DesignShots

Design is a key driver in creating new products and services that are attractive to customers, and can make a business stand out among the competition. However, the lack of design management skills is a significant barrier to the wider adoption and integration of design into Europe’s businesses. As stated in the Innovation Union Flagship Initiative, although some European countries are world leaders in design, others lack a robust design infrastructure and design capability. This systemic gap has largely gone unnoticed but must now be tackled. Innovation agencies should tackle this gap by supporting and promoting design driven innovation programmes and services. The overall aim of Design Shots project is to use the experience, the tools, the capacity and the partners’ knowledge in order to address a common innovation support challenge namely to promote the integration of design driven innovation to smes through the creation of tailor made “design driven innovation support programmes” for private sector. The Peer learning activity will serve to learn from the best and to share good and bad practices in design driven innovation support services for smes. The realized Design Options Paper will serve as a “guide” or a “handbook” to other agencies and business support centres to provide similar and/or more focused services/support/ programmes on design driven innovation.