Mobilising the university as a frontier for design-led social innovation

The University is a significant nexus for the development of design for social innovation and sustainability in Australia for the achievement of systemic discontinuity with lasting impact. This argument is presented as a theoretical framework for a doctoral design research project which seeks out design briefs from within the University of Western Sydney, susceptible to the application and adaption of the most promising sustainable design models, theories and tools. This paper argues that by bringing design for social innovation and sustainability to the Australian university, a novel mechanism for systemic discontinuity is fomented.