The most application for the design LAB incubation programme was sent for development of furniture prototypes

The first Design LAB Incubation Programme has reached a crucial stage: A Jury of seven industry professionals ranked the 43 applications and evaluated them according to how well they met the 15 pre-defined professional criteria. The candidates with the highest scores will be able to present their ideas to the judges in mid-August. The selected manufacturer-designer pairs that will receive a support framework to implement their ideas will be revealed at the end of August.

The Design LAB Incubation Programme, which encourages collaboration between manufacturers and designers, has reached an important milestone: a Jury of nationally and internationally recognized experts have selected the projects that will be given the opportunity to present their concepts in the next round. The runners-up stood out of the field with exciting solutions, out of a total of 43 entries. Typically, applications were received from the furniture industry, but applications were also received for the production of household ceramics, electric lighting, concrete, plaster and cement products, and textiles. Overall, the members of the Jury positively assessed the applications received as part of the first Design LAB Incubation Programme, where the expectations consisted of originality, feasibility and exportability. The fact that there were examples of several ideas that could be implemented through sustainable manufacturing processes and environmentally conscious solutions was warmly welcomed.

During the evaluation of the applications, the Jury first examined whether the pre-conditions for obtaining the support framework were met, followed by the applications being scored according to various criteria. The concepts had to meet a number of professional requirements: the possibility of series production, sustainability aspects, and the relevance of cost and schedule were also examined by the Jury. The design concept, the design and technical plans, and also the visual appearance of the product were classified. The adequacy of the latter aspect was also commented on by Jean-Paul Bath, President of the VIA (Valorisation de l'Innovation dans l’Ameublement), the French Design Institute with a 41-year long professional background, which has already supported over 100 projects. It was from these aspects, that the maximum score of 17 was derived. The production and design pairs that submitted the most successful bids will stand before the Jury in mid-August to present their product development concept and answer any questions the Jury members may have in a personal presentation.

The members of the Jury are associated with numerous domestic and international successes - their remarkable professional past and results laid the foundation for their role in the competition. Gergely Hosszú, Managing Director of Co & Co Design communication and multiple Red Dot award-winning designer, has already won the “red dot” of the Design Zentrum in Essen several times, competing with big brands such as Apple or Bosch. Barbara Majcher, Chief Adviser of the Hungarian Design Council, is also a defining figure in the design profession: through the scholarships announced by HDC, she has embraced countless successful talents today. Róbert Mascher, President of the Studio of Young Designers Association, also has broad insight into the skills that make a player distinctive in the market. The fourth member of the Jury, Gábor Wilhelm, as the President of the Hungarian Furniture Association, is up-to-date with the latest trends in the merging of industry and design and therefore recognizes which projects are also internationally viable.

The programme will continue with a professional consultation, where the selected pairs will review the issues to be clarified with the Jury. The results will be announced at the end of August, during which the applications receiving the requested grant amount for the implementation of their projects will be finalised.