DEEP DIVE in the quintuple helix of a compact UNESCO Creative City of Design

In our encounters with existing and candidate UNESCO Creative Cities (of Design), we experience that cities are searching how to build a structural and sustainable ecosystem around the theme of design (or another creative field).

Based on our experience of 20 years, we can show you how we have built our ecosystem in Kortrijk around design, engaging business, government, education, environment and citizens. We know how to involve them, what is important for them and how to keep them excited.

We would like to invite you to travel to Kortrijk for a 3-day deep dive.

• We will show you how we built our quintuple helix design ecosystem including business, government, education, environment and citizens.

• We will visit quintuple helix stakeholder partners with whom you can interact: companies, design studios, cultural venues, research centers, …

• We will give you insights in our opportunities and challenges, and how we respond to them.

• We will share our financial model.

• We finish the deep dive with an Innowiz workshop to create your own quintuple helix design ecosystem, to take home to your stakeholders.

Day 1

11:00 Welcome & introduction to the region

Location: industrial museum Texture to understand the historical and current context of the city and region.

We will explain the most recent city developments from the new urban riverbanks “Leieboorden” to the new research campus “Kortrijk Weide”.

12:30 Lunch at Hangar K, hub for start-ups

13:30 Kick-off of the deep dive

Presentation of 20 years Designregio Kortrijk and the major projects of our organisation: WONDER Creativity Festival, We Are the Next Generation, Wonder Club, K-TOTEM, Designers in Residence and the Living Labs/

To feel the creative and innovative buzz of Hangar K, young start-ups active in gaming, education technology and design will pitch their business activities. These start-ups are supported by special programmes like EDTechStation and Flanders Game Hub to boost their international growth. The breeding ground for the game studios is just across the street: Howest campus The Level, top 3 best gaming school in the world by Rookies.

16:30 Guided tour with a unique blend of historic and contemporary cultural and design initiatives in the city center with visits to Buda Factory, Budalab Makerspace, Buda Arts Center, the immersive installation in the Gravenkapel, the new Abby Museum, the UNESCO heritage site of the Beguinage and the Design Kiosk.

18:30 Free time

19u30 Dinner at Maison Parazaar, winner Commerce Design Awards 2022

The dinner starts with an inspiring keynote of the My Machine education project. MyMachine is an intergenerational collaboration where primary school, secondary vocational/technical school, and university students co-create. This unique process spans the idea, design, prototyping phases, fostering teamwork across all educational levels to build 'dream machines' within a single academic year.

Day 2

08:45 Departure from The Market Hotel

09:00 Insights in the quintuple helix ecosystem financing model

We resume at Villa Voka, the home to the Chamber of Commerce Voka West-Flanders. Architectural Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen created a volume around a patio. In this inspiring architectural setting, we will give insights in the financial model of Designregio Kortrijk and how the stakeholders of the quintuple helix are involved in a mix of public and private funding.

11:00 Visit innovation agency Creax

Creax is a front-runner in innovation consulting and research company, known for

its profound and dedicated approach to tackling innovation challenges. This is why Creax introduces a thorough and systematic approach to navigating the fuzzy and unstructured world of innovation.

12:30 Lunch at inclusive restaurant Buda Kitchen

Buda Kitchen is an all-round spot: bistro, co-working space, and meeting place, integrated in an elderly home. You can enjoy delicious dishes, work productively, and meet people of all ages in a unique setting with surprising urban design.

14:00 Kortrijk, home of creative makers

Bus tour and visits to our manufacturing industry and research centers

► Barco designs technology that empowers positive outcomes globally, with its roots as a small radio company in Belgium. The Barco One Campus in Kortrijk exemplifies modern architecture, showcasing its innovative and international character. They develop technology with a vision for a healthier world, providing the best care for every patient. Additionally, they help professionals in control rooms, classrooms, and meeting spaces to share data and images, enabling better-informed decisions and smarter collaboration. They also support roadies, artists, and creatives in delivering stunning visual experiences in cities, at events, and in cinemas and museums.

► The Circular Materials Center supports and encourages businesses to adopt circular practices. By collaborating with knowledge and educational partners, sector associations, and employers' organizations, they provide companies access to expertise, machinery, and training opportunities.

► Campus Weide is the new hotspot for industrial research centers and education institutions such as Howest Industrial Design Center, Flanders Make, VEG-i-TEC and House of Manufacturing.

17:30 Free time

19:00 Dinner at Vliegend Tapijt (Commerce Design 2022)

21:00 Optional cultural activity (lively music scene, theater, film, …)

Day 3

09:30 Innowiz workshop

By using the well tried and tested Innowiz tool, we will help you to build your own quintuple helix design ecosystem.

The location of this workshop is Howest The Penta, located near Magdalenapark. This is Howest's sustainable campus hub. Its standout feature is an impressive atrium staircase, offering seamless access between floors in a pentagonal building surrounded by greenery. Enjoy panoramic views of Kortrijk from its terraces and relax in the park's sunny spots.

12:30 Lunch and meeting with the WONDER CLUB companies

WONDER CLUB is a collective of design minded companies that join forces to promote Belgian design, supported by Designregio Kortrijk. Participating companies are: Modular, Wever & Ducré, Allaert Aluminium, Joli and Vincent Sheppard.

14:00 Thank you and safe trip home

You are welcome! From the moment that Kortrijk has joined the UCCN, we have given full force in the network by sharing our expertise with other design cities (for example with Kaunas and Bilbao), by implementing expertise from other cities in Kortrijk (for example from Detroit and Montréal), and by taking a leading role in the subnetwork (in 2018-2020 as deputy coordinator, in 2020-2023 as coordinator). With this deep dive we open-up our design ecosystem model to the world.

We invite you to Kortrijk to experience the deep dive. We are ready to accommodate and immerse you.

Dates: 23-24-25 April 2025
Participants: min. 5 persons (from 1 or more cities)
Book until 31 January 2025

Cost per person: 1.950 euro + taxes, incl. all visits, workshops, Innowiz, lunches and dinners, local transport and 3 nights at The Market Hotel ***
Price is subject to availability.

For questions and bookings, please contact Stijn Debaillie, managing director of Designregio Kortrijk, stijn@designregio-kortrijk.be.