---
title: "Responsible innovation, taught worldwide."
description: "SUGAR connects universities to teach design thinking through intercultural projects with corporate partners."
url: "https://www.sugar-network.org/en/about/"
lang: "en"
---

# Responsible innovation, taught worldwide.

SUGAR connects universities to teach design thinking through intercultural projects with corporate partners.

## Our mission

We pursue human-centred solutions and create impact on people, organisations and society through education that follows the SUGAR pedagogy.

### Our mission in full

We drive a global movement courageously pursuing human-centered solutions.  
We produce impact on people, organisations & society through inspiring educational programs.  
We connect universities worldwide to promote excellence in design thinking education, following the SUGAR pedagogy in the context of internationally collaborative, inter-cultural design projects.

## SUGAR explained in three voices

Three people from the network explain how a course runs, what it takes and what partners bring. Recorded in 2019.

### Sushi Suzuki – Associate Professor, Kyoto Institute of Technology

Course structure: from design thinking to proof of concept, run locally at each university.

Global, interdisciplinary teams work with a real corporate partner. The network meets at the Global Kick-Off in late October and the SUGAR Expo in early June.

Duration: 2:21 · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCXy1OLQPtw

How do students do global, interdisciplinary collaboration in collaboration with actual corporate partner? And how does a network is organised around it?  
In the end of October, the network meets internally for the Global Kick Off to create momentum. In the beginning of June, we hold the final EXPO where all the projects presented their final prototypes and proof of concepts.

### Tomás Gamboa – Former SUGAR programme manager, University of St. Gallen

Four ingredients of a SUGAR course, and how a new university joins.

Four ingredients: committed students, a team of design thinking teachers, a corporate partner and a member university.

Duration: 1:31 · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhl0ADWFguE

There is a group of committed students, a team of design thinking teachers, a corporate partner and a partner university to run successfully a SUGAR academic course.

### Christine Thong – Associate Professor, Design Factory Melbourne

Corporate partners: how closely they work with the teams and why it matters.

Christine Thong of Design Factory Melbourne explains why students join SUGAR and why the corporate partner is key to the outcome.

Duration: 2:25 · Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbNmvQ0OzTg

Why are students motivated to join a SUGAR course? How does the corporate partner play a key role in the success of the project outcome? The design thinking experts at each of our local universities are educating the next generation of innovators who use creative problem solving to address future human needs.

Videos load from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only after you press play.

## How SUGAR began

SUGAR began as a way to join forces across universities. It started with 18 projects a year and has run as many as 31.

We teach design thinking as a six-step cycle. [See the method](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/program/#process)

## More about SUGAR

- [Team](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/about/team/)
- [Research](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/about/research/)
- [Media kit](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/about/media-kit/)
- [Contact](https://www.sugar-network.org/en/about/contact/)