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The Director of Administration at the Lithuanian Council for Culture Rūta Stepanovaitė and the Head of the Design Wings project Gabija Vanagė attended the first live-format meeting of the DESICE project in Thessaloniki, Greece. The meeting gathered eight partners from seven countries: Lithuania, Greece, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy, Romania, and Estonia. Representatives from the Council presented the Design Wings project, discussed its activities, and shared best practices.

Focus on interregional cooperation

The Lithuanian Council for Culture is part of the Interreg Europe programme DESICE, participating through the successfully implemented Design Wings project, invited by the Lithuanian Innovation Centre. DESICE aims to enhance the execution of regional and local policies related to the circular economy, specifically focusing on bolstering the capabilities of product developers.

The DESICE partners gathered in person for the first time to discuss project management, administration, the upcoming steps and deadlines. Simultaneously, Thessaloniki provided a venue for interregional cooperation, where partners and local stakeholders presented selected regional policy instruments and tools, exchanging insights on how to enhance them. The participating countries will continue providing regular updates on the progress of their analysis and adjustments to the presented measures, as well as sharing relevant information.

The institutions also embarked on study visits concerning design products and services grounded in circular economy principles. They toured the Thessaloniki Innovation Hub OK!Thess, where they were introduced to the activities of the SKG MAKERS initiative. They learned about how the initiative organises, empowers, and supports the city’s artists, as well as how it conducts educational activities for local schoolchildren. They also visited Creative Platform, a non-profit collective organisation serving as an interdisciplinary platform for exchanging ideas regarding the challenges of “creative capital” and “creative economy” in Greece.

The Director of Administration at the Lithuanian Council for Culture Rūta Stepanovaitė and the Head of the Design Wings project Gabija Vanagė at the DESICE meeting in Thessaloniki

Design Wings project stands as a testament to success

Tautvydas Pipiras, Project Manager at the Innovation Analysis and Policy Department of the Lithuanian Innovation Centre, overseeing Lithuania’s involvement in the DESICE project, introduced the Centre’s chosen advancement measure from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania in his presentation Developing the Cultural and Creative Industries, Promoting Competitiveness, and Creating Added Value.

The Design Wings project, executed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, was also included in this advancement measure selected by the Lithuanian Innovation Centre. The Head of the project Gabija Vanagė, together with the Director of the Administration Rūta Stepanovaitė provided a comprehensive overview of the activities and outcomes of the Design Wings project.

Head of Design Wings Gabija Vanagė presents the project activities at the DESICE partners meeting in Thessaloniki

“Presently, all modern European countries encounter numerous challenges, including youth unemployment, sustainability, promoting small businesses, and various others. Therefore, colleagues from various countries found it particularly intriguing to learn about Design Wings, where a single project addresses multiple social issues by harnessing the power of design. The project’s outcomes were showcased, leaving the DESICE participants pleasantly surprised by the abundance of innovative design solutions that could be generated in such a short timeframe. All DESICE partners view design as a crucial catalyst for integrating the circular economy across both public and business sectors. It will be intriguing to see the final outcomes of this project and witness how the creative potential of design will be leveraged in various countries,” said the project leader Gabija Vanagė.

The project is funded by Interreg Europe under the European Regional Development Fund.