READ and the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia will lead Spain’s National Policy Lab to promote design in public policies at the European level

The joint project of our two organisations has been selected as one of the four European initiatives to develop public design policies within the framework of the European MADres programme.

The Spanish Network of Design Associations (READ) and the Design Foundation of the Region of Valencia have been selected by The Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA) to lead Spain’s National Policy Lab, within the framework of a European call aimed at promoting the integration of design into public policies.

The Spanish proposal, submitted as a consortium by both organisations, has been chosen as one of the four selected initiatives across Europe, alongside proposals from Ireland, Latvia, and Poland. This recognition places Spain in a strategic position within the European design ecosystem, reinforcing its role in shaping new public policies based on design.

A strategic consortium serving design

 
The joint proposal by READ and the Design Foundation is built on the complementarity of both organisations: on one hand, READ’s territorial reach and its capacity to represent the professional ecosystem at a national level; and on the other, the Design Foundation’s operational experience, international projection, and execution capacity, continuing the legacy of Valencia as World Design Capital.

This collaborative model between organisations enables the articulation of a solid and coordinated approach to address one of Europe’s key challenges: how to integrate design as a strategic tool in the definition of public policies, particularly in decentralised contexts such as Spain.

Design as a public policy tool

 
Spain’s National Policy Lab will develop a working process based on two cycles of workshops, involving public administrations, design ecosystem stakeholders, industry, and academia. Through design methodologies, the project will explore new ways of incorporating design into key areas such as public innovation, business competitiveness, and territorial cohesion.

The outcomes of this process will contribute to the development of the Living Design Policy Framework, promoted by BEDA, generating knowledge and tools that can be replicated at a European level.

A European initiative to boost the impact of design

 
The National Policy Labs are part of MADres, an initiative by BEDA co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. This programme aims to strengthen the role of design as a driver of innovation, sustainability, and social impact across Europe.

The selection of the Spanish proposal highlights both the maturity of Spain’s design ecosystem and the ability of its organisations to collaborate on international-scale projects, actively contributing to the European design agenda.