These days I participated in the Purpose Forum in Pisa, organized by Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, as the director of the Carnival Lab Academy, bringing with me a reflection that stems from daily work around Carnival.

Designing for Europe is not just a technical exercise: it is a work of interpretation, listening and synthesis. It is an attempt to shape concrete change through collaboration between territories, people and organizations.

In this article we take a step-by-step look at how to navigate your way through the landscape of programs and calls, avoiding “forcing” the idea inside the first available call and instead learning how to choose methodically.

Ideas are born everywhere, but for an idea to become a European project capable of attracting partners, resources and impact, it requires a path that combines vision, method and context-reading skills.