On March 31, 2026, the selection day for the Grassroots Open Call took place at the Dutch Design Foundation in Eindhoven. During this day, designers, consortium partners, and startups came together to take the next step in developing three Minimum Viable Ecosystems (MVEs) focused on food innovation.
For each MVE, three designers were invited based on a careful preselection, considering experience, portfolio, and motivation. During the selection day, they engaged in in-depth conversations with pairs of consortium members and the respective startup. These discussions focused not only on past work, but especially on ways of thinking, the ability to navigate complex systems, and their envisioned role as an orchestrator within an ecosystem.
The final selection was made collaboratively, with one vote per consortium partner, and facilitated by In4Art as moderator. For each MVE, insights and impressions were shared, discussed, and weighed collectively. The final decisions were well substantiated and aligned closely with the preferences of the involved startups. All three designers were selected unanimously.
Selected desginers:
The selection committee emphasized the exceptionally high quality of all candidates. The conversations revealed a rich diversity of perspectives and approaches, making the selection both challenging and inspiring. At the same time, the committee expressed a strong intention to keep non-selected designers involved. Follow-up opportunities are being explored with several candidates, ranging from advisory roles to potential involvement in future phases of the project.
With these three designers, Grassroots enters its next phase, where design, research, and collaboration converge to not only imagine new food systems, but to actively test, experience, and build them.
