On the occasion of the Italian Design Day 2024 (IDD), the Italian Embassy to Kosovo, the Italian Trade Agency Office in Tirana (ITA/ICE) and the University of Business and Technology (UBT) are organizing a round table discussion with students of Architecture and Design, as well as a representative of professionals from the sector. In dialogue on the theme of this year’s event – “Manufacturing value – inclusivity, innovation and sustainability” – will be Luisa Collina, architect and full professor of Design at the Politecnico di Milano. The appointment is set for Thursday 21 March at 11 a.m. in the Library spaces at the UBT Innovation Campus in Lipjan. The Italian testimonial will be joined by UBT Rector Edmond Hajrizi and Italian Deputy Head of Mission Ugo Ferrero.
“The theme of this year’s IDD, on which we will reflect together with students and our Design Ambassador from Politecnico di Milano, intends to address issues of strong impact for the future of the planet: the value of the production process, which combines tradition and artisanship with the most modern techniques in terms of innovation and environmental sustainability. Quality, therefore, but also inclusiveness: the Italian design object does not want to address a niche of customers, but is intended for a wide public of informed buyers; quality is then a factor of renewal, of sustainable and responsible development”, Deputy Ambassador Ferrero explains.
For Collina, who has to her credit several collaborations with companies on international research programmes and strategic innovation projects in design, “the process is the core, it becomes in fact a formal element that is also distinctive, giving identity to the end result, like a signature. Thanks to the efficient use of resources and innovative technology, products and processes can be improved to generate value and promote sustainability”.
For UBT Rector Hajrizi, “the Italian Design Day and the chance to interact with a renowned professional in the field like Prof. Collina represent a valuable opportunity for our students and faculty: as an academic institution, we are committed to promoting innovation and creativity and, in this regard, we are interested in exploring the unique aspects and iconicity of the Italian design system. Looking further afield, we are deeply grateful to the Italian Embassy for recent joint initiatives, not least the activation of a lectureship entirely supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has allowed us to include the teaching of the Italian language in our curriculum”.
Alongside the event hosted by UBT, a series of promotional activities focused on “Made in Italy” are organized by ITA/ICE Office on the occasion of the IDD 2024. Special promotions and discounts are ongoing at various points of sale in the main Kosovar cities, especially at local large-scale distribution channels. In the same vein is an innovative exhibition on Pinocchio, curated by the ADI Design Museum of Milano, which will be inaugurated at the “Prishtina Mall” on 6 April and will remain open until the end of the month.
The Italian Design Day is the annual theme-based review launched by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture. It consists of an extensive programme of promotional events around the world, performed by the network of Embassies, Consulates, Italian Cultural Institutes and ICE Offices abroad: every year, specifically for this occasion, over one hundred testimonials become storytellers, presenting Italy’s design and outstanding creativity. The review has established itself as an effective tool in supporting the promotion of design and the internationalization of a strategic industrial sector for Italian exports, as well as boosting the educational-training component, favouring the interaction of the higher education system with foreign creative communities, so to promote for new talents and professionals growth the training offer based in Italy in areas of creative design and industries.
