Strategic Design Scenarios is a design lab, created in 2003 in Belgium by the designer François Jégou. Strategic Design Scenarios is part of the pioneer movement of “public policy innovation by design”, along friends in Europe such as La 27e Région in France, The Mindlab in Danemark or Nesta in the UK. SDS is therefore very active in publishing, teaching, training and lecturing about the practice of design for policies.
We are non-partisan design activists working for the common good. SDS applies its expertise exclusively on societal issues and in particular: sustainability (food, energy, water, housing, etc.), democracy (citizen participation, local governance, etc.) and social justice (juvenile justice, social care, child protection, gender equality, economic justice, etc.). We work almost exclusively for the public sector (or with private actors working themselves with the public sector).
We work at micro and macro levels, in the present but also in the far future. SDS is active on multiple projects all over Europe and on multiple levels of governance and policies. We work both on EU research projects (such as H2020, Horizon Europe, etc.) and operational EU programmes (such as URBACT or Urban Innovative Actions) but also at national, regional and local levels (ministries, regions and cities).
We do consultancy (problem-setting & problem-solving), action-training (in order to empower civil servants & elected officials on how they can use design as a public innovation approach) and research and creative foresight.
[In that section of the website you will find downloadable content about the key personnel of SDS. Mini-bios, Curriculum vitaes (Europass résumés, pictures…]
SDS IS WHAT EU CALLS AN ‘AGILE STRUCTURE’
The first step that we do in front of a new challenge is to constitute an ad-hoc partnership in the circle of close collaborators and round of structures with complementary competences to better serve the different and specific purpose of projects. This means that we rarely work alone. We work together with sociologists, urbanists, experts of policy evaluation, behavioral scientists, foresighters, and of course other designers.

François Jégou / Director / Senior designer and researcher / @sds_lab
EN
Designer by training and founder of the Brussels-based design lab Strategic Design Scenarios, François has 30 years’ experience in research, consulting and training on strategic design, participative scenario building and development of new product-services-policy system.
He is professor of strategic design at La Cambre, Brussels, trainer for civil servants at the National Institute for Territorial Studies (INET) in Strasbourg and Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale (CNFPT), and co-founder of DESIS network of design for social innovation and sustainability. François also regularly teaches in various schools such as Politecnico of Milan (IT) but also l’Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique (FR) and Sciences PO (FR).
As Validated Expert for the European progammes URBACT and EUI, François is supporting transfer of practices between European cities in sustainable food transition, urban regeneration or social cohesion. François has a large experience as researcher on transition processes, citizen participation and foresight as partner of various H2020 and Horizon Europe exploring sustainable lifestyles, energy transition, future of innovation or adoption of Responsible Research and Innovation.
FR
Designer Industriel de formation, François Jégou est fondateur de l’agence de recherche sur les modes de vie durables Strategic Design Scenarios basée à Bruxelles. François a 25 ans d’expériences de recherche, d’intervention en tant que consultant pour des entreprises et des pouvoirs publics et de formation sur les questions de modes de vie durables, innovation sociale, développement de systèmes complexes products-services-policies, la construction participative de scenarios prospectifs. Il intervient sur les processus de transitions écologique locaux au travers différents projets de développement, de prospective et d’évaluation des Agenda 21 en France et en Belgique ainsi que comme partenaire de multiples projets de recherche européens sur l’innovation sociale, la transition vers le développement durable des territoires, le futur de l’innovation ou la construction de processus délibératifs sur les nanotechnologies.
Francois Jégou coordonne des réseaux de villes européennes URBACT (Sustainable Food in Urban Communities ; REFILL Usage temporaire des espaces vacants ; BIOCANTEENS ) et intervient comme partenaire de divers projets de recherche européens H2020 sur l’innovation sociale, la transition vers le développement durable des territoires, la recherche et l’innovation responsable, la transformation des pratiques d’usage de l’énergie, le futur de l’innovation ou la construction de processus délibératifs sur la science et la technologie en Europe.
François est professeur de design à La Cambre, Bruxelles, Design manager du Laboratoire des Usages et Pratiques Innovantes de la Cité du Design de Saint-Etienne et co-fondateur du réseau international DESIS d’écoles de Design pour l’Innovation Sociale et le Développement Durable. Sa dernière publication : Social Innovation in Cities fait le point sur comment les plus de 500 villes qui ont pris part aux réseaux thématiques URBACT font évoluer leurs processus de gouvernance pour mieux collaborer avec les citoyens et les parties prenantes locales.

Christophe Gouache / Senior designer & researcher / @sds_lab
EN
Designer & researcher at Strategic Design Scenarios since 2012, Christophe studied industrial product design and responsible innovation and received his Master from The École de Design Nantes Atlantique, Nantes, France. His focus is the design of public policies, sustainable and social innovation, participatory democracy, creative participatory foresight, and public service design. He is working on various projects of public policy design and public innovation with regional authorities and ministries, as well as action-research projects at EU level (H2020).
Christophe gives trainings at the National Institute for Territorial Studies (INET) (Strasbourg, France) and Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale (CNFPT) in the Reunion Island. He has been teaching “Public design and innovation” at Sciences Po Lille for 7 years and is now teaching yearly at the Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique. He is also Lead Expert of URBACT networks of European cities (Active Citizens on participatory democracy and citizen participation) and now currently Breaking Isolation (fighting against social isolation). He is also, occasionally, gives trainings for the account of the European Institute of Public Administration and is currently working as advisory expert in a group for the Joint Research Center of the EU Commission on the future of democracy.
FR
Designer et chercheur chez Strategic Design Scenarios depuis 2012, Christophe a étudié le design industriel de produits et l’innovation responsable et a obtenu son Master à l’École de Design Nantes Atlantique, Nantes, France. Il se concentre sur la conception de politiques publiques, l’innovation durable et sociale, la démocratie participative, la prospective participative créative et la conception de services publics. Il travaille sur divers projets de conception de politiques publiques et d’innovation publique avec des collectivités territoriales et des ministères, ainsi que sur des projets de recherche-action au niveau européen (H2020).
Christophe dispense des formations à l’Institut National des Études Territoriales (INET) (Strasbourg, France) et au Centre National de la Fonction Publique Territoriale (CNFPT) à La Réunion. Il enseigne « Design public et innovation » à Sciences Po Lille depuis 7 ans et enseigne désormais chaque année à l’École de Design Nantes Atlantique. Il est également Expert Principal des réseaux URBACT de villes européennes (Active Citizens sur la démocratie participative et la participation citoyenne) et actuellement Breaking Isolation (lutte contre l’isolement social). Il dispense également, occasionnellement, des formations pour le compte du European Institute of Public Administration et travaille actuellement en tant que membre d’un groupe d’experts pour le Joint Research Center de la Commission européenne sur l’avenir de la démocratie.
Downloads
CV_Europass-Gouache_EN [english]
CV_Europass-Gouache_FR [français]
Downloads
EUROPASS Curriculum Vitae [français]
Curriculum Vitae [english]
STUDENTS & YOUNG DESIGNERS
“Strategic Design Scenarios behaves also as a teaching opportunity between research and professional worlds receiving permanently young creative students coming from design schools and universities worldwide…”
François jégou
looking for an internship?
We have 2 internship vacancies for the Feb. 2026 to Aug. 2026 period (1 for a french speaking intern and 1 for an english speaking intern). For internship questions, requests & applications please email christophe[at]strategicdesignscenarios.net More info about internships here.
See below for the students, who came to SDS from all over Europe and beyond for more than 20 years!
At the moment, we have the pleasure to host MARGHERITA BRUN FROM ITALY!
Agnes Chiara
Alberto Solazzi
Aldo Olivero
Alice Conquand
Anne Schön
Antonio Palumbo
Arlon Stok
Blanche Dujardin
Cathelle Denoue
Charles Assier
Charlotte Schoeffler
Chloé Bousquet
Chloé Vermeulin
Christophe Gouache
Christopher Santerre
Cléo Fauvarque
Dasha Spasojevic
Deniz Orçun D’Angelo Delfin Ahmedi Elena Fichera
Elin Tobias
Emilie Bourgeot
Emma Livet
Eve Lerouge
Fiona Mazubert
Fiora Noël
Gaetan Mazaloubeaud
Giulia Durante
Giuseppe De Francesco
Jeanne Riot
Juli Mata
Karine Aboudarham
Khushboo Balwani
Lotte Boury
Louise Roussière
Margot Landry
Marie Ange Dubreuil
Martin Lefebvre
Mathieu Grosche
Mathilde Cahill
Maureen Lois
Michael Schnell
Milan Kieffer
Milo Sognos
Nannan Li
Nicoletta Crisponi
Nicoletta Spagnolo
Nolwenn Huver
Paola Paleari
Paul Juin
Pauline Moussier
Perrine Boissier
Petra Salaric
Raphaelle Agostini
Roberta Motter
Ruby Yu-Rung Jeng
Sabina Verma
Sabrine Bibollet
Sara Girardi
Selam Mebrahtu
Seojeong Moon
Serena Nardin
Thibaut Métivier
