BEDA members invited to European Design Leadership Board
07.06.2011 News
Deborah Dawton, BEDA President. Photo courtesy of BEDA.
Isabel Roig, BEDA Vice-President. Photo courtesy of BEDA.
Brussels (Belgium) - At the invitation of European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA) President, Deborah Dawton (United Kingdom) and Vice-President Isabel Roig (Spain), attended the first meeting of the newly established European Design Leadership Board which took place in Helsinki on Friday 27 May 2011.
The newly established Board of fifteen members from umbrella organisations, design promotion institutions, leading academics, industrialists and designers will steer the European Design Innovation Initiative (EDII) with the aim to "exploit the full potential of design for innovation and to reinforce the link between design, innovation and competitiveness." The European Design Innovation Initiative is to be launched by Commissioner Tajani as a component of the Innovation Union later this summer.
The Innovation Union, one of seven flagship initiatives of EU's growth strategy: Europe 2020, was launched by the Commission on 6 October 2010 - almost three years to the day following BEDA's Design Manifesto meeting with President José Manuel Barroso, (on 8 October 2007), requesting that the European Commission include design as a key driver in its innovation policy.
BEDA President Dawton says that, "The significance of design in European innovation policy is now established. With 46 organisational members in 23 Member States, BEDA is delighted that its lobbying over the past decade has encouraged the Commission to integrate design as a key driver for Europe's competitiveness and innovation. The policy is now converting to action and BEDA looks forward to playing a full and active role on the European Design Leadership Board as it continues in its task."
About BEDA
BEDA exists to ensure permanent liaison between its Members and the authorities of the European Union in order to communicate and promote the value of design and innovation to the European economy.
beda.org
About the European Design Innovation Initiative
The particular importance of design as a key discipline and activity to bring ideas to the market has been recognised in the Innovation Union, Europe's 2020 flagship initiative. In line with the commitment taken in the Innovation Union, the European Commission will launch in 2011 the European Design Innovation Initiative to exploit the full potential of design for innovation and to reinforce the link between design, innovation and competitiveness.
ec.europa.eu
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