Montreal (Canada) – The Icsid Board of Directors has provisionally approved four new memberships and in doing so has added two new countries to the organisation’s global network: Portugal and Denmark!

Associacao Nacional de Designers (Professional). Founded in 2003, the National Portuguese Designers Association is currently the only professional support structure in place for designers in Portugal. The association has worked towards the recognition of ‘designer’ as a profession under the Portuguese Code of Economic Activities and continues to work towards a national design policy.

Designidea (Corporate) managed by Icsid Regional Advisor, Mr Nils Toft, Denmark’s Designidea provides services in the fields of research, strategy, design and engineering. The company has won numerous awards, including Red Dot and the Danish Industrial Design Award. Designidea continues to work internationally across many sectors.

Institute for Research and Urban Planning of Curitiba (Promotional) is focused on bringing design to every aspect of life in Brazil. Since 1965, the Institute has been recognised for its innovative solutions to urban planning, sustainability and mobility. The Institute is currently developing a strategic plan to incorporate art, design and urban planning as it pertains to a revitalisation of the region.

University of Huddersfield (Educational) was awarded Icsid’s 2013-2014 World Design Impact Prize for their ‘A Behaviour Changing (ABC) Syringe’ project. The University of Huddersfield’s School of Art, Design & Architecture is passionate about expanding the frontiers of human knowledge and aims to provide an exceptional environment for research and a vibrant and rapidly growing community whose members contextualise their work within broader social, economic and cultural entities.

New provisional members enjoy the same benefits as ratified members but may not vote, nominate for the executive board, or be nominated until the upcoming general assembly officially approves their membership.

For more information on membership, including eligibility and the application process, please contact:

Sarah Brown
Community Engagement Programme Officer
e: sbrown@icsid.org