Situational analysis of the design center ecosystem in Turkiye, regarding the effects of strategies and policies

The main focus of this research is the investigation of design centers (DCs) with different characteristics in Turkiye (TR) in the axis of national strategies and policies to discover the impact factors for effective and sustainable infrastructures. In this qualitative situational study, the main features revealed by the information obtained from the corporate web pages of DCs abroad and the data in the literature shaped the conceptual framework of the multiple-case study. Thematic analysis was conducted using the coding method on the field data obtained from the semi-structured interviews held in TR. The main finding is that some systemic failures related to the definitions and applications of design policies in the National Design System (NDS) in TR cause structural defects in the DC ecosystem. In addition to the structures defined and supported as DC in TR that carry out product/service design as commercial activities, there are also DCs that are effective in promotional activities, research facilities, regional scale or thematic areas, at different scales and in other organizational infrastructures which are also contributors as components of the National Innovation System. In the conclusion part, stakeholders and impact dynamics in the DC ecosystem have been mapped, supporting conditions have been defined by emphasizing the effect-response relationship in line with the realization of DC activities that contribute to the development of the creative economy and innovation ecosystem. Final recommendations are prescribed for short/medium/long term under strategic requirements, the infrastructure supporting innovation development, and the infrastructure supporting collaborations and interactions.