Audi: The Audi Design Foundation

Do you know the Audi Design Foundation?

Audi Design Foundation is an independent charity established in 1997 by Audi UK, a company well-known for spearheading innovation. Audi’s commitment to excellence is met by a team of talented creative thinkers from the design community, dedicated to challenging conventional design wisdom. Audi Design Foundation shares the fundamental philosophy of Audi UK – Vorsprung durch Technik.

The Foundation is dedicated to giving young people the chance to follow their design dreams, challenging them to take risks and encouraging them to explore the world of ideas. It is with this in mind that Foundation Trustees and staff strive to create programmes and initiatives that will advance innovation.

Today Audi Design Foundation offers a wide range of opportunities for new talent, including events, grants to build prototypes and the prestigious Audi Young Designer of the Year Awards, which give students aged 16-20 the chance to showcase their talents and launch their careers in the design industry. A second national awards programme, Audi Innovation Awards, was recently established with a focus on the work of design students aged between 11 and 14. Audi Innovation Awards are based around a series of curriculum-based design projects which present students with exciting challenges, from inventing a new Olympic sport to designing a futuristic aqua-craft.

2004 also saw the launch of ‘Designs of Substance’, a widely acclaimed global initiative which saw final year students from Brunel University working to improve the quality of life for communities in Brazil’s favelas. Three universities will take part in the 2005 initiative, and the winners will get the opportunity to visit the communities they have worked to help.