Evaluating design vouchers in Scotland and the implications for design support in the United Kingdom and Europe

In the decade 2010–19, design featured in 21 of the 28 European Union member states’ innovation policies according to the Bureau of European Design Associations. As we embark on a new decade, it appears that design’s influence within innovation policy and programmes may be waning. What does the design support landscape look like for the United Kingdom in a post-Brexit and post-COVID world? What lessons can be drawn from an evaluation of design vouchers in Scotland for the United Kingdom as a whole and possibly the rest of Europe? This article draws on the experience of User Factor – an EU-funded project on the future of design support in Europe through five knowledge exchange workshops with eight business support organizations as well as a design-led evaluation of the impact of ‘By Design’ vouchers in Scotland among participating companies. In the United Kingdom, the design support landscape is fragmented – design is part of the remit of all the devolved nations’ business support programmes; however, this landscape is complex for small companies to navigate. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, design support programmes are currently EU-funded, so it is unclear what programmes will look like after Brexit. ‘By Design’ is a light-touch grant for Scottish companies to access up to £5000 to work with design agencies. Over five years, 618 companies received the grant. The evaluation revealed that design is a relatively low-cost way for companies to innovate as 64 per cent of companies reported bringing a new product or service to market and 27 per cent entered new markets. Furthermore, after the grant, 83 per cent of companies continued to work with a design agency going on to invest £26,000 on average. This demonstrates that a small government grant of up to £5000 can stimulate a fivefold increase in investment. In 2020, design was back on the EU policy agenda as a driver of circular economy and the ‘New European Bauhaus’. Based on the evaluation of the Scottish design vouchers and knowledge exchange between the User Factor partners, we draw out a series of insights and implications for design support in the United Kingdom and across Europe.