The tips & tricks you can find in the manual, the actual achievements and the many stories behind those achievements: they all came about thanks to TRIPOD-II.
TRIPOD stands for “Transregional Project for Innovation and Promotion of Design". Within the context of TRIPOD-II, various partners from Flanders, Wallonia and the North of France join forces to make enterprises and industries stronger through design and design thinking.
The project ran between October 2016 and March 2021. Lille Design (FR) was the project manager and set up TRIPOD-II together with Aditec Pas-de-Calais (FR), CCI Grand Lille (FR), Designregio Kortrijk (FL), Antwerp Management School (FL), Design Innovation (WA), Progress/Maison du Design (WA), IDETA (WA), Héracles (WA), Wallonie Design (WA), Mel (FR) and Leiedal (FL).
The project partners developed a very wide range of activities with a common thread: design and design thinking as a catalyst. One of the activities was the “urban design” process, in which the design thinking approach was used to shape sustainable solutions for public space. Cocreation with different stakeholders offers great chances of finding inventive, sustainable solutions. Bringing stakeholders of different regions and countries together is certain to result in even more enriching insights and extremely interesting discussions.
“Lille-design was responsible for the coordination of TRIPOD-II. The twelve partners are all actors who either focus on economic development or are specialised in all forms of design. Design doesn’t simply relate to objects; it’s a way of thinking and above all a way of growing.
The purpose of the project was to combine all that knowledge and expertise relating to design and economic development and make it available to enterprises, organisations and designers at a cross-border level. Fostering design is a means to give not only the industry a major boost and positive image, but the regions as well.
Within the context of different work packages, the partners organised quite a lot of activities, from corporate guidance over networking to training and valorisation. We also organised two editions of a major event, Design Fusion, once in Kortrijk and once in Lille. At events like this, the different actors in our regions have the opportunity to exchange ideas and above all knowledge. “
Olivier Ceccotti, lille-design
“Each of the three regions concerned – Flanders, Wallonia and the North of France – have different cultures and different approaches to design. Each of them has its own tools and methodologies, resources to support enterprises, specific networks etc.
So there are in fact quite a few differences. It is also clear, however, that the needs and questions relating to public space are quite similar. The challenges we have identified with respect to the “urban design” aspect can be found in each of the regions. By combining the different approaches, by thinking together and by cocreating, we may come to solutions that provide a perfect answer to these challenges in any of the regions.”
Khadija Omari, Ideta
“Over the past few years, TRIPOD-II has led to quite a few achievements in our region. Thanks to this project we have been able to put a few ideas into practice. In addition, the financial support from Interreg France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen provided major leverage. The project also introduced us to many new partners from across the border, in Wallonia and the North of France, who also have knowledge and expertise and an extensive network relating to design. Combining all this makes it possible to create something with major added value.”
Stijn Debaillie, Designregio Kortrijk
