opening a new chapter: relocating ICoD headquarters

01.10.2025 Announcements

ICoD is preparing for an exciting new chapter: relocating the Secretariat to a new host city. The relocation will strengthen our ability to remain accessible, flexible, and sustainable while deepening connections with the global design community. This transition represents an important step in advancing ICoD’s role as a global platform for design professionalism and collaboration. We invite interested cities, institutions, and organisations to express their interest in hosting ICoD and becoming part of this next chapter.

As you are aware, ICoD’s domicile is currently registered in Montréal, Canada. As part of the Board’s ongoing strategies and renewal of the organisation’s operational activities, we are preparing to potentially transition our headquarters to a new location. In doing so, we aim to position ICoD in a host city that values design and supports our mission, while keeping the organisation accessible, efficient, flexible, and sustainable.

For this proposed transition, we are inviting expressions of interest from potential host cities, institutions, or organisations willing to partner with ICoD by covering the necessary costs associated with the move. This includes:

• Providing office accommodation which includes a furnished office space with access to either a dedicated or shared meeting room, kitchen and restroom, for a period of ten years;
• Contributing to staffing support of at least three full-time positions with the possibility of two to three part-time roles in the future, for a period of ten years. In this regard, ICoD is also interested in continuing its long-standing graduate internship programme with local academic institutions;
• Covering expenses related to legal registration and other administrative fees for establishing a new domicile as a Not-for-Profit Organisation;
• Contribution to other establishment costs and assisting with setting up the headquarters in the new location such as banking, telecommunications, internet, web hosting, equipment, utilities, insurance, recruitment of legal and accounting consultants and staff; and
• Covering relocation and moving expenses of selective assets based in Montreal.

The ICoD Board aims to conclude the host city bidding process by mid-May 2026 and relocate its Secretariat by July 2026. Additional background information and a summary of benefits can be accessed at the links below.

We also welcome discussions on how the host city could profile itself as the new home of ICoD through events, media visibility, and partnerships that highlight the city or region’s design community and strengthen its international presence.

By securing support for these essential resources, ICoD will be able to focus its energies and funding on its core mission: advocating for design professionalism and building stronger connections across the global design and related communities.

We kindly request interested parties and entities to acknowledge their interest by Wednesday, 19 November 2025. Letters of Expression of Interest should be addressed to the Relocation Advisory Committee coordinated by former ICoD President Jacques Lange at email: jacques@theicod.org. The Committee will engage with all interested parties regarding the next steps of the selection process by 27 November 2025.

We are grateful for your consideration of this important initiative and look forward to engaging with your responses.