The evaluation of the 36 applications submitted for design LAB is underway

The application process for the first design LAB incubation programme of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) has now closed, for which a total of 36 cooperating manufacturer-designer pairs have submitted their applications. The Jury, consisting of both Hungarian and international industry experts, will evaluate the received product development plans in several rounds in the upcoming period. A decision on which concepts will receive financial support will be made by the end of August. The aim of the incubation programme is to create within the industry as many successful collaborations between manufacturers and designers as possible. 

Throughout the design LAB incubation programme, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency is encouraging collaborations between manufacturers and designers via a jointly submitted tender. Based on the decision of the Jury, the applicants who have been judged as the best in terms of originality and feasibility, as well as exportability, will be able to use the non-repayable funding for the finalisation and production of series-produced products.

Evaluation of the received materials

The applications will be evaluated by the Jury, which consists of experts such as Gergő Hosszú, Red Dot Award-winning Designer, and Managing Director of Co & Co Designcommunication; Barbara Majcher, Chief Adviser of the Hungarian Design Council; Róbert Mascher, President of the Studio of Young Designers Association; and Gábor Wilheim, President of the Hungarian Furniture Association. The design LAB programme has been implemented in collaboration with the French Design Institute, VIA (Valorisation de l'Innovation dans l'Ameublement), and therefore the fifth judge, Jean-Paul Bath, the President of VIA, will also comment on the visual documentation of the entries. Zsófia Bata-Jakab, CEO of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency; Árpád Keresztury, Design Director; and Oszkár Vági, Professional Consultant will give a professional opinion from the side of the HFDA.

Aspects of Evaluation

Firstly, the submitted proposals go through a pre-screening, during which the Jury examines whether the preconditions for obtaining funding are met, and once this is complete, checks are made to ensure that the purpose of the project is in line with the purpose of the application opportunity: the cooperation of manufacturers and designers, where the product can be manufactured in a series. Professional feasibility is also a prerequisite for participation in the tender, which is fulfilled if the application has well-defined goals and includes realistic tasks and objectives in terms of duration. The prerequisite study concludes with an assessment of the budget.

Applicants who meet the preconditions to the maximum will also report to the Jury on the details of their implementation plans, during which they will be evaluated on the basis of nine criteria. The Jury will be looking at supporting serial production, meeting sustainability requirements, and the costs associated with material and human resources.

The visual presentation of the products will be classified on the basis of several aspects - classification will cover the concept of design, the originality of the form of appearance, the quality of the visual designs, the adequacy of the drawings, and the visual representation of the mood board. Last but not least, the fantasy name of the product will also be scored as well as the examination of the product’s uniqueness and creativity. The HFDA and the Jury will determine the number of winners depending on the quality of the applications. 

Collaborations starting with online consultations

During the two-month application period, the HFDA also supported the establishment of collaborations with an online meeting named Speed ​​Dating - where industry players in need of a manufacturer or designer with whom they could develop a new product to apply for funding with, would be able to meet. A total of 14 manufacturers and 18 designers used the opportunity and assessed the potential of their collaboration through online meetings and negotiations. The consultations brought in the expected results: half of the participants already had a definite idea of ​​who they wanted to collaborate with after the meeting.

Important dates & deadlines

Applicants have the opportunity to submit any missing information once if a required document is missing or has been omitted from the application. The announcement of the results will take place at the end of August when the chosen applicants receiving a grant to implement their ideas will be revealed. The Manufacture-Designer pairs will have 6 months to produce the winning design projects, meaning they must produce their business ideas between September 1, 2020, and March 1, 2021.