The Pink Initiative

The Pink Initiative has established a design-driven transformative ecosystems in the context of the Umeå region.

Launched by RISE in 2018 with the intuition of creating a catalysing space for applied research and society in the North of Sweden, the Pink project concluded in 2021 and new initiatives have spin-off from its course.  

The Pink has connected three elements:

• a meaningful place, connected to a regional social cultural and industrial context; gravitating around a space to meet, work, network, where where design & prototyping activities can be carried out;
• a methodological framework to support societal transformation towards sustainable futures;
• a learning environment for a variety of societal actors.

The Pink Initiative has promoted activities in design, research and collaboration. Here, design is used as a catalysing force to prototype instances of transformations in relevant contexts. Research is conducted to build a body of knowledge and to develop and test tools that are used in educational or collaborative activities. Lastly, collaboration is aiming to create value in a participated way.

One example of a format that combines the different perspectives adopted within the Pink project is Pink Perception, an event where 170 persons participated to 7 parallel workshops at Scharinska Villan, producing protoypes for futures regarding, for instance, AI, sustainable food and the future of mobility.

The outcomes of this project in the region of Umeå are the following:

The Pink has created a local RISE offer, formed of:

• Workshops on designerly ways of going about societal transformations
• Programs for boosting innovation capacity of industry and public sector
• Workshops about organisational changes
• Curating design research project
• Readiness for Change assessment workshops
• Inspiration Lectures & Educational Lectures
• Networking with local people, SME’s & companies
• Curating alternative networking, multistakeholders activities
• 3D printing workshops

The Pink has developed the format of Transformation Partnerships, applicable where a complex constellation of stakeholders seek support in designing a sustainable transformation, starting from a societal challenge. The methodological framework at the foundation of Transformation Partnerships is Transforming Practices to Design for Systemic Transformation.