About Us - James Dyson Foundation

Who we are
The James Dyson Foundation is dedicated to encouraging young people to think differently, make mistakes, invent and realise their engineering potential.
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Engineering in action:
It’s not all oily rags and overalls – design engineering is a creative and fascinating job. Engineers spend their time solving problems by using their brains and their hands.
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Engineers wanted.
We need more engineers to solve 21st century challenges. Sustainability, housing and an ageing population. So James Dyson started the Foundation in 2002, to support design and engineering education.
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James Dyson
“At school I opted for arts, put off by all the formulae in science. There was nothing that combined the two like design engineering does. I resolved to be an estate agent, then a painter, a surgeon, an actor, and an artist again. I only stumbled on engineering by accident and immediately decided what I wanted to do – make things that work better.”
Engineering
Engineering is one of the most useful and exciting careers. Engineers are the people who can create practical solutions to the 21st century challenges of sustainability, housing and an ageing population. And we need more of them.
Our work
We want young people to discover the satisfaction and creativity that is bundled up in design engineering. With a little encouragement, natural curiosity for how things work can lead to creativity and problem solving – and, eventually, the design engineers of tomorrow.
Our resources
Design and Technology lessons should inspire students. Experimentation should live in hands not in books.
The Design Process Box and Engineering Box are free resources for teachers to bring design engineering to the classroom. Whether building a prototype out of cardboard or taking apart a Dyson machine, students discover engineering by actively solving problems.
Workshops
In schools and universities around the world we challenge young people to design solutions to everyday problems – all in 90 minutes. The outcome? Compost bins that combat climate change, inventive DIY tools and energy efficient ventilation systems.
Scholarships
We’re working to support the future Edisons and Brunels.
Each year we award over £650,000 to students around the world. The funding supports their project work – allowing them to develop and research new ideas, spend more time in the fabrication studio, designing and testing, and less time paying bills.
James Dyson Award
The James Dyson Award celebrates young designers from 18 countries who are able to think differently. Whatever the design, as long as it solves a problem, it’s got a chance of winning the James Dyson Award.
But it’s not just about recognition. A £30,000 prize goes to the international winner to help transform the idea from a prototype into a commercial product.
Charity
Our main focus is design and engineering but we also encourage and support medical and scientific research. We’ve donated over £9 million to these causes through grants, machine donations and fundraising endeavours lead by Dyson people.

Supported projects

2017 MALMESBURY SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT – TOBY CHAMBERLAIN
The James Dyson Foundation has awarded Toby Chamberlain, a Malmesbury School student, with a scholarship to cover his university tuition fees. The scholarship is awarded to one Malmesbury School A-level student who is planning to study science, technology, engineering or maths at university. The scheme was launched in 2013 as part of the charity’s mission…
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James Dyson opens invention powerhouse at heart of Cambridge
Today, James Dyson opens some of the world’s most advanced engineering facilities at the University of Cambridge – giving the institution’s students and academics the space and means to prototype, invent and collaborate on cutting-edge research. The development has been funded by a £8m donation from the James Dyson Foundation – the largest gift ever…
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Malmesbury student awarded £36,000 scholarship
Every year, the James Dyson Foundation offers a university scholarship to one A-level student at Malmesbury School who intends to study science, technology, engineering, product design or maths at university. This year’s scholarship has been awarded to 18-year-old Adrien Fauvarque. Adrien has applied to study mechanical engineering at several top UK universities. The James Dyson…
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JAMES DYSON BUILDING ‘TOPPED OUT’
Yesterday saw the ‘topping out’ of the James Dyson Building at the University of Cambridge. Following a Cambridge tradition, Tom Dyson poured a bottle of locally brewed beer onto the new roof. The James Dyson Building is set to house engineering researchers from early 2016. The Dyson Centre for Engineering Design at the University of Cambridge is also close to completion.…
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Dyson Building Opens at the Royal College of Art
The Dyson Building at the Royal College of Art Dyson Building opens today, housing 40 business incubators for young designers and engineers to cultivate British invention.
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Dyson Building at the Royal College of Art
James Dyson scaled the roof of the Royal College of Art’s new building in Battersea, calling for more commitment to design and engineering. The ‘topping out’ ceremony marked the completion of the highest point of the new Dyson building, to which the James Dyson Foundation has donated £5 million.
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James Dyson Foundation Scholars At Northwestern University
After many applications and a round of intense interviews the James Dyson Foundation has awarded scholarships to three students at Northwestern University – Allison Bedell, Andrea Fraga, and Galen Maclusky.
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The Dyson Centre For Neonatal Care
The James Dyson Foundation recently donated £750,000 to the Royal United Hospital in Bath to fund the development of The Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care. Designed to create an environment to suit a baby’s development, it pairs cutting edge architecture with unique research techniques.
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Who we are

Engineering in action:

Engineers wanted.

James Dyson

Engineering

Our work

Our resources

Workshops

Scholarships

James Dyson Award

Charity

Supported projects

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