This is MADres
Co-funded by the European Union Creative Europe Programme and BEDA, MADres is a strategic initiative that advances design as a key enabler of Europe’s digital, green, and social transitions.
MADres aims to strengthen the European design community and deepen expertise in the three focus areas: AI competencies and digital ethics, planetary design and accessibility, and business cases and development. These domains are crucial for the extension of the technical skill set.
By embedding values of responsibility, inclusivity, and sustainability into the pan-European design practice, MADres enables the driver for transformation and innovation, ‘design,’ with its professionals.
Therefore, MADres aims to create the assets and values necessary to foster Europe’s prosperous and sustainable future.
For long-term impact, MADres develops a Living Design Policy Framework—a flexible, adaptive model that equips our governments and institutions to integrate design into national and EU-level policy agendas.
Why MADres?
MADres strengthens the European design community by expanding its skills and skillsets in today’s key areas, such as digital ethics, planetary design, and accessibility. These fields are not just technical—they are vital in translating our systems and creating responsible, inclusive design practices to support Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable growth pathway.
MADres contributes to developing a political framework that strengthens design and its methodologies at the national and European levels. This includes advocating for a more flexible, responsive policy environment that recognises our time’s sociological, economic, and ecological challenges and uses design as a key enabler of systemic change.
By doing so, MADres not only empower individual design practitioners but also reinforce the strategic value of design in shaping Europe’s future.
Your Opportunities
As a Designer and curious/creative citizen, you will soon find the first playbooks and additional material, so subscribe to the BEDA Newsletter. (Don’t miss the chance!)
As an expert, do you have professional and/or academic knowledge in one of the three objectives? We have an interesting opportunity for you. It includes being part of a fascinating top-tier network, meeting some of the most interesting design protagonists and design organisations and travelling within Europe.
As a member organisation of the BEDA, you will benefit from direct access to the services MADres provides. It ranges from priority access to the Glorious 42 international expert pool, four funded national policy labs, train-the-trainer workshops and the acceleration programme for your members or designers you represent.
If you are not a member of BEDA but want to profit from MADres, contact office{at}BEDA.org for further information.
What?
MADres will develop easy-to-follow playbooks and video materials that will be available to the public. For members of BEDA and members of the BEDA Member organisations, supplementary resources used in dissemination will be made available.
- access and booking for your events with the Glorious 42 (G42) experts – called ‘Deep Talk’
- workshop material and a train-the-trainer Systems,
- acceleration programmes (Heart of Change) within the three objectives of ‘Digital Ethics’, ‘Accessibility’, and ‘Planetary Design’, as well as according to ‘Business Case Development’
- additionally, BEDA members can participate in developing the Living Design Policy Framework by incorporating them as Policy Test Labs, enhancing the iterative development process
Playbooks as navigation support and to keep you dry
Navigational support to clear hinders on the way to implementation of projects and initiatives regarding digital ethics, planetary design and accessibility will be provided through specially produced Playbooks. These playbooks synthesise hands-on knowledge and best practice cases to assist initiatives.
Deep Talk: The Gateway to Knowledge – starts March 2026
The MADres ‘Deep Talk’ is an advanced opportunity allowing BEDA members to reserve a slot with the G42 with an easy-to-go booking system for a conference, a symposium, or a consultation. This is going to be available from Spring 2026.
Heart of Change: Accelerating Innovation
However, even the wisest need acceleration. That’s where ‘Heart of Change’ comes into play. It is an acceleration program, supporting designer minds toward breakthrough solutions and innovations. The program features peer-to-peer expert coaching, wherein knowledge is not merely dispensed but collaboratively built. This ensures that ideas can evolve through online coaching sessions. The booking system will be available soon.
Train-the-Trainer: Spreading the Knowledge
Still, knowledge, much like a ‘well-cooked Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster’, must be handled with care. The ‘Train-the-Trainer’ initiative is simple: instead of leaving wisdom to decay in the minds of a few, trainers are educated along the well-crafted playbooks, allowing them to disseminate their knowledge. Like digital spores spread, ensuring that workshops blossom throughout the industrial cosmos. Stay tuned for further information.
A Never-Ending Cycle of Insights
The cycle continues: ‘Deep Talk’ guides seekers to the G42, G42 supplies them with insights, the ‘Heart of Gold’ propels them forward, and ‘Train-the-Trainer’ ensures that knowledge propagates, merely redistributed like a well-placed probability wave.
Somewhere in the vastness of space, a slightly confused humanoid with a towel and a deep distrust of automated doors ponders whether any of this makes sense. But the experts at G42 know better: when you truly understand the right questions to ask, the answers become apparent.
Even if, sometimes, the answer is just 42.
