The 2020 Design for Innovation Program is a new tool of the Xunta to promote the growth of the Galician economy. Its objective is to promote the incorporation and systematization of design in companies as an engine of innovation and competitiveness at a global level, with special attention to SMEs.
Design is a key activity in bringing ideas to market in the form of more attractive and user-friendly products and services. Even though European statistics show that companies that incorporate design into their business strategy grow twice as much, its widespread implementation is a pending task at a global level.
In this context, the 2020 Design for Innovation Program aims to adapt to the international consensus in addressing design specifically in public innovation policies, as well as the commitment of the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) with R&D oriented to people.
This initiative, which is part of the Galicia Innova 2020 Plan, seeks to provide the Galician business fabric with the necessary means to effectively incorporate design in all its aspects (industrial, graphic, product, organizational, digital and multimedia). In this framework, its objectives are:
- To improve knowledge and consideration of design as a strategic factor beyond its aesthetic value.
- To train companies and entrepreneurs to invest in design and apply it to innovation in new products and services, business processes and strategies.
- To value the figure of designers as an element of competitiveness.
To address these challenges, the actions contemplated in the Design Program focus on:
- Tools for disseminating good practices and making business success stories in the field of design visible.
- Creation and dynamization of the network of design agents.
- Design dissemination actions in companies, including training and implementation of design methodologies.
- Activation of aid to encourage the role of design in entrepreneurship and in promoting talent and employability in the business environment.
- Incorporation of the design in the public administrations themselves.
- Promotion of the internationalization of Galician design.
The Program seeks to involve all agents of the Innovation System, focusing on companies and design studios and professionals, but also including knowledge centres, professional colleges and associations, and public administrations.
The Program is its own plan of action that complements Gain’s experience in two European projects started between 2017 and 2018: Design4 Innovation and User-Factor. Participation in these two initiatives – together with entities from 9 other countries – guarantees permanent contact with trends and priorities in the field of design in the EU for the region of Galicia.
El Programa es un eje de actuación propio que complementa la experiencia de Gain en dos proyectos europeos iniciados entre 2017 y 2018: el Design4 Innovation y el User-Factor. La participación en estas dos iniciativas —junto con entidades de otros 9 países–garantizan para Galicia un contacto permanente con las tendencias y las prioridades en el campo del diseño en la UE.
