepik, K., Spencer, N. 5 Jan 2022, Social Innovation in Higher Education, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
• Multidisciplinary innovation Armenia: explorations in design-led multidisciplinary enterprise education, Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Carrion-Weiss, J., Arakelyan, A. 7 Apr 2022, 24th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education
• Social Innovation in Higher Education: Landscapes, Practices, and Opportunities, Paunescu, C., Lepik, K., Spencer, N. 5 Jan 2022
• Three degrees of influence in virtual workshops: towards an understanding of co-creative facilitation practice in technologically mediated settings, Hemstock, O., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., Simmons, H. 5 Apr 2022, DRS2022
• Design Listening: what designers hear and how they respond, Carrion-Weiss, J., Bailey, M., Spencer, N. 10 Sep 2021, With design: IASDR 2021 Conference Proceedings, Cham, Switzerland, Springer
• Design for Complex Situations: Navigating ‘Matters of Concern’, Spencer, N., Bailey, M. 31 Dec 2020, In: International Journal of Design

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Creative Spark partnerhsip fund, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), British Council, 05/11/20 - 30/06/23, £19,951.00
• Creative Fuse North East (AHRC funded), Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Newcastle University, 01/02/20 - 31/07/22, 0.00
• ERDF: Creative Fuse North East 2 (see also CRP0755 AHRC), Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Newcastle University, 01/02/20 - 31/07/22, 0.00
• Creative Spark: Get Ready to Innovate Armenia, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), British Council, 09/10/18 - 31/07/19, £49,924.00
• Project Legacy Sprint, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Northumbrian Water, 08/05/17 - 12/05/17, £2,000.00
• Global Entrepreneurial Talent Management 3 MSCA RISE Project No 734824, Pearce, A. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), European Commission, 14/12/16 - 30/12/20, £769,355.00
• Creativity Works (ERDF), Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), European Commission, 01/06/16 - 28/01/19, £229,779.00
• Creative Fuse North East, Bailey, M. (Principal Investigator), Spencer, N. (Co Investigator), Arts & Humanities Research Council, 01/01/16 - 31/12/17, £468,671.00

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Consultancy: Enterprise Education Policy Challenges, Opportunities and Recommendations in the Republic of Armenia 2019
• Organising a conference, workshop, ...: British Council Enterprise education Policy Dialogue workshop 2019
• Organising a conference, workshop, ...: GETM3 Sandpit Northumbria 2017 2017

• Felipe Schmidt Fonseca Waste Prevention and Generous Cities Start Date: 22/11/2021
• Brogan Ogilvie Developing a Design-for-Policy Framework for Reflexive Action Start Date: 01/10/2021
• Jacob Goff Postphenomenology and Fashion: Clothing as Mediator Between Body and World Start Date: 25/09/2020
• Emelia Erland Start Date: 25/09/2020 End Date: 05/02/2021
• Oliver Hemstock Exploring the strategic value of slow design: understanding potential benefits within a commercial setting Start Date: 01/10/2015 End Date: 29/07/2020
• Ashleigh Bentham A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Creating a Framework of Prominent Themes of Responsibility Within UK-Based Postgraduate Design-Led Innovation Programmes Start Date: 01/10/2015 End Date: 26/06/2022

• Design Studies PhD March 31 2009
• Teaching & Learning PCAPL November 04 2004
• Design Studies BA (Hons) June 30 2002

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• European Cooperation in Science & Technology funded project related to Multi-disciplinary innovation for social change. I lead the group concerned with design approaches to social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
• DESIS Labs are groups of academics, researchers and students who orient their design and research activities towards social innovation. They operate at the local scale with local partners and, in collaboration with other DESIS Labs, they actively participate in large-scale projects and programs. I lead the Northumbria DESIS lab.