Over two days, on 19 and 20 November at the EITB Multibox Hall in Bilbao, DISEINUZ will serve as a meeting point where knowledge, experience and ideas are transformed into opportunities for collaboration.

From national and international thought leaders to business leaders, researchers, public officials and design professionals, DISEINUZ brings together voices that are driving new ways of understanding design as a strategic tool.

Bilbao, 19 October 2026. How can we innovate in a context of uncertainty? How can we integrate artificial intelligence, move towards more sustainable models or strengthen trust in organisations? The DISEINUZ Bilbao Bizkaia Design Summit has been created to explore how design can help answer these questions. Its first edition will take place on 19 and 20 November at the EITB’s Sala Multibox, bringing together companies, institutions, design professionals and knowledge stakeholders to share experiences and solutions to current business and social challenges.

The conference was launched today at EITB’s headquarters, with the participation of Angélica Barco, president of EIDE, the Basque Design Association; Benicio Aguerrea, coordinator of EIDE and the DISEINUZ Bilbao Bizkaia Design Summit; and Jesús Cao, director of the DISEINUZ Talks podcast. DISEINUZ is an evolution of the Bilbao Bizkaia Design Week and is promoted and supported by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and Bilbao City Council, led and organised by EIDE, the design association for the Basque Country and Navarre, and in collaboration with EITB as media partner.

“The Basque Country has a strong industrial and business tradition, a well-established professional design sector and an increasingly broad and recognised range of training programmes. Through this event, we aim to bring the value of design closer to organisations, generating new opportunities and genuine collaborations that contribute to improving the competitiveness of our productive fabric through its strategic integration,” said Angélica Barco, president of EIDE, the Basque Design Association.

“DISEINUZ is an event for the entire ecosystem, not just the design sector, which is why it is aimed at a broad and diverse audience. Naturally, it is aimed at design professionals and companies, who need to share knowledge, strengthen their relationships and expand their opportunities. But it is also aimed at industrial and service companies, their heads of innovation, strategy, product and customer experience; public institutions and administrations; knowledge and training centres; and all those involved in organisational transformation processes”, explained Benicio Aguerrea, coordinator of EIDE and DISEINUZ.

The event is aimed particularly at decision-makers in companies and institutions, those responsible for innovation, strategy and product development, design professionals, and researchers. Its aim is to bring these perspectives together to understand shared challenges and foster opportunities for collaboration.

DISEINUZ offers a programme of presentations and discussions centred on real-world experiences and decisions, combining keynote speeches, challenges, round-table discussions and interdisciplinary exchanges. Among the key speakers will be Dawn Lim, Executive Director of the DesignSingapore Council, who will present Singapore’s design masterplan for 2035; Uwe Cremering, CEO of iF Design, who will offer an international perspective on the sector’s global challenges; Nerea Aranguren, Managing Director of Danobatgroup; and Jaime Moreno, founder and CEO of Mormedi.

Representatives from organisations such as Santander, Eroski, Designit, Manyone, Roche, Notpla, NTT Data and Soulsight will also take part. Their experiences will enable the discussion of issues such as the impact of investment in design, innovation driven by people’s knowledge, healthcare services and the development of sustainable alternatives.

Recognition of design’s contribution to Basque culture and businesses

“We also wish to recognise the excellence in design found in the Basque Country and Navarre through the creation of the DISEINUZ Ambassador award, which will be presented to DIARA, a pioneering design studio in the Basque Country celebrating its 40th anniversary, represented by its managing director, Olaia Irulegi. But we are also honouring a key figure in design: Martín Azúa from Álava, winner of the 2026 National Design Award and the 2018 Bilbao Bizkaia Design Week Ambassador”, explained Benicio Aguerrea, coordinator of EIDE and DISEINUZ.

The discussions will also extend to DISEINUZ Talks, the podcast hosted by Jesús Cao, whose four-episode series explores the city, care, mobility and the future. Gathered round a table, their diverse perspectives enable an analysis of the challenges in each field and the solutions that design is providing. The podcast is available on the EITB Guau channel, as well as on the main audio platforms (Spotify, Ivoox and Substack).

The full programme and information on speakers, tickets and other activities can be found at diseinuz.com. Tickets are available for individual days and for the full conference, as well as at reduced rates for students and groups. The conference is supported by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and Bilbao City Council, as part of a public-private partnership.