Masterclass in Innovation and Design Thinking for government professionals

Towards a future-proof and dynamic public service.

Workshop Design Ecosystem Jonas Verbeke LR 22

Training tailored to the public sector, inspired by the business world

Today's rapid and sweeping changes bring complex challenges that require new ways of thinking and working. In this time of transition, government cannot stand still. As a city or municipality, you have a unique opportunity to lead the way and develop innovative, creative solutions that directly improve the well-being of residents.

This programme not only gives you the knowledge and skills, but also the inspiration to break through existing dogmas and realise innovation in a people-oriented way.

A training tailored to the public sector, inspired by the business world

Innovation occurs where worlds meet. Ideas and solutions from one sector can lead to new insights and breakthroughs in another. With this in mind, this programme - originally developed for the business world - has been carefully adapted to the specific needs and challenges of the public sector. Our experienced experts, who have earned their spurs in both the public and private sectors, bring fresh perspectives. With their people-centred approach and design thinking methodologies, they will help you break through fixed ways of thinking and discover new opportunities.

Workshop Design Ecosystem Jonas Verbeke LR 3

Who is this training intended for?

Are you a director or policy officer in a government organisation and would you like to work towards a future-oriented, people-oriented public service? Then this programme is for you.

The programme is aimed at, among others, general directors but also sustainability managers, digitalisation managers and project leaders of urban renewal or social initiatives.

About us

Design Region Kortrijk, founded in 2005, believes in the power of innovation and design to make the world better, more beautiful, more social and more sustainable. Good design goes beyond aesthetics; it is an essential tool for improving products, services and societal challenges. Working closely with partners and experts from business, education and the public sector, we have been using design and design thinking to improve both products and (digital) services and address societal issues for 20 years.

Location & data

The programme includes 8 training days in January, February and March 2025.

Thu 30/1/2025, Fri 31/1/2025, Thu 13/2/2025, Fri 14/2/2025, Thu 27/2/2025, Fri 28/2/2025, Thu 13/3/2025, Fri 14/3/2025

The sessions will take place at Hangar K in Kortrijk, Nelson Mandelaplein 2.

A catered lunch will be provided on site at noon.

Programme:
Future Thinking and future scenarios - Thursday 30.01.2025

New technologies open up unprecedented opportunities. At the same time, profound societal changes and geopolitical uncertainties bring new challenges. This makes it more difficult for policymakers to make strategic decisions for the future. During this session, you will learn to recognise trends and megatrends and correctly assess their impact. You will get the tools to develop a future-oriented policy that responds flexibly to different scenarios.

Expert Thomas D'hooge, is a lecturer at Howest where he shares his expertise in future thinking. Co-founder of the Belgian hub ‘Teach The Future’, he combines insights from design thinking, lean startup methods, creative problem solving and trend analysis.

A vibrant innovation climate in a clear organisational structure - Friday 31.01.2025

An outdated organisational structure can be the source of numerous problems: laborious communication, slow decision-making and unclear roles. In this session, you will discover how innovative organisational structures can contribute to a culture of innovation, in which employees actively participate and contribute to generating new ideas. Such an innovation climate leads directly to better services and increases the commitment of your team.

Inge Ramboer (Wild Swans) brings 20 years of experience in a variety of positions within social profit and business. As team coach, personnel director and director, she supported numerous merger and integration projects.

Leadership and (innovation) teams - Thursday 13.02.2025

Where the traditional government context was all about stability, hierarchy and uniformity, today's world demands a different approach. In this session, you will discover new leadership styles better suited to today's challenges. You will learn how to put together a balanced innovation team and how to guide teams towards successful results.

An Mortelmans (Wilde Zwanen) has been helping executives, teams and organisations use their full potential for years to grow towards sustainable innovation and collaboration.

Design thinking and service design - Friday 14.02.25

Whether you are developing new services for citizens, or digitising internal processes for your colleagues: it is always essential to understand what is on the minds of those you are innovating for: their needs, questions and challenges. After all, these insights form the basis for developing and improving public services and/or internal processes. This session introduces you to design thinking and various service design methodologies that help you effectively identify these needs and implement supported change and innovation from there.

Remco Lenstra started his career as a product designer and R&D manager. Today, he works as an experienced design thinker at, among others, Antwerp Management School.

Stakeholder determination and co-creation - Thursday 27.02.25

Successful collaboration with external parties is crucial for organisations striving to innovate. It starts with identifying potential cocreation opportunities and mapping the ecosystem in which you operate. In this session, you will learn how to collaborate effectively with stakeholders within a win-win model, so that everyone benefits from joint efforts.

Piet Verhoeve gained experience as CTO of Televic and as director ICON at iMinds/Imec. He is the author of the book Win-Winnovation and launched the co-creation hub Hangar K in Kortrijk in 2018. In 2021, he kicked off Flanders.healthTech.

Integrating sustainable and circular principles - Friday 28.02.25

By integrating circular principles into municipal policies, you contribute to a low-carbon society. In this session, you will discover the important role of government in encouraging citizens and businesses to develop sustainable, innovative solutions.

Saartje Boutsen (Studio D) advises and supports companies and organisations that want to do business sustainably. As a consultancy, they ensure that economic performance goes hand in hand with a positive impact on people and the environment.

Citizen participation - Thursday 13.03.25

Developing services together with citizens and neighbourhood committees offers opportunities for quality and supported service delivery. In this session, you will learn both the basic theoretical concepts and the practical applicability of citizen participation.

Cato Léonard (Glassroots) engages internal, external stakeholders and citizens to co-create together a new strategy, product or solutions to a challenge that leads to support for implementation. Cato Leonard works for companies, governments, political parties and non-profit organisations.

Storytelling to persuade and enthuse - Friday 14.03.25

As an innovator and frontrunner, you therefore cannot do without the power of storytelling, from the very first idea to its dissemination. In this session, you will learn to convince and enthuse others about your vision of the future.

Tom Delmotte has built a rich career that included working for the government and in higher education. In early 2018, he decided to continue as a full-time freelancer. Tom is passionate about words and stories and focuses on advising companies and organisations to communicate their story powerfully and effectively.

Price and contact

An early bird rate applies until 30 November: €2,250 (excluding VAT)


From 1 December, you pay €3,000 (excluding VAT)

There is a 10% duo discount for organisations registering 2 participants

For more info, contact

Stan Dewaele stan@designregio-kortrijk.be
Marijke Bouciqué marijke@designregio-kortrijk.be

Subscribe here!