Sign up on LinkedIn.
Subscribe on YouTube.
Check it out on our website.

Who will receive the German Ecodesign Award 2026? On September 14 and 15, a distinguished jury of nine renowned experts in design and environmental fields will decide which projects will be nominated for this year’s German Ecodesign Award – and ultimately, who will take home the highest accolade awarded by the German government for ecological design. The jury meeting will take place behind closed doors at the Metropolenhaus Berlin.

Immediately afterwards, the exhibition will open on the evening of September 18 at the same venue. The accompanying vernissage will mark the launch of a four-day showcase of innovative and sustainable design ideas. Visitors are invited to discover and be inspired by more than 150 forward-thinking projects until September 22.

On 18 September, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the German Environment Agency and the International Design Center Berlin invite you to this year's. On display are the nominated projects of the 2026 German Ecodesign Award, along with all other entries that were admitted to the jury session.

Please register in advance via eventbrite.
The event will take place in German.

Location: feldfünf | Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 7–8, 10969 Berlin
Start: 6 p.m. | Admission from 5.30 p.m. onwards

At InnoTrans 2026, we highlighted how cross-sector collaboration is shaping innovative interior solutions for public transportation. Case studies and expert talks showed how designers, manufacturers, and operators join forces to deliver effective result.

Website: InnoTrans Convention
Livestream: InnoTrans Plus

Program

10.00 - 11.50 | CASE STUDIES

Radical Love: Innovation project for low eco impact, low weight, low cost and the love for passengers
Dominik Meier, Creative Director, NVGTR and Robert Dumortier, Director Nouvelles solutions Expérience à Bord | Centre d'Ingénierie du Matériel, SNCF Voyageurs

Rethinking the Overnight Journey - The New Single Cabin for Sweden's Sleeper Trains
Olle Lundberg, CEO/Founder, LundbergDesign

Design as the Binding Force – Aligning Operator, Manufacturer and Passenger Experience at Rigi Bahnen
Fernando Cruz and Stefan Pfister, senior designers at Milani Design & Consulting

New Interior Realm, Smart Mobility – People-Oriented & Future-Oriented Public Transport Interior Design
Jian Wang, Technical Manager, CRRC Group Co.,Ltd

ALISA – R&D project for a European Day- and Nighttrain
Dieter Kobel, Vorstand/Chairman, Tricon AG

How to buy a train. Experience-Centred Tender Definition
Christian Harbeke, CEO, nose design experience

11.00 - 12.30 | PANEL TALK

From Concept to Delivery in Rail: Enhancing Procurement and Industry Cooperation for Customer-Centric Solutions

Panelists:
Christian Harbeke, CEO, nose design experience
Kasia Foljanty, PhD, MBA Director of Customer Experience and Architecture, neomind design studio
Claudia Wessner, Design Studio Manager, Advanced & Creative Design, Alstom
Caterina Guerra, Team lead Product Development and interior design, Flixtrain

Hosts:
Jan Wielert, Managing Director & Partner, büro+staubach
Ake Rudolf, Head of Strategy, International Design Center Berlin

__

Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to receive updates.

From 16 October to 1 November, our exhibition will be on display in Frankfurt as part of World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026, in the foyer of the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt.

The official opening will take place on 16 October. On this day, there will be a welcome address as well as a presentation by Levin Budihardjo Welim on his project “Amber – AI monitoring device”. The project was awarded in the Young Talent category in 2025.

Location
Museum Angewandte Kunst
Schaumainkai 17
60594 Frankfurt

Date
16.10. - 01.11.2026

Vernissage
16 October, 4 pm

From 16 October to 1 November, our exhibition will be on display in Frankfurt as part of World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026, in the foyer of the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt.

The official opening will take place on 16 October. On this day, there will be a welcome address as well as a presentation by Levin Budihardjo Welim on his project “Amber – AI monitoring device”. The project was awarded in the Young Talent category in 2025.

Location
Museum Angewandte Kunst
Schaumainkai 17
60594 Frankfurt

Date
16.10. - 01.11.2026

Vernissage
16 October, 4 pm

Register here

Where does assistance end and the transfer of responsibility begin? What role do judgment, attitude, and responsibility play?

Never before have designers had so many tools at their disposal. But never before has the question of responsibility, quality, and human judgment been as relevant as it is today. We develop AI systems—and at the same time, these systems are changing our work, our thinking, and our decisions. But when AI generates content, prepares decisions, and influences creative processes, the question arises: Who bears responsibility—the technology, its developers, or those who use it? Artificial intelligence accelerates processes, expands creative possibilities, and blurs the boundaries between humans and machines. At the same time, new challenges arise: algorithmic biases, opaque decisions, and questions regarding copyright, responsibility, and societal consequences.

The event examines AI not as a promise of innovation, but as a task of design and leadership. What responsibilities do designers and design leaders bear when using intelligent systems? How is AI changing the roles, skills, and working methods within design teams? And what skills will people still be expected to possess in the future? Another focus is on design education. As research, visualization, and conceptualization are increasingly supported by AI, what will students need to learn in the future? What significance do creativity, critical thinking, judgment, and ethics hold in a work environment shaped by AI?

Through a dialogue between design, technology, science, and education, the event explores what a responsible future of design might look like—and why attitude becomes more important as tools become more powerful.

Organizer:

International Design Center Berlin e. V. (IDZ), in cooperation with the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin) and the Association of German Industrial Designers (VDID)