New elements in the László Moholy-Nagy Design Grant

New elements in the László Moholy-Nagy Design Grant

The Moholy-Nagy Grant, which looks back on a history of more than twenty years, can boast of great significance both for designers and users. The objective of the programme launched to facilitate and provide an incentive for the development and dissemination of Hungarian design was to promote the integration of design in innovation and the economy, while it also supports the professional development and fosters the talent of designers who are working on their own projects. The programme provides the opportunity for applicants to implement their projects - created on their own initiative or on a given theme, or in cooperation with a manufacturer - as well as to conduct theoretical and educational development research.

In order to maintain its efficiency and success as well as to adapt it to the needs of changing markets, it was necessary to reform the scholarship system. Therefore, after a year-long trial period the Hungarian Design Council introduced the following changes, while meeting the expectations of the economic sector and the design profession.

The tender dossier will contain proposed and recommended themes, as well as projects with a specified theme to be realised in cooperation with a manufacturer. The announced scholarships can now be joined by commercial organisations which can take part in the development and implementation of the prototypes, thus promoting the opportunity for successful future collaboration and the serial manufacturing of products. The scholarship period is one year, which, in justified cases, can be extended by an additional year. Although the shortened period requires more intense work and faster end results from the participants, it provides the opportunity for three times as many designers in three times as many themes. In order to support the successful performance of tasks, there will be two consultation times per year, of which the first may be instrumental in the initial stage of the scholarship year, and the second one during the implementation stage. The gross sum of the scholarship has been increased to HUF 1.2 million, to be paid on a quarterly basis. An additional innovation is the introduction of free participation for the scholarship holders at conferences and exhibitions. The evaluation of the projects has also been slightly modified: besides the new set of criteria it has become compulsory for participants to include their thesis projects to ensure a more accurate evaluation.

The success and efficiency of the reform is proven by the success of the annual reporting exhibition, as well as by the fact that while there were only three cooperating companies in the 2009 grant programme, in 2010 this increased to five. Despite the intense work expected of the designers, the number of applicants has also increased.