European Design Innovation Initiative

In line with the commitment taken in the Innovation Union, the European Commission last year launched the European Design Innovation Initiative (EDII) to exploit the full potential of design for innovation.

The goal of the initiative is to:

• raise the awareness of design as a driver of innovation in Europe
• enhance its role as a key discipline to bring ideas to market transforming them into user-friendly and appealing products, processes or services by enterprises and public services in the EU.

European Design Leadership Board was be set up to steer the initiative. To ensure the crucial link between design and innovation, the Board is composed of members with diverse backgrounds (i.e. business sector, higher education, designers, national and regional agencies promoting design and innovation).

The Leadership Board, together with the Secretariat of the European Design Innovation Initiative  and the European Commission will develop a joint vision, priorities and actions to better integrate design into innovation policy.

The Board's membership is as follows:

• Deborah Dawton, President, BEDA - Bureau of European Design Associations
• Gerin Trautenberger,UEAPME,European Association of craft, small and medium-sized enterprises Vice-President of Austrian Creative Industries 
• Andrea Siodmok, Technology Strategy Board, TAFTIE,the European Network of Innovation Agencies
• Isabel Roig, Director General,Barcelona Design Center
• Dr. Miklós Bendzsel, Chairman,Hungarian Design Council 
• Christian Bason, MindLab Copenhagen
• Giovanni Antonio Cocco, Managing Director ISNART S.c.p.A, Istituto Nazionale Ricerche Turistiche
• Rachel Cooper, Professor of Design management, Chair of Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts and Chair of Imagination Lancaster
• Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Chairman of the Committee supporting World Design Capital Helsinki 2012; former President and CEO of Nokia Corporation
• Stefano Marzano, Chief Creative Director, Philips Design
  Klemens Rossnagel,  Design Research Audi Group
• Livia Tirone Founder of TIRONES NUNES dedicated to designing and promoting "bio-climatic" & "sustainable buildings"
• Roberto Verganti, Professor in Politecnico di Milano
• Thierry Wasser, Perfumer, Guerlain