Creativity as the R+D Engine

At FASTlab, we’ve always believed that creativity isn’t decoration for research — it’s the R+D engine itself.

That conviction is at the heart of The Elephant’s Leg II: Creativity in Action, a new open-access book edited by Craig Hight and Mario Minichiello, and featuring contributions from more than 20 colleagues, industry partners, and creative practitioners.

Where the first volume (The Elephant’s Leg: Adventures in the Creative Industries, 2021) focused on people and their journeys into creative practice, this second volume turns to practice itself. It documents how creativity drives innovation when brought into direct conversation with science, technology, and community.

FASTlab’s approach: creativity as methodology

Instead of treating creativity as an optional extra, FASTlab embedded it into the operating system of R+D. That meant:

• Participatory + collaborative methods like co-design, sandpit workshops, and stakeholder-driven inquiry.

• Narrative + storytelling techniques such as digital storytelling, design documentary, and creative writing.

• Immersive and experiential labs — from “walk shops” to pop-up urban experiments.

• Playful and game-based approaches, including LEGO® Serious Play® and gamification.

These aren’t gimmicks. They’re applied methodologies designed to break down silos, engage communities, and produce rapid, tangible impactE_LEG_II_CREATVITY IN ACTION.

Learning by doing

FASTlab’s culture was built on what Director Paul Egglestone calls “learning by doing”: working with community and industry partners to rapidly prototype, test, and adapt solutions to complex challenges.

This approach delivered results where conventional research models often stalled — from smart city interventions in Newcastle, to youth-driven civic innovation projects, to international collaborations in health and design.

Why it matters

The book is more than a collection of projects. It’s a proof of concept: showing that when creativity is placed at the centre of R+D, universities and their partners can become engines of applied innovation — solving real-world problems while opening new opportunities for collaboration.

At a time when most universities still talk about innovation, The Elephant’s Leg II shows what it looks like to actually do it.