The Partner City Network is a newly established forum for global design hubs, who works with design to improve life.
As part of the partnership, Singapore will host the INDEX: AWARD Exhibition during Singapore Design Festival 2009, take part in the world tour of INDEX: Award Exhibition 2009, send students for the closing of INDEX: AIGA Aspen Design Challenge in Copenhagen and share knowledge on Design to Improve Life.
Singapore has within the last decade developed a thriving professional design community and nurtured a strong culture of design and design awareness. With strong initiatives like the DesignSingapore Council, the biannual Singapore Design Festival, Creative Community Singapore, Crea©tive, Singapore has developed into a regional hub for design.
"With the establishment of the INDEX: Partner City Network we have the unique opportunity of bringing together design cities worldwide, who shares the joint objective of improving life on a shared platform to share their visions, knowledge and experiences. We believe these cities to be the major drivers of the future, making this the most appropriate forum for promoting Design to Improve Life worldwide."
"To have Singapore as the first member of the Partners City Network is a great honor and shows the truly global and visionary interest for Design to Improve Life", says Kigge Hvis, CEO, INDEX:
Singapore has not only worked to promote design in business, but also kept a strong and successful focus of integrating design into various public sector programs.
The partnership follows a long and close cooperation between INDEX: and the DesignSingapore Council. In May 2008 Dr. Milton Tan, director DesignSingapore joined the INDEX: Board of Senior Advisors and in June Singapore's Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr. Lee Boon Yang, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Danish Minister for Economic and Business Affairs to establish a Singapore-Denmark Cooperation program on Design to Improve Life. Dr. Milton Tan now also joins the jury of the INDEX: AWARD, the world's largest monetary design award.