The Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs published in May a long awaited report on how to further strengthen Danish design. The report must be seen in close relation to current government initiatives to boost Danish competitive and innovative advantages in accordance with the Lisbon agenda.

The report underlines the importance a shift to a more user centered focus in design and stresses that design should be thought of as a resource at the same level as information technology.

The report recommends that initiatives are undertaken to
- Provide companies with better knowledge about the use of design and how to implement design solutions.
- To further companies access to design and design counselling.
- To professionalize the design industry further and to make design education more vocationally oriented. 
- To protect copyright and intellectual property rights of design and heighten awareness. 
- To brand Denmark as a design nation

One important recommendation is to create one or more prototypes to deliver design solutions to actual public problems. Whereas design in industries is used to generate more income, public authorities can use design to reduce public expenses.

While Denmark has a long history of using traditional design in the public space, few public institutions are using design solutions in other fields. The prototypes should work as showcases of how design solutions can improve public performance.

Download the report (in Danish only)