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Designing for Social & Community Entrepreneurship

Design tools for growing strong ecosystems around social and community-driven entrepreneurs

SCENTISS @ DDW 2026 — © Sam van der Horst

SCENTISS, a Dutch research consortium funded by NWO, presents design tools that support social and community-driven entrepreneurship. In a mini-exhibition and hands-on workshops in Eindhoven, we explore how design can strengthen these ecosystems.

Boosting social entrepreneurship

SCENTISS is a Dutch research consortium working on scaling strategies and strong ecosystems for social and community-driven entrepreneurs. It is our firm belief that social entrepreneurship and community-driven initiatives and collectives can make essential contributions to societal transitions. At the same time, these entrepreneurs run into many impediments when scaling their practices and innovations. SCENTISS, funded by NWO, studies how the entrepreneurial ecosystem around them can be made more supportive.

Design tools

One of the work packages in SCENTISS develops design-driven tools that help these ecosystems grow their impact. The tools are developed by researchers and students from Industrial Design at TU Eindhoven. During SCENTISS Day, a mini-exhibition presents the tools, with prototypes laid out for participants to handle and respond to. In hands-on workshops, participants apply the tools to concrete cases and discuss what they deliver and where they can improve.

SCENTISS Day

SCENTISS Day takes place on Tuesday 20 October 2026 and brings the SCENTISS consortium and partners together in Eindhoven: entrepreneurs, intermediaries, researchers and policymakers. After a joint lunch with an introduction to recommended DDW exhibitions, the afternoon is open to explore Dutch Design Week and find inspiration around mission-driven innovation and creative approaches to societal challenges. Participation is free; registration is required. More information at www.scentiss.nl.

About SCENTISS consortium

SCENTISS is a Dutch research consortium, funded by NWO, working on scaling strategies and strong ecosystems for social and community-driven entrepreneurs. The consortium combines research with practice to deliver science-driven results, innovative solutions, scalable initiatives and actionable strategies. More at www.scentiss.nl.