Just like last year, together with CLICKNL, Design United will organise the Design Research & Innovation Festival (DRIVE) in De Effenaar, from 24 to 28 October,  during the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven.  

At DRIVE,  innovation- and research projects at the interface of knowledge and innovation are spotlighted on stage for an audience of design researchers, design professionals, organisations and companies. The Event is invitation only, but you can follow the live stream! If you would like to attend, send an email to drive@clicknl.nl with your motivation.

This year, DRIVE will focus again on 5 themes that offer great opportunities for the creative sector:

Monday 24/10: how can creatives contribute to Social Innovations? 

To tackle societal challenges even better, we need new solutions that realize both economic value and societal impact. But how to develop and realize these multiple values? With creative methods, models and approaches. Researchers and designers can make the difference: working together with companies, governments and citizens to develop and test which interventions accelerate and scale innovations, and strengthen the social earning capacity.

Tuesday 25/10: Design for Public Spaces, while thinking about (mental) wellbeing.

From residential towers next to shopping centers with lifeless squares, to green arteries with playgrounds through the city; the environment has an effect on our well-being. Residents of urban areas need different types of facilities, but the competition for space in the city is fierce. We have to be smart about this: how do we design public space that contributes to a good quality of life? How do we take in account all those conflicting wishes and interests?

Wednesday 26/10:  Circular Design and its impact on business models.

By designing smartly, we can use our raw materials longer and more efficiently. We are already designing new business models, products and systems that are circular and we must increasingly focus on the transformations of chains and systems. What do we already know about designing it, what have we already learned and what are the next steps?

Thursday 27/10: exploring the possible impact of Immersive Content, both digital and non-digital.

Immersive experiences involve all of our senses through intense, partly digital, events. This new field allows us to interact online and remotely, experience future situations, dive into richer experiences than 'real life' and try out interventions in a safe and low-risk way.

To create these experiences, content and technology must come together. Designing immersive content is a challenge for the creative industry. What methods can we use and do we still need to develop? What insights are still missing? And what are the consequences that can take place?

Friday 28/10: the possibilities of and with Experimental Environments.

Everything that is groundbreaking, has been developed. This applies not just to physical products, but also to services and/or even business models and processes. Their development often has an experimental phase in which you test, adjust and test again. The experiment is the key to your success if you use it in the right place and way. But how do you determine what the right place or way is? And what are the options? Come and learn about best practices and experiences of field labs, living labs, learning communities, hubs and other breeding grounds for innovation.