Design for Europe: Give Design a role in FP10

The ask

Give Design a structural position in FP10.

A structural position in FP10's architecture. Positioned explicitly in Pillar II, Design strengthens and fuels the exchange with Pillar I (fundamental research) and Pillar III (market innovation).
A structural and supported position within FP10's policy windows. Design has the skills and network to bring Defence, Health, Sustainability, and Digitalisation to innovative practice and reinforce the Union's sovereignty.
Support for Design as a discipline. We urge the Commission to include and support Design research and practice as a competitive advantage.

The undersigned, Europe's Design Research faculties, Design Education institutes, and Design Industry, stand ready to take their role in FP10.

The stakes

Technology is crucial for Europe's future, but technology alone cannot secure the Union's autonomy. Innovations deliver impact only when they are adopted by users, embedded in infrastructures, and developed through transdisciplinary efforts. That is the work of Design.

Design enables the translation of fundamental insights from Pillar I into innovative applications in Pillar II, and ensures that these applications, aligned with the objectives of Pillar III, are effectively and scalably embedded in society. Design translates societal challenges into technological solutions like no other discipline, making it the true engine of innovation.

Diagram: Design plays a critical role to create a sustainable innovation ecosystem across FP10's three pillars

The case

Two decades of evidence

As early as 2009, the European Commission identified a strong positive correlation between the use of design and national competitiveness. The evidence has only grown since.

2×

Revenue growth of design-led companies over their peers

McKinsey Design Index

1.5×

Higher total returns delivered to shareholders

McKinsey Design Index

~4%

Of EU GDP value added contributed by the cultural & creative industries

European Commission

People employed across two million European enterprises

Creative sector, EU

Why Design

An innovation operating system

Human-centred

Design ensures that the Union's innovations are developed with and for the people who will use, share, and further advance them, enabling sustainable impact.

System-centred

Design grounds innovations securely and purposefully in societal, economic, and industrial networks and infrastructures, reinforcing Europe's transition toward stable sovereignty and scalable competitiveness.

Transdisciplinary

Design's methodologies foster creative collaboration between engineering and other scientific disciplines, between academia and practice, between individuals and policy, and between short-term and long-term values.

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Signatories

Backed by Europe's design community

Placeholder logos below. Research faculties, Education institutes, and Industry partners will appear here as they sign on.

LOGO

Europe cannot function without Design.