Design has become an important instrument in European efforts to address complex societal challenges, including diversity, inclusion and social participation. Over the past years, the European Union has invested substantially in design-driven initiatives aimed at creating more inclusive societies. Yet despite these investments, there is still no widely accepted framework for assessing whether such projects truly achieve their intended societal impact.
The new Erasmus+ project DRIVE seeks to address this challenge. The project will develop an innovative framework for the Design Reframing of Impact, Values and Evaluations, enabling researchers, educators, industry professionals and policymakers to better understand and assess the broader social value of design.
Through DRIVE, academics from across Europe will combine their knowledge to create a practical and qualitative framework that supports more pluralistic approaches to evaluating design. The project aims to capture not only economic value but also the ways in which design promotes inclusion, diversity and social well-being.
The consortium is coordinated by VU Amsterdam and includes partners from five countries:
- University of Southern Denmark (Denmark)
- Aalto University (Finland)
- University of Bologna (Italy)
- Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
With DRIVE, VU Amsterdam and its European partners are taking an important step towards recognising and measuring the full societal value of design, strengthening the role of design as a driver of positive social change.
