In February another Meeting of the SDN’s Swiss Chapter 'Academic Group' took place at the Art & Design department at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Emmenbrücke, near Lucerne. The focus was on research cooperations, shared activities, as well on formats of future meetings of the academic service design community.

It was decided to try out various ways of challenging traditional academic gatherings, with a format that we received the working title of 'carte blanche'. At least once a year one institution hosts this event, and the role of organizer is on a rotating, voluntary basis. We’re looking forward to innovative formats, challenging topics and unusual venues! The event can be provocative and (scandalous!) does not need to please the audience, rather to progress the field of service design. The first institution to pick up the Carte Blanche is the HES-SO.

Participants came from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), University of Applied Sciences (HTW Chur), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (Hes.so), L'Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). If you are part of an academic institution, and want to join, you can request to be added to the 'SDN academic group' on LinkedIn.