The cancellation of the DC is destructive and will harm manufacturers, say employees

Brno/Praha - The cancellation of the Design Centre of the Czech Republic (DC) is, according to its employees, a destructive step that will impact the economy and could jeopardize the competitiveness of manufacturers. The employees of the centre stated this in today’s announcement, reacting to Friday's announcement of the institution's dissolution. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, it is to operate until the end of this year, after which some of its competencies and responsibilities will be taken over by the organization CzechTrade. It is not yet clear how the current headquarters in Radnická Street in Brno will be utilized.
    "A long-term systematic assistance to entrepreneurs will be buried, as the cultivation of design strengthens the competitiveness of Czech industrial production in advanced markets. From the perspective of the founder, this is a destructive step that will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the economy of Czech companies,” believes 19 employees of the Design Centre, which is tasked with supporting and promoting the work of Czech designers and spreading awareness.
    The transfer of part of the work to another institution is not considered a solution. "CzechTrade cannot guarantee expertise in the field of design," said, for example, the competitions manager of the Design Centre, Ivana Janíčková. The claimed financial saving of about ten million crowns a year is also disputed as an argument by the ministry. "Subsidies will just flow in another direction," said curator Ivana Janíčková.
    Matyáš Vitík from the press department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade told ČTK today that the employees of the Design Centre will be able to apply for jobs at CzechTrade. "It is currently impossible to predict how any possible negotiations will turn out,” he stated.
    The Design Centre has existed for 16 years, headquartered in Brno, and has a branch in Prague. It organizes exhibitions, competitions, training, and seminars, and continuously maps Czech creativity. According to the deputy director Jiří Cicvárek, many national design centres have emerged in the world based on the Czech model. He also claims that according to feedback from experts and colleagues abroad, the centre was functioning well and should be preserved. "However, the opinions of the professional community have fallen on deaf ears at the ministry,” claims Cicvárek.
    The dissolution was announced to the employees on Friday by the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Luboš Vaněk. The reasons cited are supposed savings and organizational changes in the department, as well as the overly artistic direction of the Design Centre, which allegedly did not sufficiently focus on industrial design. Employees have not yet received termination notices and point to the problems and damages that could arise due to the rapid dissolution of the centre and its archives, databases, and library.
    The centre’s headquarters, a historic burgher house in Radnická Street, belongs to the city, which is currently not considering how the building will be used in the future. "Our priority is still to keep the Design Centre in Brno,” said city hall spokesman Pavel Žára to ČTK. The employees of the centre still place their hopes in Mayor Roman Onderka, who promised to try to overturn the ministry's decision.