ICoD finds a new home in Vilnius

04.06.2026 ICoD news

The Executive Board of the International Council of Design (ICoD) is delighted to announce Vilnius, Lithuania (Vilniaus miestas, Lietuva) as the chosen location for hosting the organisation’s secretariat for the next decade. 

Beginning in June 2026, this strategic move will enhance our accessibility, flexibility and organisational sustainability while strengthening our ties with the global design community. This transition marks a significant step forward in ICoD’s role as a global platform for design professionalism and collaboration. Furthermore it provides another host city and region with the chance to benefit from hosting the secretariat after twenty-one years in Ville de Montréal, five in Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium and thirty-six years in London, England.

The search for a new host city began in October 2025. We invited cities, institutions, and organisations to partner with ICoD by providing furnished office spaces, contributing to staff salaries, and supporting the graduate internship programme. Host partners would also help with the secretariat’s relocation by covering legal registration and administrative requirements as well as provide establishment support and contribute to long-term operational costs for ten years.

Securing support for these resources will enable ICoD to focus on its core mission: advocating for design professionalism and strengthening connections within the global design and related communities. Discussions also included how the host city could position itself as ICoD’s new home, involving employing local professionals, hosting events, increasing media visibility, and engaging in collaborative projects that highlight the city’s design community and boost its international standing as champions of the design professions.

The ICoD Board appointed an eight-member Relocation Advisory Committee to develop a bid brief and conduct a transparent evaluation process. The committee, chaired by ICoD President Melike Taşcıoğlu Vaughan and coordinated by former ICoD President Jacques Lange, includes Rebecca Blake (USA, former ICoD Treasurer), Jovana Milovic (Canada, former ICoD CEO), Ruth Klotzel (Brazil, former ICoD Vice President), Iva Babaja (Croatia, former ICoD President), Min Wang (PR China, former ICoD Vice President), and Chika Kudo (Japan, ICoD member liaison for JAGDA). Their diverse backgrounds and deep understanding of ICoD ensured a comprehensive evaluation.

The bidding process spanned three phases. A call for expressions of interest closed in January 2026, resulting in interest from four diverse regions. In April 2026, a phase one presentation reviewed initial bids using a questionnaire focusing on seven criteria to narrow down a shortlist. From 23 to 25 May 2026, the Committee scrutinised the detailed bids of the two final shortlisted bids using an additional brief with ten criteria. 

The Committee appreciated the professional presentations and was impressed by the visionary thinking and generosity in the offers. Its recommendations were presented to the ICoD Executive Board, who voted to accept a resolution naming Vilnius as the preferred new host city.

Vilnius’s proposal is based on a distributed consortium partnership model that ensures resilience, depth, and compounding value. Each partner covers a specific domain, such as office, digital, legal, archiving, events, international reach, and research, rather than a single funder handling everything. This mitigates risk and ensures long-term sustainability. It also allows each partner to open entry points for further partners, funding streams, and programmes, ensuring value compounds structurally rather than by chance. It is also a ‘living’ business model that will allow the host consortium to grow beyond the initial proposal and agreement, expanding into the future.

The Lithuanian Design Association, a member of the ICoD, leads the consortium supported by Vilnius Design College, TDDM/Applied Arts & Design Museum, Hostinger, Go Vilnius, and Corner Hotel, who are responsible for various infrastructure and operational aspects. KTU Design Centre, VDA Design Innovation Centre, and the Lithuanian Culture Institute will provide access to local and EU-level grant programmes for collaborative projects in the future. 

Vilnius, as the new host of the ICoD secretariat, offers several advantages. Its vibrant design community receives strong support from local and national government and EU organisations, along with funding. It also holds UNESCO City of Design status. Strategically located, Vilnius is highly accessible and has a lower cost of living compared to many European capitals. As a compact, connected European capital, it boasts one of the continent’s fastest-growing tech and creative ecosystems. Its small population and widespread English use contribute to a high quality of life and ease of doing business. Lithuania’s Schengen and Eurozone memberships will further boost easy intercontinental travel and simplify international financial transactions.

Lead representatives from the Vilnius bid consortium team will meet with the ICoD Executive Board in Sofia, Romania, on 9 and 10 June 2026 to officially sign a Memorandum of Understanding and discuss a relocation implementation strategy. This meeting is part of ICoD’s quarterly Board Meeting, coinciding with the European Design Festival in Sofia.

About the LDA

The Lithuanian Design Association (LDA) is an independent non-profit organisation formed by the cooperation of professional design creators. Founded in 1996, LDA advocates for the prestige of the designers' profession, stands for designers' interests in government institutions, promotes designers' creative activities, and coordinates the work of various organisations participating in the design process.