Call for Interest – DUETO: UNESCO Design Cities Exchange Programme

From the city of Bilbao, we are pleased to launch DUETO, an international exchange initiative aimed at fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing between designers and companies from cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network- Design subnetwork.

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What is DUETO?

• A designer from another UCCN Design City will collaborate with a company based in Bilbao to tackle a specific challenge, using design methodologies.
• At the same time, a designer from Bilbao will work with a company located in the partner city under the same framework.
• The participating companies should ideally have little or no prior experience with design methodologies. the proposed challenge should be broad enough to allow design to bring added value by helping the company better understand and address a wider issue.
• The goal is to demonstrate the value of design in business contexts and to show how the UCCN network can support meaningful international cooperation.

 

How does it work?

Each participating city will be responsible for organising and funding the programme locally. This includes:

• Identifying and selecting both the local company and designer.
• Ensuring fair compensation for the designer.
• Providing support throughout the collaboration process.
• Promoting visibility and carrying out dissemination activities.

 

Why participate?

DUETO aims to:

• Demonstrate the value of design in business contexts.
• Strengthen international cooperation within the UCCN Design subnetwork.
• Create meaningful, real-world impact through design.

 

Timeline (tentative)

• 3-4 months for the selection of the company and designer in each city.
• 6 months for the collaboration between the designer and the company.

 

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F U R T H E R  I N F O R M A T I O N

E: cgutierrez@bilbaoekintza.bilbao.eus

E: bilbaocreativecity@bilbaoekintza.bilbao.eus