The Instituto Europeo di Design is an academic institution that operates in the fields of education, training, and research in the disciplines of design, fashion, visual communication, and management, covering professional, vocational, and business design training. IED has branches across Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (Milan, Rome, and 5 other cities), and Brazil (São Paolo, Rio de Janeiro). It operates across several EU countries through collaborations and agreements with institutions, business support organisations, professors, experts, and mentors with whom it has established relationships. IED draws on a broad network of connections in the F&T sector specifically for this project, drawing on R&D in the areas of fashion design, product design, interior design, visual arts, communications, and management.

IED Innovation Lab is the research and innovation laboratory of the IED in Spain, which aims to respond, through the interaction of design with other areas or disciplines, to current challenges, with its own methodologies and formats, in a sustainable project, and with a strong social and environmental commitment.

In this project, IED Innovation Lab and HumanNation are collaborating to co-create the training material and results, where HumanNation is integrating their expertise involving Deep-Purpose cultural and societal transformation, profound innovation and regenerative design, applied to professional and organisational transformation - supporting the development of a regenerative culture and innovation towards viable solutions tackling today’s societal challenges.

Our Team

José Francisco García

José Francisco is a promoter of urban regeneration projects based on the orange economy, and the cultural and creative industries. Expert in heritage management, urban landscape and tourism, manager of many heritage projects for cultural or economic use. Promoter of the project for declaring "The Site of the Retiro and Prado in Madrid” as World Heritage Cultural Landscape. Promoter of the Project “Workshops on Heritage Management for Latinamerican cities”. Director of the Master Plan of the Uncastillo's fortress and its museum. Promoter of “Paisaje Madrid”. Expert in public spaces and social development, citizens participation projects and cultural Management. Professor at different Masters at Universities of Zaragoza, Complutense of Madrid, CEU San Pablo of Madrid, Contemporánea Foundation, Universidad Católica de Chile and Tecnológico of Monterrey (Mexico). Speaker at congresses and events in cities such as Madrid, Mexico City, San Juan de Puerto Rico, Amsterdam, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Rome, Florence... Author of different articles of cities, cultural Heritage and urban landscape.

Mercedes Marín

Mercedes is a Project Manager with expertise since 2007 ranging from local to international, in different sectors mainly related to Culture and International Cooperation: Foundations, NonGovernmental Organizations, United Nations Organizations, Spanish Public Sector abroad, Enterprises, Universities. She is currently Project Manager at the Innovation Lab of the Istituto Europeo di Design in Madrid, Spain, and visiting professor at the Master of cultural heritage management of the University of Zaragoza, Spain, since 2016. She holds a Degree in Art History and Master´s degrees in cultural heritage management and management of development cooperation projects. Languages spoken: English, French, Spanish. Areas of competence: project management; cultural heritage; museology; tourism; cultural events; international cooperation; education; research.

Virginia Ramírez Herrero

Virginia Ramírez Herrero is a Consultant, Soft Skills Trainer and Researcher. Since 2013 she has been analysing career paths and business projects as a Consultant, at national and international level, from multinationals like Red Bull International with a high social impact to Olympics FX racers as individual projects. Previously Virginia worked for more than 11 years as Director and Senior Marketing Specialist in companies such as Brainstorm Multimedia (a company specialised in Software for Television), Toyota Spain (within the Marketing Department) or Red Bull Spain (at the Culture Department). She has a Bachelor Degree in Advertising and Public Relations (Complutense University), and is a PhD student in Social and Legal Sciences at the International Doctoral School of the Rey Juan Carlos University. Master in Coaching and Integrative Emotional Mentoring, Trainer in High Performance, Co-Author of the book "Let's Flow" and Founder of "TransicionProfesional.com" her late venture on mentoring for professional transitions. As a trainer she´s been related to the entrepreneur council project Viveros de Empresas of Madrid, several international projects for IED as FITS, UFIL or SogFash, and business incubators as Innspire or ImapctHUb Madrid.

Julia Pelletier

Graduated in Textile Design at L’Ensaama, Paris and specialised in silk-screen printing at Central Saint Martins College, London, Julia works as a freelancer and flows from one discipline to another. She draws, silk screens on paper and textiles, makes art books and develops artistic interventions through workshops she designs for Museums, bookshops and cultural entities throughout Europe. She has worked for AD, Planeta editions, the UPC, the Victoria y Albert museum or the Wallace Collection. Her current clients are the Picasso Museum, the MNAC, the Miró Foundation or the online platform Domestika. In 2006, she created the international illustrated book festival “Como Pedro por mi casa”, an event dedicated entirely to illustrated and self-edited book and she is still developing exhibitions, workshops and pop-up events. She has been exercising her teaching vocation since 1995. She is currently responsible for the Fashion Textile Design course at IED Barcelona Fashion School, BA Honours Course Module Leader related to Westminster University and part of IED “Ambassadors” project.

Sharam Yalda

Sharam is an Economist with an eco-social focus, with expertise in Regenerative Business Design; He supports the funding of innovative projects through European and national Research & Innovation programmes. Since 2013, he is focused on strategic areas of disruptive and systemic change which include decarbonisation, social equality and circularity, applied to SMEs and Startups; achieved through new business models, technological solutions and digitisation. He is the lead designer and project manager of CircularInnoBooster, a COSME funded programme to support SMEs. He has diverse knowledge of eco-design, circularity, energy systems and decarbonisation, within the context of smart cities & communities. He supports businesses in developing a triple and quadruple balance business model with the aim of participating in disruptive or game-changing. Sharam is the Founder of HumanNation, a disruptive innovation advisory firm to support the transformation of business to a regenerative culture, integrating circularity, decarbonisation and humane values in the business strategy, projects and collaborations.