Int. J. Product Development, Vol. 9, No. 4, 2009 343 Copyright © 2009 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. The integration of industrial design capability within UK SMEs: the challenges, opportunities and benefits Paul W. Wormald* and Mark A. Evans Department of Design and Technology Loughborough University Loughborough Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK E-mail: P.W.Wormald@lboro.ac.uk E-mail: M.A.Evans@lboro.ac.uk *Corresponding author Abstract: The paper presents a case to support the business of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) through the building of partnerships between universities and companies which foster and support the introduction of industrial design processes in the SMEs. The basis of the partnership is the use of the UK government’s ‘Knowledge Transfer Partnership’ (KTP) schemes to initiate and develop in-house industrial design capability in the SMEs. The paper presents two case studies that raise design management issues and underline the value of industrial design expertise for SMEs. It discusses the positive and negative issues centred on the introduction of graduate-level in-house industrial design expertise for product innovation in manufacturing-sector SMEs. The paper demonstrates that through the discipline of industrial design and the mechanism of a well-managed KTP programme, SMEs can improve their commercial performance and operate successfully in global markets. Keywords: industrial design; knowledge transfer partnership; KTP; small- and medium-sized enterprise; SME; product innovation; product development. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Wormald, P.W. and Evans, M.A. (2009) ‘The integration of industrial design capability within UK SMEs: the challenges, opportunities and benefits’, Int. J. Product Development, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp.343–356. Biographical notes: Paul W. Wormald is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader at the Department of Design and Technology, Loughborough University, UK. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, he worked for six years as an industrial design engineer. His research is directed at improving product design practices and design education, focusing on new product development. He has supervised UK government knowledge transfer schemes to create synergies between industrial design and manufacturing industry. Dr. Mark A. Evans is a member of the academic staff of the Department of Design and Technology at Loughborough University, UK. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Design and Technology and a Master’s in Industrial Design. His PhD focused on the use of rapid prototyping by industrial designers. Having practiced both as an in-house and consultant industrial designer, his research activity now focuses on the use of digital design methods and design management. His overseas appointments include being a Visiting Academic at