Changing the change: an European perspective. In which way in EUROPE design research is, or is not, an agent for sustainability?

European PhD programs are mainly characterized by a theoretical approach –historical, methodological - finalized to the education of the future academic bodies. Important research centres promote a kind of research in the field of sustainability mainly based on a technological approach, rather than on a design approach. Other organisations have developed projects in the field of sustainability acting in a more incisive way as a stimulator of debates - with an entrepreneurial and professional attitude. EU funded projects are rarely focalized on design and sustainability. The paper describes some cases in order to offer a concrete view of the different way of developing design research on sustainability in Europe.