Barbara Predan is the director of the Institute of Design in Slovenia. She discusses her country's national design ecosystem and involvement in design policy. Slovenia lacks design-driven companies and policymakers, as well as companies with clear design strategies, limiting designers' impact. She outlines several Slovenian design policies from 2005 to the present focusing on R&D tax credits, reports on the design sector, and action plans to support industrial design. The main subjects involved in design policy are government funders and policymakers, as well as private sector beneficiaries. Opportunities for design policy include EU initiatives while limits include a lack of design-focused policymakers and dependence on government.

1. Design Policy in Action—
Monday 21st March
MUDAM (Luxembourg - Kirchberg)
The model of the Luxembourg
Design Action Group

2. Nice to meet you —
My name is Barbara Predan.
My link with design policy is:
I am a co-founder and leader of the department of
design theory at the Pekinpah Association, and,
since 2014, the director of the Institute of Design,
an academic research organization.
My work with design policy includes: workshops and
lectures for representatives from the public sector;
education, collaboration and co-working through
actual projects; development of new tools and
methods; writing and publishing research papers.

3. National design ecosystem—
Population: 2.062.874
Population Density: 102.39
people per sq. km
Total Area: 20,273 km²
GDP: $49,506 billion (Nominal, 2014)
GDP per capita: $30,824 (PPP, 2015)
N. of designers: 3065 (2009)
R&D Spending: 935 million EUR on R&D
activities in 2013. In 2014 53%
companies spent 3% of turnover or
less in R&D; 11% spent more than 10%
in R&D; the rest between 3 and 10%
Some data about my country
The national design ecosystem of Slovenia is complex.
We lack design-driven companies and policy makers, as well
as companies with a clear design (long-term) strategy.
Because of this, the designers’ efforts are less successful;
innovations lack the effect they would have otherwise.

4. Design Policy
R&D tax allowance to allow for the reduction of the tax base
for up to 100% of R&D
Type: Policy
Start year: 2005
End year: -
N. of edition: 4
Part of: The Slovene Corporate
Income Tax (CIT)
Current status: Current
Duration per edition: 2005 (10%);
2006-09 (20%); 2010-11 (40%);
2012- (100%)
POLICY CATEGORIES
Category: Framework development
Subcategory: Financial support
SYSTEM OF SUBJECTS
Funders: Ministry of Finance
Policymakers: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology
Intermediaries: Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia
Beneficiaries: Private sector
Evaluators: Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia and Ministry of Economic
Development and Technology

5. Design Policy
Report on the state of design, with focus on industrial design, as a
part of creative industries, and best international practices as a
foundation for fostering this sector in Slovenia
Type: Initiative
Start year: 2010
End year: 2012
N. of edition: 1
Part of: Initiative to provide
systematic support for the CI
Current status: Completed
POLICY CATEGORIES
Category: Framework development
Subcategory: Financial support, Promotion and advocacy
SYSTEM OF SUBJECTS
Funders: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of
Education, Science and Sport, Slovenian Research Agency - ARRS
Policymakers: University of Ljubljana: Faculty of Economics, The Institute for Economic
Research (IER)
Intermediaries: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Ministry of Culture
Beneficiaries: Design sector (mainly), also private and public sector
Evaluators: Slovenian Research Agency - ARRS

6. Design Policy
Action Plan for Implementing Industrial Design as
Part of Slovenian Economy
Type: Initiative
Start year: 2012
End year: 2014
N. of edition: 1
Part of: Design Policy Slovenia
Current status: partly superseded
Duration per edition: 2 years
POLICY CATEGORIES
Category: Framework development
Subcategory: Financial support, Capability Building, Promotion
SYSTEM OF SUBJECTS
Funders: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology
Policymakers: Directorate for Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness and Technology –
Ms. Natalija Medica
Intermediaries: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Ministry of Culture,
Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Ministry of Finance
Beneficiaries: Private, public and design sector
Evaluators: Various ministries and agencies

7. Design Policy
Smart Specialisation Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia
Type: Policy
Start year: 2013
End year: 2015
N. of edition: 1
Part of: European cohesion policy
Current status: Current
Budget per edition: 2.256.408.438 Eur
(2016-2018)
Duration per edition: 2015-2020
POLICY CATEGORIES
Category: Human development
Subcategory: Support for research, Services supply
SYSTEM OF SUBJECTS
Funders: Government of the Republic of Slovenia
Policymakers: Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy
Intermediaries: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, other ministries and
governmental agencies
Beneficiaries: Private sector (mainly business, tourism, healthcare, science, technology and
design – industrial design, service design)
Evaluators: Various ministries and agencies

8. Design Policy
Center For Creativity
Type: Policy
Start year: 2016
End year: 2020
N. of edition: 1
Part of: European cohesion policy
Current status: Current
Budget per edition: 10.918.095,28 Eur
Duration per edition: 2016-2020
POLICY CATEGORIES
Category: Human development
Subcategory: Support for research, Services supply
SYSTEM OF SUBJECTS
Funders: Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Economic Development and
Technology
Policymakers: Ministry of Culture
Beneficiaries: Private and design sector (innovation, R&D, business incubators)
Evaluators: Ministry of Culture

9. Subjects
What are the main subjects involved in design policy in
your country and which role they have?
FUNDERS
- Government of the Republic of
Slovenia, Governance
- Government Office for
Development and European
Cohesion Policy, Governance
- Ministry of Economic
Development and Technology,
Governance
POLICYMAKERS
- Government Office for Development
and European Cohesion Policy,
Governance
- Directorate for Entrepreneurship,
Competitiveness and Technology,
Governance
INTERMEDIARIES
- Ministry of Culture, Governance
- SPIRIT Slovenia - Public Agency for
Entrepreneurship, Internationalization,
Foreign Investments and Technology
- Regional Development Agency of the
Ljubljana Urban Region, Governance
BENEFICIARIES
Mostly private and
design sector
EVALUATORS
Usually policymakers
or intermediaries

10. Opportunities and limits
Which are the main opportunities and limits to
develop design policy in your country?
Opportunities
 EU Design Policy
 Case studies and
methodology for
implementation
 Public sector
innovation labs
Limits
 Lack of design-driven
policymakers
 Policymaking is too
dependent on
government mandate
 Misunderstanding the
role of design

11. Thanks!