HeBAN will participate in a panel discussion of the ‘Innovation ID 2016’ Conference at the Piraeus Bank Conference Center in Thessaloniki on 19 April, 2016. More details and the full programme can be found here.

Design has proven to be a dynamic tool for innovation. The European Commission has recognised design as a key driver of innovation for bringing user-friendly products to the market and for making both private and public services better correspond to user needs. However, many SMEs are not yet aware of the advantages design can bring to their company and they lack the necessary design management skills. Moreover, as stated in the Innovation Union Flagship Initiative, although some European countries are world leaders in design, others lack a robust design infrastructure and design capability.

The one-day conference ‘Innovation ID’ will give attendees the opportunity to discover how design can help business innovate, grow and be more competitive in a globalised economy. The conference is specially targeted to SMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurs, as well as to business intermediaries. Participants will get a deep understanding of what design is, how it is implemented and how it works in practice. Some methodologies will be explained in detail. Moreover, attendees will hear from practical examples of business and organisations that are using design.

In addition to this, two roundtables will explore how design policies can be implemented in Greece and what hinders the uptake of design among Greek business particularly start-ups. The conference will be complemented with parallel workshops focusing on specific groups and methodologies.